How Did the Eastern Empire Succeed the Roman Empire?

When the Roman empire fell, two empires arose from the ashes.

The extent of the Byzantine Empire in 867 C.E. Once much larger, influence began to shrink by the 8th century C.E.

Bigdaddy1204 (talk · contribs) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The western part later became the Europe of today. Citizens of the Byzantine empire in the east still considered themselves Roman, and they strove to continue the legacy of the Roman empire. The Byzantine emperors ruled by absolutism. In other words, they ruled all. The emperor decided everything from trade to laws to religion in a system known as caesaropapism. He was the main source of power, and no one else was as powerful as he was.

Justinian is considered the most influential emperor of the Byzantine empire. He ruled from 527 to 567 C.E. His wife, Theodora, was not from any royal or noble family. Instead, she was an actress, a scorned profession at the time. Although the people did not trust her, Theodora proved her worth when her husband almost lost his throne to a rebellion. She encouraged him to stay and prove his strength, while his advisers told him to flee. In the end, he listened to his wife and secured his kingdom.

Emperor Justinian.

Justinian created a law system known as the Justinian Code. Much like the Roman Twelve Tables, Justinian's centralized code made laws the same everywhere in the empire. He built the Hagia Sophia, a magnificent church that was later turned into a mosque when the Turks invaded. He also tried to expand the empire and regain land in the west. He was able to conquer some parts of Italy, but ultimately he failed. His attempts to expand his empire left the Byzantines weaker both militarily and economically.

As the centuries passed, the Byzantine empire grew and shrank through successive imperial reigns. Always wealthy, they became sandwiched between the growing power of Western forces and kingdoms and the push of Islamic Turkish forces from the south and east. Western kingdoms referred to the Byzantines as the true remnant of the Roman empire, but in time that honorary title became meaningless.