When Constantine, a Roman Emperor, established Constantinople as the Roman Empire's new capital in 330 CE, the Byzantine Empire was first known as the Eastern Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire, which had many traditions, the military, literature, and education among other things, endured while the Western Roman Empire fell apart. (Rodgers, 2012). When the Ottoman forces invaded the capital during the reign of Constantine XI in 1453, the Byzantine Empire was overthrown.
The Byzantine Empire was regarded as a Christian state from a religious standpoint, and the foundation of its political strength was the legitimacy of the church. The early Byzantine missionary work was to spread the religion of Orthodox Christianity to different people such as the Slavic people. Orthodox Christianity is a feature of the Byzantine Empire because, in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, the Emperor was second and above him was the Pope, and Orthodox Christian church originated within the Byzantine Empire (Rodgers, 2012). All of the religious activities carried out by the people of the Byzantine Empire revolved around Orthodox Christianity since it was the most influential and followed religion that united the people.
Centralized Government
The Byzantine Empire had proper administrative management which united and governed the people well avoiding conflicts and making the Empire safe. The administrative capacity of the Byzantine Empire comprised of correct management of the diplomacy. The central government under the leadership of the Emperor was inclined to avoid wars, and this technique was the best defense because the Empire was placed centrally making it prone to attacks from any side of the borders (Life Persona, 2017). The feature of diplomatic attitude enabled interaction of different people and cultures.
Commercial Development
The Byzantine Empire was strategically located between Europe, Asia and Africa and these were crucial trade regions. The Byzantine Empire formed part of the main terminals on the silk route which many traders used to pass and conduct trading activities during the middle ages, and this made the Byzantine Empire improve economically. The advanced trade routes made it easy for the people from the Byzantine Empire to acquire and trade goods with different traders from different parts (Life Persona, 2017).
The Eunuchs
Another feature of the Byzantine Empire is the Eunuchs who were men who were castrated for different reasons. Men could be castrated as a form of punishment for committing certain crimes but not limited to alone as young children could also undergo the castration process. Children who were castrated were to have high positions in the Byzantine courts because it was believed that they would be trustworthy (Rodgers, 2012). The Byzantine people believed in the aspect of trustworthiness because the castrated people were unable to reclaim the throne or have descendants.
Value and Respect for Women
Unlike in other regions or cultures where women had no liberty or authority, the women from the Byzantine Empire had spiritual status equal to that of men. Submission was required from the women, however; some of the women had positions in the government and were involved in politics (Rodgers, 2012). Women were even allowed to conduct businesses and trade activities as the Byzantine Empire was situated along the Silk Road which was a major trade route. In the Byzantine Empire the women were allowed to inherit wealth, or in some other instances, they were allowed to own wealth independently from their husbands.
Artistic Legacy
The Byzantine Empire had an artistic legacy where the artists worked on their pieces of art which flourished and became iconic. Some of the prominent painters from the Byzantine Empire were such as Giotto who used renaissance painting for art. Constantinople being the capital of Byzantine Empire had a lot of art ranging from sculptures to paintings (Life Persona, 2017). There was Byzantine Iconoclasm which referred to art developed with the use of religious images used during the Byzantine Empire.
Reason for Byzantine Empire Lasting so Long
The Byzantine Empire lasted for almost 1000 years due to several reasons such as the Byzantine Emperors had were strong and had absolute power. The absolute power made them make great political decisions which benefited the Empire. Also, the administration had a consistent law code called the Justinian code which was used for governance and direction creating order and just decisions making the Empire last long (Chirila, 2015).
Economic support is another aspect that made the Byzantine Empire last long as the capital was strategically located thus allowing trading activities to prosper and enhance interaction with other communities creating friendship bonds and availing essential goods for survival to the residents (Chirila, 2015). The church also supported the Byzantine Empire and reinforced the strength of the Emperor thus making the Empire last long because the foundation of the Byzantine Empire was based on Christianity which promotes virtues and wellbeing of others.
The Byzantine Empire lasted for so long because the capital which was the center of administration trade and other activities was protected by strong walls making it difficult to be invaded and conquered thus the economy and culture of the Byzantine Empire was safeguarded (Chirila, 2015). Also, the Byzantine had a skilled army and navy force which helped solve or overcome conflicts with other foreign people thus, making the empire last long due to the existence of peace.
The Byzantine Empire had super weapons which it used during fights such as the Greek Fire developed by Kallinkos from Heliopolis which could set entire ships on fire and continue to burn even on water. Another weapon is the Counterweight Trebuchet used at the Siege of Nicaea to attack the city. All these powerful weapons terrify and demoralize the enemies who aspired to conquer the Byzantine Empire making it last long (Chirila, 2015).
References
Chirila, A. (2015). 10 Reasons the Byzantine Empire Was Among the Most Successful in History. Retrieved from: http://www.toptenz.net/10-reasons-the-byzantine-empire-was-among-the-most-successful-in-history.php
Life Persona. (2017). 10 Characteristics of the Byzantine Empire Very Representative. Retrieved from: https://www.lifepersona.com/10-characteristics-of-the-byzantine-empire-very-representative
Rodgers, K. (2012). Byzantine Empire: A society that shaped the world. Huntington Beach, Calif.
