The Byzantine Empire was the continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. During most of its existence, the empire was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. The term ‘Byzantine Empire’ came into general use in the Western world in the mid-19th century, but was not widely used until the 20th century. The inhabitants continued to refer to their empire as Roman Empire, or Romania, and to themselves as Romans.
About Byzantine Empire in brief
The Byzantine Empire was the continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. During most of its existence, the empire was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. The borders of the empire fluctuated through cycles of decline and recovery. It was delivered a mortal blow during the Fourth Crusade, when Constantinople was sacked in 1204 and the territories formerly governed were divided into competing Byzantine Greek and Latin realms. The fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 ended the Byzantine Empire. The term ‘Byzantine Empire’ came into general use in the Western world in the mid-19th century, but was not widely used until the 20th century. The inhabitants continued to refer to their empire as Roman Empire, or Romania, and to themselves as Romans. They were also known as Romaioi and even as the 19th century Greeks typically referred to Modern Greeks as ‘Romai’ or ‘Hellenes’ The Byzantine Empire had a multi-ethnic character during most and preserved its Romano-Hellenistic traditions. It became identified by its western and northern contemporaries with its predominant Greek element with its increasingly predominant prestige that it claimed from the Holy Graecorum. It also claimed the prestige of the Holy Grail, which it used to distinguish its emperor from the other Roman emperors. The last of the imperial Byzantine successor states, the Empire of Trebizond, would be conquered by the Ottomans eight years later in the 1461 siege.
The first use of the term to label the later years of theRoman Empire was in 1557, 104 years after the empire’s collapse, when the German historian Hieronymus Wolf published his work Corpus Historiæ Byzantinæ, a collection of historical sources. The term comes from the name of the city to which Constantine moved his capital, leaving Rome, and rebuilt under the new name of Constantinople. The older name would rarely be used from this point onward except in historical or poetic contexts. It is also known to its inhabitants as the \”Roman Empire\”, the Roman Republic, Romania, and also as ‘Rhōmais’ The inhabitants called themselves Romai or Romai Romai and even the Modern Greeks typically called themselves ‘Hellenei’ The Empire was only one of several small rival states in the area for the final two centuries of itsexistence. Despite the eventual recovery of Constantinople in 1261, it remained only a small state in the region until the 14th century when it was annexed by theOttomans in the Byzantine–Ottoman wars over the14th and 15th centuries. The Empire’s greatest extent was during the reign of Justinian I, the empire reached its greatest extent, after reconquering much of the historically Roman western Mediterranean coast, including North Africa, Italy and Rome. It held for two more centuries. Although the Roman state continued and its traditions were maintained, modern historians distinguish Byzantium from ancient Rome insofar as it was oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture.
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This page is based on the article Byzantine Empire published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 03, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
