The Byzantine Empire, sometimes referred to as the Eastern
Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in the East during Late
Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinople
(modern-day Istanbul, originally founded as Byzantium). It survived the
fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and
continued to exist for an additional thousand years until it fell to the
Ottoman Turks in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire was the most
powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. Both "Byzantine
Empire" and "Eastern Roman Empire" are historiographical terms
created after the end of the realm; its citizens continued to refer to their
empire as the Roman Empire (Ancient Greek: Βασιλεία
τῶν Ῥωμαίων,
tr. Basileia tôn Rhōmaiōn; Latin: Imperium Romanum),[2] or Romania (Ῥωμανία),
and to themselves as "Romans".
Several signal events from the 4th to 6th centuries mark the
period of transition during which the Roman Empire's Greek East and Latin West
divided. Constantine I (r. 324–337) reorganised the empire, made Constantinople
the new capital, and legalised Christianity. Under Theodosius I (r. 379–395),
Christianity became the Empire's official state religion and other religious
practices were proscribed. Finally, under the reign of Heraclius (r. 610–641),
the Empire's military and administration were restructured and adopted Greek
for official use instead of Latin. Thus, although the Roman state continued
and Roman state traditions were maintained, modern historians distinguish
Byzantium from ancient Rome insofar as it was centred on Constantinople,
oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture, and characterised by Orthodox
Christianity.
The borders of the Empire evolved significantly over its
existence, as it went through several cycles of decline and recovery. During
the reign of Justinian I (r. 527–565), the Empire reached its greatest extent
after reconquering much of the historically Roman western Mediterranean coast,
including North Africa, Italy, and Rome itself, which it held for two more
centuries. During the reign of Maurice (r. 582–602), the Empire's eastern
frontier was expanded and the north stabilised. However, his assassination
caused the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628, which exhausted the Empire's
resources and contributed to major territorial losses during the Muslim
conquests of the seventh century. In a matter of years the Empire lost its
richest provinces, Egypt and Syria, to the Arabs.
During the Macedonian dynasty (10th–11th centuries), the
Empire again expanded and experienced the two-century long Macedonian
Renaissance, which came to an end with the loss of much of Asia Minor to the
Seljuk Turks after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. This battle opened the way
for the Turks to settle in Anatolia as a homeland.
The Empire recovered again during the Komnenian
restoration, such that by the 12th century Constantinople was the largest and
wealthiest European city. However, it was delivered a mortal blow during the
Fourth Crusade, when Constantinople was sacked in 1204 and the territories that
the Empire formerly governed were divided into competing Byzantine Greek and
Latin realms. Despite the eventual recovery of Constantinople in 1261, the
Byzantine Empire remained only one of several small rival states in the area
for the final two centuries of its existence. Its remaining territories were
progressively annexed by the Ottomans over the 15th century. The Fall of
Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 finally ended the Byzantin.
Credits: Wikipedia
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| The Empire at its greatest extent in 555 AD under Justinian the Great (its vassals in pink) |
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