BYZANTINE EMPIRE, also styled the EAST ROMAN, EASTERN, Or GREEK EMPIRE, was founded in 395 A.D., when Theodosius the great, at his death, divided the Roman empire between his two sons, Arcadius and Honorius. The former, a weak and luxu rious character, was made emperor of the eastern division, formerly included under the prefectures of the east and of Illyricum—namely, Syria, Asia Minor, and Pontus, stretching along the shores of the Black sea in Asia; Egypt in Africa; and Thrace, Mcesia (now Bulgaria), Macedonia, Greece, and Crete in Europe. Arcadius left the government of the empire in the hands of his minister, Bathing, from whom it passed to the eunuch Eutropius, and afterwards to Gainas, the murderer of Bulbuls. Gainas fell by his ambition in 401, and the shameless and avaricious empress Eudoxia ruled until the time of her death, 404. See AneAurns. After Theodosius II., a minor, under the guidance of the prefect Prtetorio Anthemius, had held the reins during six years, he resigned the government in favor of his sister Pulcheria (Augusta), who ruled power fully while her brother was kept apart from all state affairs. Western Illyria (compre hending Pannonia. Dalmatia, and Noricnm) was ceded to the Eastern empire by the Roman emperor, Valentinian III.; and after several victories achieved by the Byzantine general, Ardaburius, over the Persians, a part of Armenia was also annexed. But, nevertheless, Thrace and Macedonia could only be secured from the destructive con quests of Attila by the payment of tribute. After the death of Theodosius II., Pulcheria married the senator Marmanus (450-57), whose firmness repelled the invasions of Attila. Marcianus was followed by Leo I., surnamed Macella (the butcher), a Thracian of low birth, but elevated to the throne by the commander-in-chief, Aspar, who, being himself an Arian, would not venture to encounter the perils that sovereignty might have entailed on onb of his religious views. Leo II., grandson of the Cornier, succeeded, but died after a few months, iri consequence of which the crown came into the possession of his father, Zeno (474-91), who was•banished by Basiliscus (475), but who re-ascended the throne in 477. Though a weak and unpopular ruler, he contrived to retain his power in spite of several serious revolts. The internal distraction of the empire, to which, as at other times, religious strifes added considerably, increased greatly during the reign of Zeno, and the invasions of the Goths were prevented only by gifts and stratagems. Ariadne, widow, of Zeno by her second marriage raised the courtier Silentiarius to the throne under the title Anastasius I. (491-518). By the help of the Goths, this monarch over threw, after a six years' contest, the robber tribes at Mt. Taurus. A new enemy, how ever, now appeared on the Danube in the Bulgarians, against whose desolating raids Anastasius built the long wall, to protect the peninsula on which Constantinople lies. The war with the Persians also broke out anew during his reign; and religious tumults afters purpled the streets of Constantinople itself. After his death, the army raised Justinus I. to the throne. He maintained his position mainly through the favor of the clergy, whom he had conciliated by his severe persecution of heretics.
llis nephew, Justinian (q.v.), succeeded ( 527-65), and became celebrated by his code of laws, and by the victories of his great generals, Belisarius (q.v.) and Narses (q.v.). But the rapid decline of the empire after his death showed that he had not been able to give it any internal consolidation or vitality. It was during the reign of Justinian that those pestilent contests of the blues and whites against the greens and reds (political factions so named from the colors respectively worn) first attained any consequence; and though the first disturbance was terribly chastised by Belisarius in 532, they con tinued to distract the capital periodically down to the 7th century. Justin II. (565-78),
a weak man, governed by his wife, Sophia, yielded a part of Italy to the Longobards, was unsuccessful against the Persians, allowed the Avari to plunder the Danubian provinces, and ultimately became insane through vexation and anxiety. Tiberius, the capt. of the guard, was then made regent, and after the death of Justin II., received the imperial dignity. He ruled with mildness and prudence (578-82), purchased a peace with the Avari, concluded the war with Persia, and left as his successor the commander in-chief, 3lauricius, who reigned, from 582 to 602. Having replaced on the throne the Persian king, Kosroes II., who had been banished by his subjects, he thus secured the peace of his eastern frontiers; but, on the other hand, the war against the Avari did not prosper. His niggardly treatment of the army caused a military insurrection, in which he was slain along with his son; and Phocas, one of his generals, was elevated to the throne,. Phocas proved a bad ruler. Through his monstrous vices, tyranny, and incapacity for government, the empire lapsed into still deeper anarchy. Suddenly, however, a deliverer appeared in the person of Heraclius (q.v.), son of the exarch or governor general of Africa, who headed a conspiracy, marched to Constantinople, overthrew the tyrant, and ascended the throne, 610. But great as was the genius of Heraclius, he had to submit to twelve years of defeat before he could organize and discipline a victorious army. In 622, he opened those magnificent campaigns in which the power of Persia was crushed, and which, in the opinion of Gibbon, were equal to those of Scipio or Hannibal. He lived, however, to see more formidable foes in the Arabs, who, inspired by fanatic zeal, and led by the caliph Omar, captured, during 635-41, the countries on the Euphrates, with Syria, Judea, and Egypt. The power of the Greeks, which was demanded to resist the Arabian invasions, was miserably divided and weakened by their unending religious quarrels, especially the controversy of the Orthodox against the 31onothelites (q.v.). The empire was breaking asunder, and Heraclius, now worn out with the fatigues of war, had abandoned his enfeebled senses to pleasure, and his enfeebled intellect to theological discussions. He died in 614. Constantine III., who succeeded his father, Heraclius, also died soon after, and was followed by Heracleonas, who lost the crown, and was mutilated in an insurrection. The next ruler was Constans, the son of Constantine III., who ruled from 642 to 668, made himself odious by cruelty, and perished in an insurrection. His son, Constantine IV., Pogonatus (668-85), enforced a treaty of peace on the invading Arabs (675) by his successful use of the Greek. fire, in warfare. On the other side, he was compelled to pay tribute in 680 to the Bulgarians, who had established themselves in ancient 3Icesia. Justinian 11. (6S5-711), son and successor of Pogonatus, was victorious in war against the iMonothelite Maronites; but was defeated by the Bulgarians (688), and by the Arabs (692). His cruelty caused an insurrection, at the head of which was Leontius, who, in 695; deposed him, cut off his nose (hence his surname Rhinotinetus), and banished him to the Taurio Chersonese; in 705, he was rostorcd to the throne, but adversity had taught him no wisdom. A part of his subjects revolted, and the king, abandoned by his army and by the Buglarians, was assassinated in 711. With him the dynasty of Heraclius expired.