Byzantine Empire

Also known as Byzantium, Eastern Roman Empire, Roman Empire, Lower Empire, Romanía, Greek Empire, Empire of the Greeks

Roman Empire during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages

AI overview

The Byzantine Empire was the continuation of the Roman Empire that lasted through the Late Antique and Medieval periods, centered in the eastern Mediterranean with its capital at Constantinople. It matters because it preserved Roman law, culture, and Christian traditions through centuries when the western Roman Empire had fallen, making it a crucial bridge between the ancient and modern worlds.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of: administrative territorial entity
Named after: Constantinople
Demonym: Byzantine
Religion: Eastern Orthodoxy
Participant in: Byzantine–Sassanian Wars
Country: Roman Empire
Located in: Roman Empire
Continent: Asia
Capital: Constantinople
Official language: medieval Greek
Currency: Stavraton
Population: 17000000
Head of state: Byzantine emperor
Form of government: Dominate
Shares border with: Western Roman Empire
Followed by: Emirate of Crete
Said to be same as: Roman Empire

Show 21 more facts

replaces: An Ibéir Shasainid
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
inception: 0286-00-00
Commons category: Byzantine Empire
topic's main category: Category:Byzantine Empire
dissolved, abolished or demolished date: 1453-05-29
Commons gallery: Byzantine Empire
category of associated people: Category:Byzantine people
category for people who died here: Category:Deaths in the Byzantine Empire
studied by: Byzantine studies
replaced by: Latin Empire
owner of: Buffavento Castle
language used: Koine Greek
native label: Ῥωμανία
official religion: Eastern Orthodoxy
topic's main Wikimedia portal: Portal:Byzantine Empire
history of topic: history of the Byzantine Empire
economy of topic: economy of the Byzantine Empire
has works in the collection: Art Institute of Chicago
culture: Byzantine culture
P12749: Paul I

Sources (9)

via Wikidata · CC0

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, it endured until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The term 'Byzantine Empire' was coined only after its demise; its citizens used the term 'Roman Empire' and called themselves 'Romans'.

During the early centuries of the Roman Empire, the western provinces were Latinised, but the eastern parts kept their Hellenistic culture. Constantine I (r. 324–337) legalised Christianity and moved the capital to Constantinople. Theodosius I (r. 379–395) made Christianity the state religion and Greek gradually replaced Latin for official use. The empire adopted a defensive strategy and, throughout its remaining history, experienced recurring cycles of decline and recovery.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Byzantine Empire” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.