The Byzantine Golden Age

The Byzantine Golden Age, also called the Macedonian Renaissance after the Macedonian dynasty that ruled from 867 to 1056, was a period of military resurgence, territorial expansion and cultural flowering for the Byzantine Empire following the losses of the seventh and eighth centuries. Emperors including Basil II reconquered lost territory in the Balkans, eastern Anatolia and southern Italy and finally crushed the Bulgarian Empire, while the era also saw a revival of classical Greek learning, achievements in law, and the mission of Cyril and Methodius that spread Byzantine Christianity and the Cyrillic script among the Slavic peoples. The dynasty's later decline, compounded by the Great Schism of 1054 and mounting pressure from Seljuk Turks and Norman adventurers, set the stage for the crises of the following century.