Byzantine Empire

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Roman Empire Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων  (Ancient Greek) Imperium Romanum  (Latin)
330/395–1453b
The empire in 555 under Justinian the Great, at its greatest extent since the fall of the Western Roman Empire (its vassals in pink)
The territorial evolution of the Eastern Roman Empire under each imperial dynasty until its fall in 1453.
Status	Eastern division of the Roman Empire[1]
Capital	Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul)c
Common languages	Greek[1] Latin Regional / local languages
Religion	Nicene Christianity (official) Roman polytheism (until AD 380) Greek polytheism (until AD 380)
Demonym(s)	Rhōmaîoi
Notable emperors
• 306–337	Constantine I (first)
• 408–450	Theodosius II
• 474–475, 476–491	Zeno
• 527–565	Justinian I
• 582–602	Maurice
• 610–641	Heraclius
• 717–741	Leo III
• 797–802	Irene
• 867–886	Basil I
• 976–1025	Basil II
• 1081–1118	Alexios I
• 1143–1180	Manuel I
• 1261–1282	Michael VIII
• 1449–1453	Constantine XI
Historical era	Late Antiquity to Late Middle Ages
• First East–West division of the Roman Empire	1 April 286
• Inauguration of Constantinople	11 May 330
• Final East–West division after the death of Theodosius I	17 January 395
• Fall of the West; deposition of Romulus	4 September 476
• Assassination of Julius Nepos	9 May 480
• Early Muslim conquests; start of the Dark Ages	634–750
• Battle of Manzikert; loss of Anatolia due to following civil war	26 August 1071
• Sack of Constantinople by Catholic crusaders	12 April 1204
• Reconquest of Constantinople	25 July 1261
• Fall of Constantinople	29 May 1453
• Fall of Morea	29 May 1460
• Fall of Trebizond	15 August 1461
Population
• 457	16,000,000f
• 565	26,000,000
• 775	7,000,000
• 1025	12,000,000
• 1320	2,000,000
Currency	Solidus, denarius and hyperpyron
^ Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων may be transliterated in Latin as Basileia Rhōmaiōn, literally meaning "Monarchy of the Romans", but commonly rendered "Empire of the Romans". ^ Between 1204 and 1261 there was an interregnum when the Latin Empire took control of Constantinople, causing the Byzantine Empire itself to be divided into the Empire of Nicaea, the Empire of Trebizond, and the Despotate of Epirus. The Empire of Nicaea is traditionally considered by historians to be the legitimate continuation of the Byzantine Empire because it managed to retake Constantinople.[2] ^ Constantinople became the capital of the (united) empire in 330. In 395, the empire was permanently divided in two halves after the death of Theodosius I. ^ Tolerated after the Edicts of Serdica (311) and Milan (313); state religion after 380. ^ Following the East–West Schism of 1054. ^ See Population of the Byzantine Empire for more detailed figures taken provided by McEvedy and Jones (1978) Atlas of World Population History, as well as Angeliki E. Laiou (2002), The Economic History of Byzantium.

The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces that survived into the Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The capital of the empire was Constantinople. It survived the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and continued to exist until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453.

1. ↑ "Byzantine Greek language". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
2. ↑ Treadgold 1997, p. 734 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFTreadgold1997 (help)