Ẹ wo àmì-ọ̀rọ̀ fún Ilẹ̀ọbalúayé Rómù Apáìlàoòrùn

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{{Infobox Former Country
|native_name = {{lang|grc|Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων}}, {{lang|grc|Ῥωμανία}}<br>''Basileia Rhōmaiōn'', ''Rhōmanía''<br>''Imperium Romanum'', ''Romania''
|conventional_long_name = Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire
|common_name = Byzantine Empire
|continent = Europe
|region = Mediterranean Sea
|p1 = Roman Empire
|flag_p1 = Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg
|s1 = Ottoman Empire
|flag_s1 = Ottoman flag alternative 2.svg
|era = Late Antiquity–Late Middle Ages
|status = Empire
|government_type = [[Autocracy]]
|year_start = 395
|event_start = Death of [[Theodosius I]]
|year_end = 1453 
|event_end = [[Fall of Constantinople]]<sup>3</sup>
|date_end = 29 May
|event1 = The deposition of [[Romulus Augustulus]], nominal emperor in the west, brings formal division of the Roman Empire to an end
|date_event1 = 476
|event2 = [[Pope Leo III]], hostile to the rule of the Empress [[Irene of Athens|Irene]], attempts to confer imperial authority on the Frankish king [[Charlemagne]]
|date_event2 = 800
|event3 = East-West Schism
|date_event3 = 1054
|event4 = Fall of Constantinople to the [[Fourth Crusade]]
|date_event4 = 1204
|event5 = Reconquest of Constantinople
|date_event5 = 1261
|event_pre = [[Diocletian]] splits imperial administration between east and west
|date_pre = 285
|event_post = Fall of [[Empire of Trebizond|Trebizond]]
|date_post = 1461
|image_flag = Byzantine imperial flag, 14th century, square.svg
|flag_size = 80px
|flag = Byzantine heraldry
|flag_type = Flag of the Empire (14th century)
|image_coat = Device of the Palaiologos Dynasty.svg
|symbol =
|symbol_type = [[Byzantine heraldry|Imperial emblem]] under the [[Palaiologoi]]
|
|image_map = Justinian550AD.png
|image_map_caption = The Empire at its greatest extent under [[Justinian]] in 551 AD
|capital = [[Constantinople]]<sup>1</sup>
|common_languages = [[Latin language|Latin]] – official until 620 AD<br />[[Greek language|Greek]] – official after 620 AD
|religion = [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]] tolerated after the [[Edict of Milan]] in 313 and [[State church of the Roman Empire|state religion]] after 380
|currency = [[Solidus (coin)|Solidus]], [[Byzantine coinage|Hyperpyron]]
|
|leader1 = [[Arcadius]]
|leader2 = [[Constantine XI]]
|year_leader1 = 395–408
|year_leader2 = 1449–1453
|title_leader = [[List of Byzantine emperors|Emperor]]
|
|legislature = [[Byzantine Senate]]
|
|stat_year1 = 565 AD<sup>4</sup>
|stat_area1 =
|stat_pop1 = 26,000,000
|stat_year2 = 780 AD
|stat_area2 =
|stat_pop2 = 7,000,000
|stat_year3 = 1025 AD<sup>4</sup>
|stat_area3 =
|stat_pop3 = 12,000,000
|stat_year4 = 1143 AD<sup>4</sup>
|stat_area4 =
|stat_pop4 = 10,000,000
|stat_year5 = 1204 AD
|stat_area5 =
|stat_pop5 = 9,000,000
|stat_year5 = 1282 AD
|stat_area5 =
|stat_pop5 = 5,000,000
|today= {{Collapsible list|title=Countries today|
{{flag|Albania}}|{{flag|Algeria}}|{{flag|Armenia}}|{{flag|Bosnia|name=Bosnia and Herzegovina}}|{{flag|Bulgaria}}|{{flag|Croatia}}|{{flag|Cyprus}}|{{flag|Egypt}}|{{flag|France}}|{{flag|Georgia}}|{{flag|Greece}}|{{flag|Italy}}|{{flag|Iraq}}|{{flag|Israel}}|{{flag|Jordan}}|{{flag|Kosovo}}<sup>5</sup>|{{flag|Lebanon}}|{{flag|Libya}}|{{flag|Macedonia}}|{{flag|Malta}}|{{flag|Moldova}}|{{flag|Montenegro}}|{{flag|Morocco}}|{{flag|Palestine}}|{{flag|Portugal}}|{{flag|Romania}}|{{flag|San Marino}}|{{flag|Saudi Arabia}}|{{flag|Serbia}}|{{flag|Slovenia}}|{{flag|Spain}}|{{flag|Sudan}}|{{flag|Syria}}|{{flag|Tunisia}}|{{flag|Turkey}}|{{flag|Gibraltar|name=Gibraltar (UK)}}|{{flag|Ukraine}}|{{flag|Vatican City}}|

}}
|footnotes = <sup>1</sup> Constantinople (330–1204 and 1261–1453). The capital of the [[Empire of Nicaea]], the empire after the Fourth Crusade, was at [[Nicaea]], present day [[Iznik]], Turkey.<br /><sup>2</sup> Establishment date traditionally considered the re-founding of Constantinople as the capital of the Roman Empire (324/330) although other dates are often used.<ref name="ODBdates">{{harvnb|Kazhdan|1991|p=344}}.</ref><br /><sup>3</sup>Date of end universally regarded as 1453, despite the temporary survival of remnants in Morea and Trebizond.<ref name="ODBdates"/><br /><sup>4</sup> See [[Population of the Byzantine Empire]] for more detailed figures taken provided by ''McEvedy and Jones, "Atlas of World Population History", 1978'', as well as ''Angeliki E. Laiou, "The Economic History of Byzantium", 2002.''<br /><sup>5</sup>{{Kosovo-note}}}}

The '''Byzantine Empire''' (or '''Byzantium''') was the '''Eastern Roman Empire''' during [[Late Antiquity]] and the [[Middle Ages]], centered on the capital of [[Constantinople]]. Known simply as the "Roman Empire" ([[Greek language|Greek]]: {{lang|grc|Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων}}, ''Basileia Rhōmaiōn'';<ref>{{harvnb|Kazhdan|Epstein|1985|p=1}}.</ref> {{lang-la|Imperium Romanum}}) or '''Romania''' ({{lang|grc|Ῥωμανία}}) to its inhabitants and neighbours, it was the direct continuation of the [[Roman Empire|Ancient Roman State]] and maintained Roman state traditions.<ref name="Millar et al">{{harvnb|Millar|2006|pages=2, 15}}; {{harvnb|James|2010|p=5}}; {{harvnb|Freeman|1999|pp=431, 435–437, 459–462}}; {{harvnb|Baynes|Moss|1948|loc="Introduction", p. xx}}; {{harvnb|Ostrogorsky|1969|p=27}}; {{harvnb|Kaldellis|2007|pp=2–3}}; {{harvnb|Kazhdan|Constable|1982|p=12}}; {{harvnb|Norwich|1998|p=383}}.</ref> Byzantium is today distinguished from [[ancient Rome]] proper insofar as it was oriented towards [[culture of Greece|Greek culture]], characterised by Christianity rather than [[Religion in ancient Rome|Roman polytheism]], and was predominantly [[Greek language|Greek-speaking]] rather than [[Latin|Latin-speaking]].<ref name="Millar et al"/>

As the distinction between ''Roman Empire'' and ''Byzantine Empire'' is largely a modern convention, it is not possible to assign a date of separation; however, important points are the Roman Empire's administrative division into western and eastern halves in 285 by Emperor [[Diocletian]] (r. 284–305),<ref>{{harvnb|Treadgold|1997|p=847}}.</ref> and Emperor [[Constantine the Great|Constantine I's]] (r. 306–337) decision in 324 to transfer the capital from [[Nicomedia]] (in [[Asia Minor]]) to [[Byzantium]] on the [[Bosphorus]], which became Constantinople, "City of Constantine" (alternatively "New Rome").{{#tag:ref|The first instance of the designation "New Rome" in an official document is found in the canons of the [[First Council of Constantinople]] (381), where it is used to justify the claim that the patriarchal seat of Constantinople is second only to that of Rome.<ref>{{harvnb|Benz|1963|p=176}}.</ref>|group="n"}} The Roman Empire was finally divided in 395 AD after the death of Emperor [[Theodosius I]] (r. 379–395), thus this date is also very important if the Byzantine Empire (or Eastern Roman Empire) is looked upon as completely separated from the West. The transition to Byzantine history ''proper'' finally begins during the reign of Emperor [[Heraclius]] (r. 610–641), since Heraclius effectively established a new state after reforming the army and administration by introducing [[Theme (Byzantine district)|themes]] and by changing the official language of the Empire from Latin to Greek.<ref>{{harvnb|Ostrogorsky|1969|pp=105–107, 109}}; {{harvnb|Norwich|1998|p=97}}; {{harvnb|Haywood|2001|pp=2.17, 3.06, 3.15}}.</ref>

As the [[Western Roman Empire]] decayed and fragmented into numerous separate kingdoms, the Byzantine Empire continued to survive, existing for more than a thousand years from its genesis in the 4th century until the [[Fall of Constantinople]] in 1453. During most of its existence, it remained one of the most powerful economic, cultural, and military forces in Europe, despite setbacks and territorial losses, especially during the [[Roman–Persian Wars|Roman–Persian]] and [[Byzantine–Arab Wars]]. The Empire recovered during the [[Macedonian dynasty]], rising again to become a preeminent power in the [[Eastern Mediterranean]] by the late 10th century, rivaling the [[Fatimid Caliphate]]. 

After 1071, however, much of Asia Minor, the Empire's heartland, was lost to the [[Seljuq dynasty|Seljuk Turks]]. The [[Komnenian restoration]] regained some ground and briefly reestablished dominance in the 12th century, but following the death of Emperor [[Andronikos I Komnenos]] (r. 1183–1185) and the end of the [[Komnenos]] dynasty in the late 12th century the Empire declined again. The Empire received a mortal blow in 1204 from the [[Fourth Crusade]], when it was dissolved and divided into competing Byzantine Greek and Latin realms. 

Despite the eventual recovery of Constantinople and [[Byzantium under the Palaiologoi|re-establishment of the Empire in 1261]], under the [[Palaiologos|Palaiologan]] emperors, Byzantium remained only one of many rival states in the area for the final two centuries of its existence. However, this period was the most culturally productive time in the Empire.<ref>{{harvnb|Cameron|2009|p=221}}.</ref> Successive civil wars in the 14th century further sapped the Empire's strength, and most of its remaining territories were lost in the [[Byzantine–Ottoman Wars]], which culminated in the [[Fall of Constantinople]] and the conquest of remaining territories by the [[Ottoman Empire]] in the 15th century.


{{ẹ̀kúnrẹ́rẹ́}}
== Itokasi ==
{{reflist}}
{{Empires}}