What was the Byzantine Empire?

The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinople. It survived the fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire remained the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. The terms "Byzantine Empire" and "Eastern Roman Empire" were coined after the end of the realm; its citizens continued to refer to their empire as the Roman Empire and to themselves as Romans[note 2]—a term which Greeks continued to use for themselves into Ottoman times. Although the Roman state continued and its traditions were maintained, modern historians prefer to differentiate the Byzantine Empire from Ancient Rome as it was centered on Constantinople instead of Rome, oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture, and was characterized by Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, it split into many nations. The eastern part of the Roman Empire became the Byzantine Empire with Constantinople as its capital city rather than Rome. The Byzantine citizens continued to refer to themselves as Romans, and believed themselves as the successor to the former empire, however their culture was more Greek than Latin. The Byzantine Empire continued to be the most powerful nation in Europe until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453.