The Byzantine Empire. Part of the Empires in the Middle Ages series. 2018. 48p. ISBN 978-1-68048-780-0. Available at 949.5 BYZ on the library shelves.
The Roman Empire’s expanse became ungovernable by one individual, and plans were made to split it into two different, more manageable parts. In the West, Rome eventually fell to barbarians in the 400s. In the East, Constantinople remained the seat of an evolving Roman power for another thousand years. The Byzantine Empire, descending Rome, was more oriented eastward. Its language was Greek, and it followed the Orthodox Church’s teaching instead of Rome’s Catholic Church. It survived as an entity by constantly adapting to its neighbors and by possessing an attractive culture. Its population was multicultural, and it contained numerous religions.
The emergency of Islam on the Empire’s southern borders led to numerous conflicts that continually cost it territories and treasure, and eventually led to its conquest in 1453. Relations with its European neighbors were not much better, with several Crusades diverted to conquer vast sways of the Byzantine Empire. Through it all, however, Constantinople and the Empire radiated culture, providing the world with massive monuments such as the Hagia Sophia. Its mitigated historical impact as the heir of Rome makes the Byzantine Empire an interesting study in the advantages and flaws of a cosmopolitan Empire.
Titles in the Empires in the Middle Ages series include:
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