The Byzantines: An Often Overlooked Empire

Looking at the course of history, one can easily argue that the Roman Empire truly did fall in 476 BCE. From some of my previous posts, it is clear that many historians would say that the Roman Empire itself fell in 476 and that was the end of it. However, there are many more who would say that the Roman Empire continued to hang on to its last legs until 1453, when Constantinople finally was seized. But why would there be those distinct differences? Why would historians frequently disagree with the actual date? Should it not be clean cut when an empire as powerful as the Roman Empire fell?

Some of the main reasons for the differences in the date are simply because while the main Roman Empire did fall, some part of it still hung on. The idea of the actual Roman Empire did not last past 476. It merged into something new: The Byzantine Empire. Some historians would argue that it was still part of the Roman Empire, as Constantinople was the capital of the eastern half of the Empire. But when examining the Byzantine Empire, it is clear that there are many differences between the two cultures. For reference, here is a pretty detailed outline that expands from just before the fall of the western half of Rome, to the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453.

This website gives a pretty detailed explanation of Byzantium, which later became the western capital of the Roman Empire. It identifies the fact that the Byzantine Empire was different than the Roman Empire, as it was more commercialized and a more urban center than the Roman Empire had been. One of the key phrases that stood out when reading this website is the fact that: "Not everyone understood or spoke Latin." Latin was the accepted language of the Roman Empire, whereas with the Byzantine Empire, Latin was not so widely spoken. Byzantium was a place that was filled with economic wealth and success. It was known throughout Europe and it was a trading center of the world, especially due to its geographical location. Here there is a map depicting where Constantinople existed. This is the same city that was once Byzantine and that essentially became Byzantine again after the decline of the Roman Empire.

I suppose the main question that I leave any readers with is this: would it be safe to consider the Byzantine Empire a different empire completely? There were many cultural, religious, economical and societal differences between the Byzantine Empire and the once proud Roman Empire that dominated the Byzantine capital for centuries. Did the Byzantine Empire continue to exist even after the power of Rome left its city walls?