BYZANTINE EMPIRE
The Byzantine Empire is also known as the Byzantium and Eastern Roman Empire. The Roman Empire continued in its eastern provinces during the Middle Ages and Late Antiquity when its capital city was Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Faith, and formerly Byzantium). The Byzantine Empire is known to have survived the fall and the fragmentation of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century AD and it is believed to have existed for an additional thousand years until 1453 when it fell to the Ottoman Turks.
During much of its existence, this empire is said to have been the most powerful military, cultural and economic force in the whole of Europe. Both the terms Eastern Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire are historiographical exonyms that were created after the end of the realm; many of its citizens continued referring to it simply as the Roman Empire.
The capital of this empire was Constantinople. The common languages that were spoken in this Empire include: Late Latin, Medieval Greek, and Koine Greek. The religion that was practiced in this empire was Christianity (Eastern Orthodox). Their system of government was an absolute monarchy.
Some of the notable emperors that ruled this empire include Arcadius, Justinian I, Leo III, Basil II, Constantine XI, and many more.
This empire lasted from Late Antiquity to Late Middle Ages. Some of the important historical events that took place during this period include:
POPULATION
The currencies that were used during this empire were the solidus, hyperpyron and histamenon. This empire was preceded by the Roman Empire and it was succeeded by the Ottoman Empire.
Several signal events between the fourth and sixth centuries marked the transition period during which the Latin West and Greek East of the Roman Empire diverged. The empire was reorganized by Constantine, Constantinople was made the capital and Christianity was legalized. This took place between 324 and 337 AD. Under the rule of Theodosius (379 to 395 AD), Christianity was made the official state religion of the Empire and other religious practices were abolished. Finally, under the rule of Heraclius (610 to 641 AD), the military and the administration of the Empire were restructured and Greek was adopted for official use instead of Latin. Therefore, despite the fact that the Roman state continued with its traditions, modern historians differentiate Byzantium from ancient Rome by the fact that it was centered on Constantinople, it was oriented towards Greek instead of Latin and that it was characterized by Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
