BYZANTINE EMPIRE, EASTERN

EMPIRE, LOWER (OR LATER) ROM. EMPIRE.—The Byzantine Empire was founded by Const an tine the Great, who in 326 A.D. moved his capital to Byzantium, henceforth called Constantinople. The double change which had fallen upon the Rom. Empire was marked by the city’s dedication in 330 by Christian bp.’s to the Virgin Mary. The pagan mistre of the world had become a se Christian state and was to develop into a a merely Eastern power. It remained; the bulwark of civilization throughout _ the Dark and Middle Ages, and then the he Italianate-Gk. city, in its turn overrun by barbarian conquerors, became the parent of the Renai ance (q.v.). The modern view differs from that of Gibbon, who called his history of the B. E. its Decline and Fall. From its foundation, 326, to its capture by Turks, 1453, the B. E., allowing for differences of race, prospered, or the reverse, after the normal fashion of a medizval state. For some time the Rom, Empire remained intact, although on Const an tine’s death the system of EKastern and Western August us was reverted to, but in the V. cent. it finally lost its western provinces. Visigoths, cro ing the Danube, won the great victory of Adrianople, 378. Goths and Vandals streamed into Europe and the legions withdrew from realm after realm. In 476 Romulus August ulus, who had deposed Julius Nepos, was displaced by the Teutonic ruler Odoacer, and the Rom. Empire in the West came to an end. The Eastern Empire had meanwhile succe fully repelled Teutonic attacks (the Goths being ma acred and expelled by the populace at Constantinople, 401), became an object of great reverence to the new Teutonic kingdoms, and served, until its fall, the purpose of European outpost against Asiatic invasions, The Emperor Just in i an (ruled 527-65), lawgiver and builder of Santa Sophia, with the aid of his generals Belisarius and Narses, reconquered some western provinces, including Rome; his court exhibited Alexandrian splendor and vice; his wars and extravagance brought about the decline of VII. cent., when Italy was recaptured by Lombards, Slavs and Bulgarians settled in Balkan nonia, etc. Persians attacked Syria, sacked Jerusalem (614) and a aulted Constantinople, and after defeat of Persians, Saracens conquered Egypt and Syria and threatened Asia Minor. Territory was permanently reduced; civilization decayed. Leo de I saurian (717-40) by a series of victories fatally weakened the Sara1056) ruled the empire in its last great age; the Saracens became a negligible power; Constantinople became the trading center of the world; Bulgaria became a Christian, dependent state, Basil II., ‘Slayer of the Bulgarians,’ reducing it, 1018; Ru ia became Christian ally. The empire steadily declined after the Maced on i an rule; the Seljukian Turks under Alp Arslan won the great battle of Manzikert, 1071, taking Emperor Roman us IV. prisoner, and founded Turk. kingdom of Rum. The appeal of Emperor Alexius Comnenus I. (10811118) to Christian princes for aid against the Turks brought about the First Crusade. The greed and self seeking of the Crusaders ultimately caused the B. E.’s fall. The empire had also to face Christian aggre ion in Italy; with aid of Venice the Normans were for some time kept fin check, but ultimately founded a state in southern Italy and Sicily. The reign of Isaac Angelus, one of the last Comnenians, proved fatal to the empire. Bulgaria succe fully revolted against his taxation; he was temporarily deosed; and in 1204 Venice diverted the ourth Crusade against Constantinople; the capital was sacked, and the empire dismembered by the Crusaders. The Greeks for some time elected a titular emperor, and in 1261 the Emperor Michael Paleologus captured Constantinople, but with difficulty maintained his position. ‘Ihe Empire finally fell before the attack of Ottoman Turks, who captured Fhiladelphia, 1393, and overran Bulgaria. After some delay Constantinople was besieged, 1422, Europe in terror scught to a emble a crusading army, but the sole aid against the infidel was given by Hungary. In 1453 a new and final siege commenced. Const an tine XI. died fighting, and on the following day the city was stormed. The combined attack of East and West had at length proved fatal, and the capital of Gk. Christen dom had finally pa ed into the infidel’s po e ion. The Rom. emperor of the East retained much of the power of the Pontifex maximus, presiding at ecclesiastical councils, ratifying and masing canon law. The patriarch, nominal head of the Church, usually proved obedient. Until the lo of the West the see of Constantinople was subordinate to that of Rome, but the former soon became independent and took differing course on many doctrines. The Gk. patriarch was excommunicated by Pope Leo IX., 1054, and the schism has never been more than temporarily healed. town, on site of modern Constantinople, at entrance to Bosporus; founded in 667 B.C. by Gk. colonists from Megara; taken by Persians, 515 B.C.; some time under control of Athens, V. cent. B.C.; independent from IV. cent.; destroyed by Severus, 196 A.D.; rebuilt as Con-