The Roman and Byzantine empires pretext
The Roman Empire was an ancient civilization that emerged around the 8th century BC and lasted until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD. It was centered around the city of Rome and encompassed vast territories in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. The empire's precursor, the Roman Republic, was established in 509 BC and gradually transformed into an empire under the rule of Julius Caesar and his successors.
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in the East after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It was founded in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine the Great, who shifted the capital from Rome to the newly established city of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). The Byzantine Empire lasted until 1453 AD when it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks.
There were several pretexts behind the establishment of the Byzantine Empire. One of the main reasons was the division of the Roman Empire into two administrative regions, the Western and Eastern parts. As the Western Roman Empire started to decline in the 4th and 5th centuries, the Eastern part flourished due to its more stable economy, strong military, and strategic location. The division of the empire also reflected cultural and linguistic differences between the Latin-speaking West and the Greek-speaking East.
Another pretext for the establishment of the Byzantine Empire was the religious division between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Latin-speaking Roman Catholic Church. The Eastern Empire remained predominantly Eastern Orthodox, while the Western Empire adopted Roman Catholicism. This religious divide contributed to the divergence of political, cultural, and legal practices between the two regions.
The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, commonly attributed to the deposition of the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus, by the Germanic chieftain Odoacer, solidified the establishment of the Byzantine Empire as the successor state in the East. The Byzantine Empire continued to uphold the traditions, institutions, and administrative structures of the Roman Empire while incorporating its own unique cultural, religious, and political characteristics.