The Roman Empire, a great empire full of riches, a massive army, and a wide area of land, but they also were plagued by disease, poverty and corruption. After many years of Roman rule the empire lost its final battle. The German barbarians came and plundered their land and destroyed their magnificent city. Luckily the Roman dream was preserved through many new empires and groups of people. These people included the Byzantines, the Muslims, the European Feudal Lords, and the Church clergymen. These groups took special care to preserve the Roman way of life, laws, and architecture. The Byzantines were the first to try to preserve the empire by taking over the Eastern Roman Empire and establishing New Rome or Constantinople.
The Byzantine Empire formed over what was left of the Eastern Roman Empire. The first ruler of the Byzantine Empire was Emperor Justinian and his wife Empress Theodora.
English: The Roman Empire in 500 AD.
English: The extent of the Eastern (Byzantine) and...
English: Byzantine Empire emblem. The double heade...Justinian ruled from 527A.D. to 565A.D. Justinian was a noble emperor who fought long and hard to reestablish the Roman Empire to it's once great territory. The Byzantine Empire seemed to flourish mainly because it was strengthened by the Byzantines military, by their economic power, and the power which came from their great government and politics. Justinian succeeded in recapturing most of Asia Minor, but fell short when the territory became too great for his army to manage. Slowly he lost his territory and his empire got hit with great confusion. The confusion soon subsided and Justinian regained control of his empire. The Byzantine Empire was made great not by the individual accomplishments of the Byzantines, but by the way they preserved the Roman Empire and its greatness. Everything the Byzantines did reflected the Roman way of life. Their art, culture, and religions all mirrored Roman life. Sadly even the...