Byzantine Empire:

Imperium Romanum
Eastern Roman Empire

Empire

330 – 1453


Flag of the late Empire	Imperial Emblem

The Byzantine Empire during its greatest territorial extent under Justinian. c. 550.

Capital

Constantinople¹

Language(s)

Latin until the 7th century, Greek thereafter

Religion

Roman paganism until 391, Catholicism from 391-1054, Eastern Orthodoxy thereafter

Government

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Emperor

- 306–337

Constantine the Great

- 1449–1453

Constantine XI

Legislature

Byzantine Senate

Historical era

Late Antiquity-Late Middle Ages

- Diocletian splits imperial administration between east and west

285

- Foundation of Constantinople²

May 11

- East-West Schism

1054

- Fall of Constantinople to the Fourth Crusade

1204

- Reconquest of Constantinople

1261

- Fall of Constantinople³

May 29, 1453

- Fall of Trebizond

1461

Population

- 4th cent⁴ est.

34,000,000

- 8th cent (780 AD) est.

7,000,000

- 11th cent⁴ (1025 AD) est.

12,000,000

- 12th cent⁴ (1143 AD) est.

10,000,000

- 13th cent (1281 AD) est.

5,000,000

Currency

Solidus, Hyperpyron

Preceded by

Succeeded by

Roman Empire

Ottoman Empire
Empire of Trebizond
Despotate of Morea
Serbian Despotate
League of Lezhë
Principality of Wallachia
Republic of Ragusa
Republic of Venice

¹ Constantinople (330–1204 and 1261–1453). The capital of the Empire of Nicaea, the empire after the Fourth Crusade, was at Nicaea, present day İznik, Turkey.
² Establishment date traditionally considered to be the re-founding of Constantinople as the capital of the Roman Empire (324/330) although other dates are often used.^[1]
³Date of end universally regarded as 1453, despite the temporary survival of remnants in Morea and Trebizond.^[1]
⁴ See Population of the Byzantine Empire for more detailed figures taken provided by McEvedy and Jones, "Atlas of world population history", 1978, as well as Angeliki E. Laiou, "The Economic History of Byzantium", 2002.

The Byzantine Empire (or Eastern Roman Empire) was the name of the Greek part of the Roman Empire that survived into the Middle-ages. Its capital was Constantinople, which is today located Turkey and is now called Istanbul. Unlike the Western Roman Empire, its people spoke Greek, not Latin and had a largely Greek culture and identity.

Start of the Empire, 330 - 476 AD

The Roman Emperor Constantine I moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the city of Byzantium, and he renamed the city Constantinople. Many years later, after the city of Rome was taken over by Germanic people, the entire "Roman" Empire was moved to the Constantinople, and a new empire was born. The new empire still followed the ways of Christian Rome, but it had a smaller territory than the old Roman Empire.

The Empire in trouble: 476 - 717 AD

Wars in west

The Byzantine Empire tried to take back Rome and Italy from the Germans. Between 500 - 600 AD, the Byzantines won many battles and took back Rome.

These gains did not last however. More Germans came and eventually Italy and Rome was lost again. Worse was to come when Avar peoples came to take Bulgaria and Greece from the Byzantines. After a few battles, the Avars won much of northern Greece and Bulgaria. Theses Avars later called themselves Bulgarians.

Wars in the east

After Rome was captured by Germanic People, the Byzantine Empire continued to control Egypt, Greece, Palestine, Syria and Turkey. However, another Empire, known as the Persian Empire, wanted to take over these lands for itself. Between 476 - 628 AD, the Byzantines and the Persians fought many battles, with many men killed in the fighting. Eventually, the Persians were finally defeated in modern-day Iraq, near the ancient city of Ninevah in 627 AD, allowing the Byzantines to keep her lands.

After this, another enemy appeared: the Arabs. The Byzantines were tired from fighting the Persians and so lost many battles against the Arabs. Palestine, Syria and Egypt were lost. However, the Byzantines defended Turkey well and the Arab advance stopped.

Recovery of the Empire: 717 - 1025 AD

In 717 AD, the Arabs were defeated outside of the Byzantine Capital, Constantinople, ending the Arab threat in the east. In the west, the Byzantines launched a number of attacks against the Bulgarians. Some of these were successful, others were not and led to the deaths of many Emperors. In time, the Byzantine Empire became stronger and her enemies around her weaker as they fought amongst themselves

Recovery in the west

Between 1007 - 1014, the Byzantine Emperor Basil II attacked Bulgaria many times and eventually won a great victory. Later, he fully recaptured Greece, adding it back to the Byzantine Empire. He then went on to conquer Bulgaria, which was completed in 1018.

Recovery in the east

In the east, the Arabs once again became a threat to the Empire. However, Basil II's attacks won many more victories. Much of Syria was restored to the Empire and Turkey and Armenia were secured. After 1025, the Arabs were no longer a threat to the Byzantine Empire.

Decline of the Empire, 1025 - 1453

1025 - 1071

After the good Byzantine Emperor Basil II died, many bad Emperors came to the throne. They wasted the money of the Empire and reduced her army. This meant that she could not defend herself well against her enemies if they would attack. Later, the Byantines relied on soldiers who fought for money and not for their country, so they were less reliable but more expensive.

Invasion of the Turks, 1071 - 1091

A large number of people known as the Turks rode on horseback from central Asia and attacked the Byzantine Empire. They took all of Turkey from the Byzantines by 1091. However, the Byzantines received help from people in Europe. This help is known as the First Crusade. Many knights and soldiers left to help the Byzantines but also to secure Jerusalem for Christians, which at the time was in Muslim hands.

The Byzantines survive, 1091 - 1185

The Byzantine Empire survived and with the help of the Europoeans took back half of Turkey from the Turks, with the other half remaining under the Turks. The Byzantines survived because three good Emperors ruled one after the other, allowing the Byzantines to grow strong again.

The Byzantines become weak again, 1185 - 1261

After the three good Emperors, the remaining Emperors ruled badly and again wasted a lot of money and soldiers.

In the west, the Europeans betrayed the Byzantines and attacked their capital, Constantinople. The Byzantines lost their capital in 1204 and they did not take it back until 1261. The Byzantines were then divided into many smaller Greek states that were fighting with each other for the throne of the Empire.

The Turks destroy the Byzantines, 1261 - 1453

After the Byzantines took back Constantinople, they were too busy fighting the Europeans who had betrayed them and could not find enough soldiers or money to fight the Turks. Eventually, all of Turkey was lost by 1331.

In 1354, the Turks crossed over from Turkey and into Greece, taking over much of Greece between 1354 - 1450. The Byzatines lost so much land, money and soldiers that they became very weak and begged for help from the Europeans. The Europeans did not help very much. In the end, the Turks attacked Constantinople in April 1453. At the end of May 1453 the Turks captured Constantinople and the Empire came to an end.

What the Empire left for us

References

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Byzantine Empire

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