197 BC – 395 AD: With Roman military intervention in 197 BC, the Thracian tribes gained their independence. In 46 AD, after the Thracian King Rhoemetalces III was killed by his own wife, Emperor Claudius annexed Thrace as a province of Rome and appointed a procurator from the equestrian class to govern the province. To Romanize Thrace, Emperor Claudius established two Roman colonies in the interior regions of Thrace, settling retired Roman soldiers there.
Roman Period in Thrace
One of these settlements was the city known as Apri or Apros, located near today's Kermeyan Village in the Malkara district. Another was Dealtum, situated within present-day Bulgarian territory. This is evidenced by military inscriptions found in Apri. During the reign of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, after Byzantion (Istanbul) revolted against Rome, a war ensued between the Byzantines and the Romans. The Perinthians supported the Romans, who ultimately won the war. Thanks to Roman policies, the Thracians were fully assimilated, and Thrace came entirely under Roman rule. Perinthos (modern-day Marmara Ereğlisi) became the provincial capital during this period.
Byzantine Period in Thrace
395 AD – 1354 AD: After the Roman Empire was divided into two in 395 AD, Thrace remained within the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. Throughout the Byzantine period, Thrace faced numerous invasions, primarily from the west. The most notable among these were the Hun invasions (378-559), Avar invasions (587-626), and the Crusaders' capture of Byzantium during the Crusades in the empire's declining era (1096-1261). From the east, the Arab invasions (673-718) were the most significant. Western invasions prompted the Byzantines to build numerous fortresses in Thrace to strengthen their defenses.
Within the region's boundaries, these fortresses included the Cin Fortress in Yenice Village, Şarköy; the Elmalı Village Fortress in Şarköy; the Yenidibek Fortress and Kermeyan Village Fortress in Malkara; the Beyoğlu Village Fortress and Uçmakdere Kartalkaya Fortress in Şarköy; the Naip Village Fortress, Misinli Fortress, and Çorlu Fortress. After Ottoman forces under Süleyman Pasha crossed into Thrace via Gallipoli, the Byzantine Empire was besieged from both the east and the west. The conquest of Istanbul by Sultan Mehmed II in 1453 marked the empire's ultimate demise.
