Essay On Byzantine Empire

History of Byzantine Empire The term Byzantine is derived from Byzantium that was a colony of Greek established by a person called Byzas. The empire was located on the Bosporus region in Europe thus serving as a trade route to Asia. It was the extension of the Roman Empire since most of the Roman practices were incorporated into this kingdom. Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD the Byzantine Empire was born to survive for 1000 years before the Turks conquered it in 1453 AD. Its capital was Constantinople a name derived from Emperor Constantine. During its existence, the empire enjoyed strong economic, cultural, and military power in entire Europe. A description of the Byzantine Empire will reveal its religion, social

It preserved the history of the Roman Empire from the 5th century until 1453 AD when the Turks conquered it. The empire managed to spread Christianity in most of the European countries, Africa, and Asia through sending missionaries (Roger 44). In addition, it served as the cultural heritage center. This is because it was located in former Greek and Roman territories. Most artefacts were still available at Constantinople that acted as its capital city. Moreover, it helped in the development of silk trade history. The Silk Road passed through the Byzantine Empire. Most of the Europeans had to pass through the Byzantine Empire to access silk from

The demise of Byzantine Empire began with their defeat during the battle of Manzikert (Rodgers 88). The Turks captured Emperor Romanos IV and humiliated him. During the early 14th Century, two civil wars weakened the empire. The first was a power-sharing war involving an emperor and his grandson fought between 1321-1328 AD. The second war involved the thrones and the aristocracy giving the Serbs an opportunity to invade the empire. Steadily the military unity declined leading to conquest by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire in