Byzantine Empire:
Researchers have identified a fortified hilltop complex in southeastern Spain as a rare Byzantine stronghold established by soldiers and clergy in the late sixth century.
- It traces its beginnings to the year 330 CE, when Emperor Constantine split the Roman Empire into a western and eastern
- It was the eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived for nearly 1,000 years after the western half of the empire collapsed.
- It is often called the Eastern Roman Empire or simply Byzantium.
- It was based at Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), and at its peak it controlled territory stretching from southern Spain to Syria.
- Strategically located on the Bosphorus Strait, Constantinople quickly rose to become Europe’s most significant urban hub.
- Throughout their history, the Byzantines rarely controlled Rome and spoke mainly Greek. Despite this, the people of Byzantium continued to refer to themselves as “Romans,” .
- Their broader empire was considered to be a “Roman” empire even though it rarely controlled Rome.
- The Byzantine Empire flourished and experienced a “golden age” during the reign of Justinian (A.D. 527 to 565), during which the empire’s territories extended into Western Europe, and the emperor’s builders constructed the Hagia Sophia, a great cathedral that still stands and is now used as a mosque.
- The governance of the Byzantine Empire was marked by the absolute authority of emperors, who were seen as divinely appointed rulers.
- The Byzantines developed their own political systems, religious practices, art, and architecture.
- However, the empire faced numerous challenges, including territorial losses to emerging Muslim powers and internal religious schisms that eventually led to the split between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
- After Justinian’s death, the Byzantine Empire weakened and lost territory.
- In 1204, during the Crusades, the Byzantines were betrayed when crusaders from the west sacked Constantinople in an attempt to gain money.
- The Byzantine Empire eventually fell when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 CE following a siege.
- The Byzantine Empire was the longest-lasting medieval power, and its influence continues today, especially in the religion, art, architecture, and laws of many Western states, Eastern and Central Europe, and Russia.
