The Roman Empire hit its height around the year 117 AD, where it was over five million plus square Kilometers. Soon the Roman Empire would be ravaged by disease and poverty. To cope with this the Empire would split into two in able to cope with the rising trouble. This would create the Eastern and Western Empires. In 476 AD the last emperor of the Western Empire was overthrown by Germanic leaders. This led to the collapse of the western Empire. So why did the Eastern thrive while the Western fell? They thrived because of location, allies, and trade. The Byzantines had a major advantage in their location. Their empire was positioned in the hardest area to conquer, and at the center of it all was Constantinople. The capital was located on …show more content…
This would allow their allies to safely sail into the ports with money and other goods. The Byzantines main trade hub were located in their capital of Constantinople.” A dizzying array of goods circulated in the Byzantine Middle East” (Williams). they would receive immense amounts of goods and money. This would allow the Byzantine Empire to become one of the wealthiest nations in Medieval age Europe. Although the Byzantines were promised goods from their allies, most times they were not given. Goods like food and money would be promised to the Byzantines. Only after the promise of such goods, was the promise broken for reasons unknown. “Promised Food and shelter for defeating the Turks.” (Google …show more content…
Their power was immense. Their walls were up to 40 feet high, and their armies were feared. With the help of key allies like Venice and the Holy Roman Empire, the Byzantines were able to accumulate wealth at an astonishing rate. The Byzantines were a gateway to the Middle East and India. They served as a blockage for the Turks and Egypt. The Byzantines were able to do more and be more because they had knowledge that most of Europe did not have. The Byzantines went through many rules, each better than the last. The Byzantines didn’t allow armies to march onto their cities until the eventual sack of Constantinople. The Byzantines are a rule that will be remembered for
As you can see, the Byzantine and Arab empires had many characteristics that came to define them. Whether it was through their religious beliefs, political structure, or economy, each was able to create a vast, long lasting empire which came to define the post-classical period.
In conclusion, the Byzantine Empire vastly shaped how the contemporary world turned out to be with its religion, engineering, and ideas about law. With this is mind, we, as society as a whole, are creating a foundation for captivating innovations and scientific discoveries in the subject of technology for practical purposes, along with the study of essential nature of knowledge, reality, human behavior and purpose, and existence that the human species will regard and acknowledge collectively in the period of time to
Justinian had dreamed of restoring the Roman Empire in Europe so he immediately set out to secure and expand the weakening Byzantine Empire(Norwich- A Short History of Byzantium,68). The only way Justinian could achieve his goal was by retaking control over the Western provinces that were once ruled by Rome (Fortescue- Justinian I, Roman Emperor).
In the year 330 Constantine founded a new imperial city in the east, which became known as Constantinople. Accompanying Diocletian's system of tetrarchy, the creation of this new city affirmed the separation of the Roman Empire into the east and the west. The Eastern Roman Empire held a series of advantages over the west both socially and economically. The Western Roman Empire was the weaker empire and a bad leadership and government along with attacks from barbarians led to the demise of the Western Roman Empire.
Though one should consider the argument by some historians that the Byzantine Empire was really a continuation of the Roman empire and not in fact a new entity. The Byzantine Empire had been formed in Late Antiquity by the splitting of the Roman empire between the two heirs of Theodosius I. While the two halves retained some ties for all intents and purposes the two were independent entities after 395 CE. While the Western Empire continued to decline, the Byzantines actually flourished and by the 4th century included the Balkans, Greece, Anatolia (Asia Minor), the Levant, and parts of North Africa including Egypt. While Byzantium’s power fluctuated, especially during conflicts with the Islamic civilization and during internal wars, for the majority of its history the Byzantine Empire was a strong political, cultural and economic power in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Significant conflicts in the 11th century caused the Byzantine Empire to decline and this decline was made worse by the Sack of Constantinople in 1204 by the Venetian Crusaders. After this defeat, Byzantium was split into two portions and remained so until 1261 when it was reunified. However, the damage was done and internal conflict and civil war continued to plague the Empire until it ultimately was destroyed by the Ottoman Turks in
The late eleventh century brought the Byzantine Empire new increasing threats from various sides. The most prominent of all were the Seljuk Turks who had begun to advance towards the very heartland of the Byzantine Empire. Soon the Turks stood at the wake of controlling Anatolia, the most prosperous of cities in the Byzantine Empire. Not too far along Jerusalem returned to Sunni control as the Turks succeeded in capturing the Holy City. The Seljuk Turks continued to advance.
former capital of the Byzantine Empire and of the Ottoman Empire , since 1930 officially called Istanbul (for location and description, see Istanbul ). It was founded (AD 330) at ancient Byzantium as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine I, after whom it was named. The largest and most splendid European city of the Middle Ages, Constantinople shared the glories and vicissitudes of the Byzantine Empire, which in the end was reduced to the city and its environs. Although besieged innumerable times by various peoples, it was taken only three times—in 1204 by the army of the Fourth Crusade (see Crusades ), in 1261 by Michael VIII, and in 1453 by the Ottoman Sultan Muhammad II. Defended by Greek fire , it was also well fortified. An early inner wall was erected by Constantine I, and the enlarged Constantinople was surrounded by a triple wall of fortifications, begun (5th cent.) by Theodosius II. Built on seven hills, the city on the Bosporus presented the appearance of an impregnable fortress enclosing a sea of magnificent palaces and gilded domes and towers. In the 10th cent., it had a cosmopolitan population of about 1 million. The Church of Hagia Sophia , the sacred palace of the emperors (a city in itself); the huge hippodrome, center of the popular life; and the Golden Gate, the chief entrance into the city; were among the largest of the scores of churches, public edifices, and monuments that lined the broad arcaded avenues and squares. Constantinople had a great wealth of artistic and literary treasures before it was sacked in 1204 and 1453.
They began to take rent from the people who lived there, place taxes on local markets and tollbooths were placed at the entrance to the cities. This all helped to create the fiscal-military state which made it possible for rulers to pay their armies and guards with cash. It was the conquering of the Byzantine Empire that helped to make money more accessible to the Ottoman Empire, the Byzantine Empire was part of the Roman Empire which was the longest lasting Empire and most likely more advance than some of the smaller Empires. Metals such as silver, lead, and iron were necessary to keep enough money to pay the armies their salaries. The Ottomans took over the silver, iron and lead mines in Serbia and Bosnia making them the masters of metal production. Both the Habsburgs and the Ottomans used large amounts of gold and silver to purchase firearms, cannons and ships to conquer the world.
Widely considered one of the strongest of the ancient empires to grace Earth, the Roman Empire stood for over one thousand years. Through its humble beginnings along the Tiber river, Rome expanded through near-perpetual aggression to become the dominant force throughout the Mediterranean, Europe, Northern Africa, and the Near East for almost a millennia. As the empire aged, thought, so too did it’s center of focus change. Once rich and prosperous, the Western Roman Empire, and the city of Rome itself, eventually became useful only as a namesake, their wealth and prestige long gone, and with them, the power of the Western Empire. Meanwhile, Rome, as a whole, shifted it’s focus to the prosperous east, which had continued to flourish despite the continued economic struggles of the Empire. At this time, Constantine I creating a new capital at Byzantium, renaming the city to Constantinople. Once Constantinople was established as the center of the empire, the west was mostly forgotten, both by the people and the emperor. The majority of Rome’s Citizens and wealth now hailed from the east, so the western empire was soon treated as an aside by the Eastern Empire and slowly fell into further decline. Many Historians would name a specific event or chain of events that spelled the end for the western half of the Roman empire, but I would argue that the Western Roman Empire did not suddenly collapse because of any one event, rather, it slowly fell over the course of several decades as a result of a multitude of failures. No one body was entirely responsible for Rome’s collapse, instead a combination of a decaying political structure, infighting, a continuously weakened economy, and consistent assaults by germanic tribes eventually caused the ...
As we look back into both long moments in history, we can see how the two, while starting out along the same path and beliefs, had branched away from one another. These differences, whether influences by outside or internal sources, helped shape not only the future for their worlds but also for ours. If it had not been for Constantinople’s prime trade location, or had they ignored the opportunity, they too could have easily stifled their economic and cultural growth. While the Medieval Western European culture was slower to expand, they did eventually blossom, prosper and survive.
Rome was massive. It is known to be the first city that held one million citizens. It was also strong. The army was huge, and Rome seemed invincible, but unfortunately, Rome started to molder. Political aspects, economical issues, deadly diseases, and ruthless foreign invaders all eventually lead to the fall of the seemingly undefeatable Western Roman Empire.
While the western half of the divided Roman Empire collapsed from foreign invaders, the surviving eastern side thrived and excelled way longer in the city of Constantinople. Influenced by external Greek and Latin civilizations, the Eastern Roman Empire transformed all aspects of their culture including government structure. Once a new capital was established by Emperor Constantine I, the empire slowly gained power and flourished into a strong civilization overtime. The foreign effects of many countries have shaped the Byzantine Empire’s governing system pattern and consequently helped with further expansion at the cost of many revolts and rebellions.
During the early 700s, the Byzantine Empire was in turmoil and chaos. As Leo III took power, Constantinople was being attacked by Avars, Bulgarians, and Arabs. The Arabs from the Middle East were a main concern for Leo III because of their large conquests in the Asia Minor. The Arabs advanced to spread their faith of Islam and control resources. The Arabs slowly acquired land until their siege on Constantinople itself. Leo III made brilliant defense moves to stop the invaders. His military forces attacked the Arabs from the rear successfully while naval forces were repelled with Greek Fire. Greek Fire was the empire's secret weapon that may have saved them from the Arab siege. Arab ships would burst into flames from contact with the "liquid fire." Fighting continued for a year until the Arabs retreated. Constantinople was defended successfully, but the empire suffered heavy losses and continued to loose land.
After the fall of the Roman Empire in Western Europe, part of the former empire was salvaged and the capital moved to Constantinople, where the surviving tidbits of western civilization still survived. Eventually, the centrality of Constantinople in addition to carrying on the Roman Empire in the form of the Byzantine Empire made the city thrive, making it one of the most, if not the most, magnificent cities in the world at the time. Constantinople became a great hub of trading, because of its geographic location serving as a checkpoint from Europe to the Middle East and Asia or Africa, and because had large bodies of water on both sides of it which allowed ports for ship trading to develop.
The Roman Empire was one of the largest in history. At its height in 117 A.D.,it spanned from Iberia all the way to the Caspian Sea, covering over 5 million square kilometers. The Roman Empire left behind a vast legacy, consisting of art, architecture, and religion. However, like all empires, the Roman empire fell. Usually, when people think of the fall of the Roman Empire, they think of the fall of the Western Roman Empire, formed after Diocletian split the Roman Empire in 284 A.D. The three main reasons that the Western Roman Empire fell were economic problems, flaws in the military, and barbarian invasions.