The Empire That Never Existed

Origins

The Byzantine Empire, reaching its zenith in 555 AD, encompassed vast territories around the Mediterranean, including Egypt, North Africa, and the Balkans. Despite its grandeur, the term 'Byzantine Empire' was never used by its inhabitants; they saw themselves as Romans, a continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of the West 1. This identity persisted through significant events like the establishment of Constantinople by Emperor Constantine I and the final division of the empire in 395 AD 2.

At no point in their 1000 some year history did they or anyone else ever call themselves Byzantines or refer to their empire as Byzantium. They considered themselves Roman.

--- Gary Arndt

The Byzantine Empire's foundation is thus deeply rooted in Roman history and identity.

   

Legacy

Significant battles marked the Byzantine Empire's history, culminating in its fall in 1453 when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. This event marked the end of an empire that had always considered itself Roman 3. The term 'Byzantine' was later coined by Western historians to distinguish this Greek-speaking Christian empire from the earlier Latin-speaking Roman Empire 1.

The first use of the term Byzantine was by the German historian Hieronymius Wolfenhe, who in 1557, 100 years after the fall of Constantinople, published a work called corpus historiae byzantine.

--- Gary Arndt

The Byzantine Empire's legacy, therefore, is a testament to its enduring Roman identity and its pivotal role in history.