BYZANTINE EMPIRE, the Eastern Roman Empire, so called from its cap ital, Byzantium or Constantinople. The Byzantine Empire was founded in A. A. 395, when Theodosius at his death di vided the Roman Empire between his sons Arcadius and Honorius. In this Empire the Greek language and civiliza tion were prevalent; but the rulers claimed still to be Roman Emperors, and under their sway the laws and official forms of Rome were maintained. It lasted for about 1,000 years after the downfall of the Western Empire. It is also known as the Greek Empire or Lower Empire. Its capital was natu rally Constantinople, a city established by Constantine in 330 as the new capital of the whole Roman Empire.
The Eastern Empire, then comprising Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, Greece, Thrace, Mcesia, Macedonia, and Crete, fell to Theodosius' elder son Arcadius, through whose weakness and that of sev eral of his immediate successors it suf fered severely from the encroachments of Huns, Goths, Bulgarians, and Per sians. In 527 the celebrated Justinian succeeded, whose reign is famous for the codification of Roman law, and the vic tories of his generals, Belisarius and Narses, over the Vandals in Africa, and the Goths in Italy, which was henceforth governed for the Eastern Empire by an exarch residing at Ravenna. But his energy could not revive the decaying strength of the Empire, and Justin II., his successor (565-578), a weak and av aricious prince, lost his reason by the indeed he overthrew. But a far mole dangerous enemy to the Byzantine Em pire now appeared in the Moslem power, founded among the Arabians by Moham med and the caliphs, which gradually extended its conquests over Phoenicia, the countries on the Euphrates, Judea, Syria, and Egypt (635-641). In 641 Heraclius died, nor was there among his descendants a single prince capable of stemming the tide of Moslem invasion. The Arabians took part of Africa, Cy prus and Rhodes (653), inundated Africa and Sicily, penetrated into Thrace, and attacked Constantinople by sea.
The Empire was in sore straits when Leo the Isaurian (Leo III.) general of the Army of the East, mounted the throne (716), and a new period of com parative prosperity began. Some writ ers date the beginning of the Byzantine Empire proper, and the end of the Eastern Roman Empire, from this era.
reverses encountered in his conflicts with plundering Lombards, Avars, and Per sians. Tiberius, a captain of the guard, succeeded in 578, and, in 582, Mauricius; both were men of ability. In 602 Pho
cas, proclaimed Emperor by the army, succeeded, and produced by his incapac ity the greatest disorder in the Empire. Heraclius, son of the governor of Africa, who headed a conspiracy, conquered Constantinople, and caused Phocas to be executed (610). He was an excellent general, and finally succeeded in repress ing the Avars and recovering the prov inces lost to the Persians, whose power Numerous reforms, civil and military, were now introduced, and the worship of images was prohibited. Leo repelled the Arabians or Saracens from Constanti nople, but allowed the Lombards to seize the Italian provinces, while the Arabians plundered the Eastern ones. Constantine V. (741) recovered part of Syria and Armenia from the Arabians; and the struggle was carried on, not un successfully, by his son, Leo IV. Under his grandson, Constantine VI., Irene, the ambitious mother of the latter, raised a large faction by the restoration of image worship, and, in conjunction with her paramour, Stauratius, deposed her son, and had his eyes put out (797). A revolt of the patricians placed one of their order, Nicephorus, on the throne, who fell in the war against the Bulga rians (811). Stauratius, Michael, Leo V., and Michael II. (820) ascended the throne in rapid succession. During the reign of the latter the Arabians con quered Sicily, lower Italy, Crete, and other countries. The long dispute as to image worship was brought to a close in 842, when the practice was finally sanctioned at the council of Nicwa, un der Michael III. He was put to death by Basil the Macedonian, who came to the throne as Basil I., in 867, and whose reign formed a period of great glory in the history of the Byzantine Empire. He founded a dynasty (the Macedonian) which lasted till 1056. Among the great est of his successors were Nicephorus II. (Phocas), and John Zimisces (969), who carried on successful wars against the Mohammedans, Bulgarians, and Rus sians. Basil II. succeeded this Prince in 976. He vanquished the Bulgarians and the Arabians. His brother, Constantine VIII. (1025), was succeeded by Ro ynanus III. (1028), who married Zoe, daughter of Constantine. This dissolute but able princess caused her husband to be executed, and successively raised to the throne Michael IV. (1034), Michael V. (1041), and Constantine X. (1042). Russians and Mohammedans meanwhile devastated the Empire. Her sister, Theodora, succeeded her on the throne (1054).