The Rise And Fall of The Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire Documentary)

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  • Опубліковано 18 сер 2019
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    The Byzantine Empire History of the Eastern Roman Empire Documentary
    This video covers a summary of the events from the ancient foundation of Rome to the fall of Constantinople. Byzantium Byzantine empire history summarized and explained in a nutshell.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,8 тис.

  • @2manyIce
    @2manyIce 4 роки тому +793

    In school we never learned much about East Rome. It was something like: "And there was East Rome also, now lets move on to the middle ages". What a let-down. Thanks for briefing me on a MAJOR part of history I sadly missed.

    • @2manyIce
      @2manyIce 4 роки тому +11

      @MISERICORDI A In the west it's vice versa. But it pays to leave your own sacred ground once in a while.

    • @panagiotisdouvris8738
      @panagiotisdouvris8738 4 роки тому +4

      Because it concerned mostly greek empire

    • @parikshitrao4208
      @parikshitrao4208 4 роки тому +29

      @@panagiotisdouvris8738 your point? It's a part of Roman history all the same.

    • @2manyusernamestaken548
      @2manyusernamestaken548 4 роки тому

      @@2manyIce what's up.

    • @savvageorge
      @savvageorge 4 роки тому +38

      The Eastern Roman Empire is also the birthplace of Christianity so I think this makes Byzantine history awkward for western Europeans because they like to pretend Jesus is a blond haired/blue eyed German guy with no connection to this part of the world.

  • @thomasturner6980
    @thomasturner6980 4 роки тому +1819

    Roman Empire: the original
    Byzantine empire: the epic sequal
    Whatever Mussolini was trying to do: disappointing trilogy

    • @danieltsiprun8080
      @danieltsiprun8080 4 роки тому +219

      What about the russians third rome, the wierd spinoff?

    • @IFY0USEEKAY
      @IFY0USEEKAY 4 роки тому +298

      Holy Roman Empire: Still in litigation over copyright infringement !

    • @gabrielfallon8629
      @gabrielfallon8629 4 роки тому +153

      Holy Roman Empire was the TV adaptation that was popular for the first season but drops off hard after that

    • @uyuman1
      @uyuman1 4 роки тому +53

      Holy Roman Empire: the Live action reboot.

    • @alexporter7379
      @alexporter7379 4 роки тому +16

      So star wars? PT and OT were great. Sequels not so much

  • @matthewneuendorf5763
    @matthewneuendorf5763 4 роки тому +329

    Arguably Justinian's reconquests would have been easy for the empire to absorb if not for the plague that wiped out between a quarter and a third of the tax base.

    • @alessandrogini5283
      @alessandrogini5283 3 роки тому +19

      Yes, and maybe if justin the second didn't war with persia and instead move troops in Italy and Spain, could be kepted

    • @LegionCommander
      @LegionCommander 2 роки тому +1

      Retrospection is a bitch

    • @Neater_profile
      @Neater_profile Рік тому

      Well that plague originated from all those useless expeditions he orchestrated! And most people seem to think he was a great emperor. What a disgrace!

    • @yusufg.1281
      @yusufg.1281 Рік тому +3

      Whatever the case may be, the demise of the majority of the Eastern Roman Empire can be attributed to their own ill treatment of the Christians in these lands who supported the Muslim conquests. Ultimately it was known that the Muslims were and would continue to be more just in their treatment of both Christians and Jews. The Eastern Roman Empire ended up being roughly equivalent to modern Turkey in size, rather than the entire east up until Persian territories.

    • @matthewneuendorf5763
      @matthewneuendorf5763 Рік тому +2

      @@yusufg.1281 At best it was a contributing factor, and IMO has been over-emphasized by thirty-plus-year-old scholarship. The more immediate cause of the collapse in the face of Arab invasions was war exhaustion after the disaster that was the usurper Phocas and the subsequent many years of campaigning against the Persians. Given a generation of peace to recover, things would have been very different, but in the end the Romans didn't have nearly enough time to rebuild before disaster struck. Even so, they held the line and eventually turned the tide decisively, ending the Arabs as an effective threat (unfortunate for them that the Turks showed up shortly thereafter).

  • @bretalvarez3097
    @bretalvarez3097 4 роки тому +585

    If the Byzantines and Sassanians were allies they would’ve been unstoppable

    • @armbaria
      @armbaria 4 роки тому +137

      That would be too OP for the rest of the planet :D

    • @AbdulMannan-sk6uz
      @AbdulMannan-sk6uz 4 роки тому +8

      @Vik D You mean the so called crusaders?

    • @AbdulMannan-sk6uz
      @AbdulMannan-sk6uz 4 роки тому +61

      @@rolex1231 Europe was the most backward and rotten place on the Earth at that time but ok.

    • @AbdulMannan-sk6uz
      @AbdulMannan-sk6uz 4 роки тому +45

      That's like saying only if America and Russia were allies. It doesn't work like that.

    • @kinggundragon3728
      @kinggundragon3728 4 роки тому +61

      @@rolex1231 if only the romans would have focused on the west and Sassanians went east. Rome could have had all of Europe and the Sassanians all of India. China was also friendly with the Sassanians so tree way gang bang on the Mongols down the road. oh what things could have been. On a side note Russia the heirs to eastern Rome does to this day defend Iran the Heirs to the Sassanians.

  • @shaolindreams
    @shaolindreams 4 роки тому +251

    The name Basil is from the word Basileus.. Greek word for King.

    • @shaolindreams
      @shaolindreams 4 роки тому +4

      @Xaris Xeros Great stuff man.. Yeah i heard of Wanax too.. Fascinating.

    • @shaolindreams
      @shaolindreams 4 роки тому +3

      @Xaris Xeros Thanks for passing the knowledge brother... also could i add there was such thing as a Tyrant... But researching it .. it appears it had much less negative cogitations then.. and was more of a dictator ruler than an evil oppressive tyrant as we think of today. Do you have any info on this? Btw my name is Antoniades, pleased to meet you.

    • @deaclavilis6760
      @deaclavilis6760 4 роки тому +3

      Xaris Xeros, so Eastern Romans use the title "autokrator" as a part of their foreign policy to emphasize their "basileus" was the one who is the Roman imperator! I am trying to understand why they used "basileus kai autokrator" title package if basileus is sufficient and autokrator has negative connotation? Can you explain?

    • @deaclavilis6760
      @deaclavilis6760 4 роки тому +2

      As I know the word tyrant got a negative connotation during the classical age of ancient Hellenes where people started to see tyrants as bad. However in the first times of Hellenes after dark ages, especially in the tyrant era of Archaic times, the word is only about one man's rule. Then in classical age, Aristo was considering it as the corrupted / bad category of one man's rule, which is opposite of monarchy, one man's good rule. One described as egoistical (tyranny), other described as common interest seeking rule (monarchy).

    • @ilirikumserbinum-1327
      @ilirikumserbinum-1327 4 роки тому +1

      but the first time the greeks camed on the throne of the roman empire was in the 8th century.

  • @Zqppy
    @Zqppy 4 роки тому +355

    Constantine named it New Rome, people renamed the city to Constantinople after he died

    • @paprskomet
      @paprskomet 4 роки тому +27

      It was popularly called Constantinople already during his life.It was just not official name-same as many othe unofficial names for that city.

    • @magistermilitum1206
      @magistermilitum1206 4 роки тому +5

      And before that the city was called Byzantium, get it? Byzantine Empire?

    • @Zqppy
      @Zqppy 4 роки тому +20

      @@magistermilitum1206 that is not the same city, Byzantiom was an ancient greek city state that Constantine Leveled for his new capital.

    • @magistermilitum1206
      @magistermilitum1206 4 роки тому +9

      @@Zqppy before Constantinople it was called Byzantium, that's what I'm saying

    • @spiderh
      @spiderh 4 роки тому +7

      Romans also named this city to StinPol. İstanbul name came from this name. Ottomans did not change city name, used old names like İstanbul, Konstantiniye etc. etc.

  • @eliad6543
    @eliad6543 4 роки тому +583

    Eastern Roman Empire: Can we have some help?
    Pope: OK, sending them over
    Eastern Roman Empire: Can't wait to have some european knights to fight the Seljuks
    4 months later: * sees a bunch of thieves, murderers and bandits with crosses painted on their clothes *
    Eastern Roman Empire: What-

    • @impaugjuldivmax
      @impaugjuldivmax 4 роки тому +75

      Typical way of helping from europeans

    • @mariosmatzoros3553
      @mariosmatzoros3553 4 роки тому +30

      the eastern roman empire was European...

    • @eliad6543
      @eliad6543 4 роки тому +26

      @@mariosmatzoros3553 I know. the whole "european knights" thing wasn't me trying to say they weren't european

    • @qus.9617
      @qus.9617 4 роки тому +17

      Rasputin: Byzantium is my city

    • @EnhancedCognition
      @EnhancedCognition 4 роки тому +23

      @@impaugjuldivmax Its not like the Romans hadn't spent the prior thousand years ransacking and plundering their lands or anything...

  • @MT-gz2tt
    @MT-gz2tt 4 роки тому +66

    Heraclius ii: "Finally we defeated the Sassanid Empire and we reconquered the lost territories"
    Arabs:"I'm about to end this man's whole carrier"
    *400 years later*
    Basil ii:"After years of instability, invasions the Empire has managed to re-establish itself as one of wealthiest and stronger nation in the world"
    Turks/crusaders:"I'm about to end this man's whole carrier"

    • @v44n7
      @v44n7 4 роки тому +4

      @@MJayzStudio roman history was all about civil wars, It's the only way it went down

    • @user-rd7gm3fe1e
      @user-rd7gm3fe1e 4 роки тому +2

      @@v44n7 Mhm, Greeks Always fought devastating civil wars since antiquity in every province they ruled

    • @keziahdelaney8174
      @keziahdelaney8174 4 роки тому +2

      And unfortunatelly for the empire, civilization and Europe itself till maybe even today, they did! A great political and military leader Heraclius was! After the defeat in Yarmuk he never recovered mentally. It costed Him dearly. They say the same for Emmanuel Komnenos. Another trully great emperor after the defeat of Myriokefalon. He also had mental breakdown.

    • @user-rd7gm3fe1e
      @user-rd7gm3fe1e 4 роки тому

      @@keziahdelaney8174 Ψηφίζουμε χρυσή αυγή για καλύτερο μέλλον
      Για χιλιάδες λόγους

    • @keziahdelaney8174
      @keziahdelaney8174 4 роки тому

      @@user-rd7gm3fe1e Απογοητευτηκα! Λίγοι, και πολλά λάθη! Αδικαιολογητα. Το κόμμα ηθέλε σαρωτικές αλλαγές!

  • @thehunter5311
    @thehunter5311 4 роки тому +89

    1:12 trajan definitely never skipped chest day

  • @chanchingcheng8204
    @chanchingcheng8204 4 роки тому +441

    Actually Constantine didn't call it Constantinople, he called it Nova Roma (New Rome)
    But everyone else called it Constantinople

    • @mithridates5399
      @mithridates5399 4 роки тому +15

      did you expect deep research from some youtuber? Just enjoy the video for what it is: shallow entertainment

    • @vrisbrianm4720
      @vrisbrianm4720 3 роки тому +52

      Actually, according to Socrates Scholasticus writing in the early 5th century, the city was renamed as "Constantinople" by Emperor Constantine himself. The term "New Rome" was only a designation of the city.

    • @UnknownSend3r
      @UnknownSend3r 3 роки тому +47

      @@mithridates5399 and here you are consuming shallow entertainment while criticising it. Is your critique of someone who is trying to educate people a form of self-aggrandisement, or do you wish to get validation from strangers online, either way because it's a bit sad and pathetic, please stop.

    • @dlwatib
      @dlwatib 3 роки тому +7

      The important thing is that it ceased to be called Byzantium, so the "Byzantine Empire" is a misnomer and an anachronism.

    • @naughtybear2187
      @naughtybear2187 2 роки тому +1

      @@UnknownSend3r he is speaking the truth though. This is the history equivalent of junk food. Useless trivia and factoids.

  • @byzantinetales
    @byzantinetales 4 роки тому +67

    Everything has its life circle. The Byzantine Empire was lucky enough to have a great geopolitical administrative and cultural inheritance. This helped it to survive up to the gunpowder age

  • @SarudeDanstorm
    @SarudeDanstorm 4 роки тому +62

    Had Emperor Maurice kept his armies in line, the world would be a vastly different place today.

  • @solsticefr9142
    @solsticefr9142 4 роки тому +86

    Imagine Being that last Roman Emperor , the day Constantinople was taken... Looking out his window , seing the walls destroyed by canons ,and realizing that he was, almost for sure , the last emperor of a dynasty that lasted for thousands of years...
    Vivat Imperium !

    • @RLDragonStrider
      @RLDragonStrider 4 роки тому +32

      He died fighting in the streets probably.

    • @lucifer-bear
      @lucifer-bear 3 роки тому +5

      The Marble Emperor. Cool name but mostly a sad story. look him up

    • @lucifer-bear
      @lucifer-bear 3 роки тому +17

      According to myth the last emperor turned into a marble statue when Constantinople fell, waiting for the day to reclaim his capital.

    • @nabilzig3797
      @nabilzig3797 3 роки тому +3

      @@lucifer-bear عندما يتحول الرخام الى انسان حي. عند إذن ربما تخرج القسطنطينيه عن سلطان المسلمين

  • @OmegaPhattyAcid
    @OmegaPhattyAcid 4 роки тому +53

    I just realized that in the The Elder Scrolls games, the Reman Empire is a blatant allusion to Romulus' brother. The Imperial society is obvious enough, but I never realized that detail before.

  • @guilhermes.d.g.4326
    @guilhermes.d.g.4326 4 роки тому +80

    Just when i had a history class about the byzantines, Epimetheus publishes this video, you really made my day the byzantines are incredible

    • @v44n7
      @v44n7 4 роки тому +2

      ROMANSS

    • @DooTSweeT
      @DooTSweeT 3 роки тому +2

      Thats their made-up name, The passionately referred to themselves as Romans and were still technically Roman

    • @guilhermes.d.g.4326
      @guilhermes.d.g.4326 3 роки тому +1

      Yes i know very well they are indeed still romans, and i myself consider them as such, but i just use this name to be shorter in my sentences, in the end, we know what we are talking about.

    • @TGeoMin
      @TGeoMin 3 роки тому +2

      @@DooTSweeT It ceased to be Roman after emperor Justinian. It was Roman only in name and after 10th century not even by name. Emperor barbarossa used to call them "Kingdom of the Greeks". The Germans had to invent the term Byzantine because the term Eastern Roman Empire could not apply to the empire during the Angeloi, Komnenoi, katakouzenoi, Laskarides or Palaiologoi dynasties.

    • @jackmack6217
      @jackmack6217 6 місяців тому

      @@TGeoMin The Germans had to invent the term Byzantine to solidify their own claim to the roman title. Just because others call them something else doesn't change the fact of what they are. They were romans and their state was the direct continuation of the imperial roman state until 1453.

  • @skoomamuch356
    @skoomamuch356 4 роки тому +324

    every time someone mentions "Byzantine Empire" I cried

    • @Spartan265
      @Spartan265 4 роки тому +56

      @Alexander Knight They always considered themselves Romans so I imagine they called it Rome as for all intents and purposes it was still technically Rome. Byzantine was just a made up name used by later historians to differentiate the Western and Eastern empires.

    • @marcelcostache2504
      @marcelcostache2504 4 роки тому +37

      @Alexander Knight the citizens of this Empire called it IMPERIUM ROMANUM in Latin and BASILEIA ROMAION in Greek.

    • @JoshuaKevinPerry
      @JoshuaKevinPerry 4 роки тому +7

      @Alexander Knight Rome. They are called Rum room today by the Turks.

    • @av8973
      @av8973 4 роки тому +7

      Top 10 saddest anime deaths in history

    • @nadadragojevic3213
      @nadadragojevic3213 4 роки тому +1

      Yea, this is the most dreadful crime scene ever and the culprits were the Serbian haters and forgoers of historical documents. One should mention, for example, the infamous Greek patriarch, Fothious, who kept himself busy transcribing some 280 Serbian books from Constantinople Library into Greek, destroying the originals in the process. They fabricated one huge chunk of history, calling it "the arrival of Slavic tribes in 7th century AD and latter". This fabrication was needed to cover up the fact that Serbian language was most widely used all over the peninsula since times immemorial.

  • @worsethanjoerogan8061
    @worsethanjoerogan8061 4 роки тому +152

    Wow I was expecting the Sassanids to attack when the Roman army left or when it mutinied, not for them to go to war because Maurice was assassinated. I guess Khosrau genuinely wanted good relations with the Empire

    • @azmanabdula
      @azmanabdula 4 роки тому +39

      They kept each other in power

    • @armbaria
      @armbaria 4 роки тому +39

      @@rolex1231 Yes, as the Great Persian king, Darius said "Bros before hoes"

    • @Daniel-jm7ts
      @Daniel-jm7ts 4 роки тому +39

      If the Greeks and Persians wouldn't have always killed each other for ages, they would have been the greateat empires to every exist

    • @thehellyousay
      @thehellyousay 4 роки тому +1

      Dey wuz buttbuddiez.

    • @thehellyousay
      @thehellyousay 4 роки тому +1

      @@rolex1231 that ain't a Persian quality, it's a human quality. Nationality is not as important as humanity.

  • @lucacioctavian5589
    @lucacioctavian5589 2 роки тому +29

    As a fellow historian, both by diploma and passion, you did a really good job explaining in such short time the history of the Byzantinian empire. Well done!

    • @piedmontatl
      @piedmontatl 11 місяців тому +3

      There never was a Byzantine Empire.

  • @ras573
    @ras573 4 роки тому +151

    In the 1340s the Byzantines had a long and terrible civil war, while occasionally fighting the Turks.
    And to add salt to their wounds,
    the Serbian tzar Dushan deeply manipulated the civil war, fighting and sponsoring all sides, while conquering most of the Balkans and cutting Thessaloniki away from Constantinople. The blockade of Thessaloniki was a severe economic loss, after which the Byzantines could never recover.
    After these events, the Byzantine empire was a cripple.
    Constantinople was semi-deserted.
    Many Romei (Greek) intellectuals have fled to Italy over the decades, taking a lot of books and other treasure with them, as if the Pope didn't steal enough during the Latin kingdom. The renaissance was sparked long before the final fall of Constantinople.
    Anyway,
    A few decades after the civil war, the Turks entered the Balkans, going around Constantinople. The Serbians tried to stop them, asked the pope for a crusade, but the Pope didn't care. After many battles, the Serbians were crushed. And Europe was Turkish. The only thing left was to capture Constantinople. The great, impenetrable... empty box... about to become even emptier.

    • @RLDragonStrider
      @RLDragonStrider 4 роки тому +11

      Serbs werent the only pepole on the Balkans you know

    • @hulking_presence
      @hulking_presence 4 роки тому +2

      @@RLDragonStrider what do you mean? Was there somebody else? Who?

    • @RLDragonStrider
      @RLDragonStrider 4 роки тому +8

      @@hulking_presence Bulgarians? Yeah the Serbs were a force but Dushan's empire lasted only about 25 years and crumbled soon after he died. I dont even wanna mention how many of Serbian aristocrats were half Bulgarian at least, but I dont wanna sound like I am trying to one up, I am just stating fact.
      What you should mention is the Battle of Chernomen of In 1371 where a coaltion of Serbs and Bulgarians joined up to fight the Ottomans but at the infamous battle they lost...

    • @ArthaxtaDaVince777
      @ArthaxtaDaVince777 4 роки тому +1

      @@hulking_presence lol your comment got me

    • @ilirikumserbinum-1327
      @ilirikumserbinum-1327 4 роки тому +4

      @@RLDragonStrider Serbia was created in the year 491 AD in that time bulgarians where in asia my friend learn history, even the story about slavic migration to the balkan is a big propaganda, becouse Serbs were Roman emperors like
      Julius Cecar, Justinian, Probus, Constantine they were Serbs.

  • @MarcMagma
    @MarcMagma 4 роки тому +52

    Justinian is one of my personal favorite rulers in history. I absolutly LOVE his story.

  • @cutlass23
    @cutlass23 4 роки тому +110

    "A mass migration of western Europe's troublemakers"
    Haha. Accurate.

    • @cutlass23
      @cutlass23 4 роки тому +4

      @TheCrazyKid1381 sounds like someone is jealous of our beautiful pink complexion imo.

    • @stain4128
      @stain4128 3 роки тому +2

      @@MJayzStudio racist

  • @marto8044
    @marto8044 4 роки тому +70

    Little about Komnenos dynasty and the war with the normans.
    By the way, this empire truly refuses to die.

    • @thehellyousay
      @thehellyousay 4 роки тому

      It was about Byzantine, not Holy Roman.
      And no, it died long ago.
      Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Lotta countries keep trying to "resurrect" it.
      Stupid. Leave it lying in its dust.
      Rome under Ceasar wouldn't have stood a chance against the contemporary Chinese Empire. Their numbers, tactics, leadership, weaponry, discipline and logistics were far superior.
      Even as Aurelius and the might of Rome, created the illusion of the Pax Romanus, the Roman would have been outclassed by literally any of the warlords vying with the eunuchs of the central court for control of the Han while simultaneously dealing with a massive peasant rebellion in numbers that would have dwarfed Roman population, and was largely confined to the eastern part of the Han.

    • @marto8044
      @marto8044 4 роки тому +6

      @@thehellyousay Wow.
      No.
      Simply.
      Sory for being too lazy to explain everything but you are simply not right.
      Romans had established rule over realm with many subjects from varying coltures leanguages, religions. The economy, infrastrutcture and other spectrums of the human life were the highest in the human history for that time and before.
      And consider also the fact that the empire from a single city absurbate the whole known world to became the apegee of the helenic civilization.

    • @marto8044
      @marto8044 4 роки тому

      @ॐ गणेश ॐ ha, where is the fun part?

    • @hulking_presence
      @hulking_presence 4 роки тому

      @ॐ गणेश ॐ do you understand there will be no indians, chinese or africans on the face of the planet by the end of the century?

    • @ArthaxtaDaVince777
      @ArthaxtaDaVince777 4 роки тому

      @@hulking_presence dude, we get it, you're a man of culture

  • @AncientHistoryGuy
    @AncientHistoryGuy 4 роки тому +88

    Yay! We uploaded on the same day again!

    • @thedoruk6324
      @thedoruk6324 4 роки тому +3

      @Kenneth Knoppik insert le : *cLiCk tHe bEll* meme - but that doesn't always works either

    • @azmanabdula
      @azmanabdula 4 роки тому +1

      ​@@thedoruk6324 Guys ive never clicked the bell notification
      Just subs
      (Yes ive been on youtube for a while since 2006)
      and ive never had a problem with subs and video notifications
      It seems this entire system is rigged

    • @thedoruk6324
      @thedoruk6324 4 роки тому +1

      @@azmanabdula I know :/

    • @azmanabdula
      @azmanabdula 4 роки тому +1

      @@thedoruk6324 Why are they doing this though?
      Control info?

    • @thedoruk6324
      @thedoruk6324 4 роки тому +1

      @@azmanabdula Likely, also propogonate their 'own' channel

  • @garabic8688
    @garabic8688 4 роки тому +22

    I’m so glad you did this video. Byzantine history is amazing, keep up the good work!

  • @LM-pd6wj
    @LM-pd6wj 4 роки тому +88

    Please make a video about the Belisarius campaigns!!!

  • @george867
    @george867 4 роки тому +9

    i gotta say im a huge fan of your videos. you do such a good job of overview content. not focusing in on individual details too much, but giving each topic enough information to be compartmentalized. i find your content useful for discovering new topics and eras i might like to further research.

  • @JohnDamascus
    @JohnDamascus 4 роки тому +91

    Constantine named the city Nova Roma(New Rome). It was renamed after his death.

    • @marcelcostache2504
      @marcelcostache2504 4 роки тому +2

      Verses funereal on the tomb of lord Basil the Bulgar-slayer and emperor (basileus).
      Other kings of old, other
      burial places for themselves ordained,
      But I, Basil, born to the purple,
      place my tomb on the site of Hebdomon
      and I sabbatize from the endless toils
      which I accepted in battles, and which I endured.
      For nobody saw my spear at rest,
      from when the King of Heavens called me
      autokrator of the earth and senior emperor.
      but remaining vigilant through the whole span of my life
      guarding the children of *New Rome
      *
      when I marched bravely to the West (Hesperia),
      and as far as the very frontiers of the East (Eos),
      settling countless trophies all over the earth.
      The Persians and Scythians (Bulgars) bear witness to this,
      and along with them the Abasgian, Ishmael, the Arab, the Iberian.
      And now, man, looking upon this tomb
      reward my campaigns with prayers.

    • @paprskomet
      @paprskomet 4 роки тому +1

      It was popularly called Constantinople already during his life.It was just not official name-same as many othe unofficial names for that city.

    • @cormacmcquillan7093
      @cormacmcquillan7093 4 роки тому +2

      Thats a common misunderstanding. It was never called nova roma.

    • @vrisbrianm4720
      @vrisbrianm4720 3 роки тому +2

      Actually, according to Socrates Scholasticus writing in the early 5th century, the city was renamed as "Constantinople" by Emperor Constantine himself. The term "New Rome" was only a designation of the city.

  • @satana8157
    @satana8157 4 роки тому +19

    Irrelevant fact: Iranians called Rome Rum, and they kept calling it that even after its collapse. They used Rum for Ottomans land because they had the same territory. And of course the poet Rumi that left Iran and lived in there, got his name this way.
    (And of course by Iran I'm talking about greater Iran which is from modern day Tajikestan and Uzbakistan, Afghanistan and East of Pakistan to Eastern Turkey, North and East of Iraq and Caucasis)

    • @OwnTrick
      @OwnTrick 4 роки тому +8

      @Kayserili38ification
      Even sultan mehmet had a title kaiseri-rum which in turkish and persian means caesar of rome.

    • @yusufg.1281
      @yusufg.1281 Рік тому +1

      Relevant fact. Rome was Rome so it was called that. It's called evidence.

    • @merothehero6359
      @merothehero6359 Рік тому

      @@yusufg.1281 to your simple brain, sure, only rome can be rome. But this means denying sultanute of rum (a turkish sultanate created by the original, migrant oghuz turks (not modern day anatolian turks)) even exists

    • @yusufg.1281
      @yusufg.1281 Рік тому

      @@merothehero6359 Ya mama simple

    • @yusufg.1281
      @yusufg.1281 Рік тому

      @@merothehero6359 Rome was called Rome, this is a fact.

  • @julianmarsh1378
    @julianmarsh1378 3 роки тому +5

    Despite their religious fanaticism, the Byzantines were practically the only realists in the world at this time. They survived for so long because they Thought about situations, sized up the possibilities, and usually acted accordingly.

    • @paprskomet
      @paprskomet 3 роки тому +4

      You cant judge Roman medieval society as "fanatical" in the same way as you cant say the same about medieval west.Apart from it being a huge simplification it is also disorted by standarts of our own time which are from significant level different from theirs standarts.

    • @julianmarsh1378
      @julianmarsh1378 3 роки тому

      @@paprskomet Actually, I can say it was in some respects fanatical. I can also say 5th century Athens was more liberal than its counterpart, 5th century Sparta. One can say lots of things.

  • @F3z07
    @F3z07 4 роки тому +9

    Your artwork is better than ever. Thank you so much for your excellent content!

  • @gingerkrieg9062
    @gingerkrieg9062 4 роки тому +2

    Amazing! I love your maps and people drawings! I am amazed that you can give so much information in such a short time and make it interesting. I learn something new every time! Thank you Epimetheus.

  • @vandare6913
    @vandare6913 Рік тому +4

    "Present your shield, swords, arrows, and spears to them, imagining that you are a hunting party after wild boars, so that the impious may learn that they are dealing not with dumb animals but with their lords and masters, THE DESCENDANTS OF THE HELLENES (GREEKS) AND THE ROMANS."
    Constantine Palaologus XI speaks in front of his officers and allies before the final siege of Constantinople by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed Bey
    George Sprantzes - The Fall of the Byzantine Empire 1453 - primary source from the war

  • @nguyenthiphuonganh
    @nguyenthiphuonganh 4 роки тому +65

    I always chose Byzantine when playing the Age Of Empires

    • @Thormil576
      @Thormil576 4 роки тому +18

      An intellectual!

    • @KingDanny9
      @KingDanny9 4 роки тому +1

      Lol they’re my favorite one too behind the Mongols

    • @user-xs5te5eb3b
      @user-xs5te5eb3b 4 роки тому +12

      thank you

    • @Hakanerdmmm
      @Hakanerdmmm 4 роки тому

      Nguyen Thi Phuong Anh Online?

    • @ddwkc
      @ddwkc 4 роки тому +1

      My favorite civ as well!

  • @marytica123
    @marytica123 3 роки тому +2

    WOW - in this short video, I learned MORE about the Byzantine Empire (and even the Western Roman Empire) than EVER was taught to me in public school ! THANK YOU !

  • @obayal-raslan8403
    @obayal-raslan8403 4 роки тому +1

    Your videos are just amazing .. they are the most intriguing and exciting for me.
    Making those brilliant videos with these simple effects and tools is what makes this channel unique

  • @vandare6913
    @vandare6913 Рік тому +5

    "With the collapse of the empire in the west, its eastern counterpart became, in reality, an entirely new and independent state, at once Greek by language and Roman in name: 'A Greek Roman empire'."
    Roderick Beaton, "The Greeks: a global history", New York: Basic books 2021, pp. 212

  • @EpimetheusHistory
    @EpimetheusHistory  4 роки тому +93

    Who is your favorite Eastern Roman Emperor and why?

    • @jackstouffer3912
      @jackstouffer3912 4 роки тому +74

      Probably Heraclius, in part because of the tragic nature of reign. He led multiple successful military campaigns and managed to hold the empire together during a time of immense crisis, only to have the Muslim conquests erupt near the end of his life and reverse much of the work he and his people had done.

    • @marcello7781
      @marcello7781 4 роки тому +51

      Justinian, because of the Corpus Iuris Civilis and because it's considered by many historians as the last "roman" emperor. He had great plans for the Empire and for what was the former Western Roman Empire but after his death very few of them survived.

    • @cognitivedisability9864
      @cognitivedisability9864 4 роки тому +30

      dont have a favourite emperor, but Belisarius is mabye one of my favourite figures in history, what a man.

    • @imad8107
      @imad8107 4 роки тому +52

      Basil the Bulgar slayer, just sounds great

    • @goodbanter4427
      @goodbanter4427 4 роки тому +31

      John II Komnenos. Overshadowed by his father Alexios I, but I often wonder how far he would've come if he didn't die young

  • @twistedsteeltv6130
    @twistedsteeltv6130 4 роки тому +3

    Dude, so appreciate your content. Thank you

  • @owenb8636
    @owenb8636 3 роки тому +12

    The number of times the byzantines were able to recover from disasters that would have ended lesser peoples is really inspiring. Lots of empires have a huge growth spurt and then decline but the staying power of the Greeks was really impressive

    • @paprskomet
      @paprskomet 3 роки тому +4

      Romans.They did not seen themselves as Greeks as for their state and when they say Romans they meant The Romans not something else.

    • @gilpaubelid3780
      @gilpaubelid3780 2 роки тому +10

      @@paprskomet If they didn't see themselves as Greeks we wouldn't have so many originals sources today where they were saying that they were Greeks and where others were calling them Greeks. Roman was a civic identity, not an ethnic one.

    • @paprskomet
      @paprskomet 2 роки тому

      ​@@gilpaubelid3780 Read Kadelis book on this.One of the most often abused theories is to try claiming that being a Roman was nothing more for them but political identity but that is a false claim and a huge oversimplification.It is really crazy how we have like milions(literally!)mentions of those "greeks" talking about themselves as about Romans(those Romans,not somene else who just happened to call themselves Romans but in reality thinking something else,like "greeks" behind that name)and yet modern guys rather focus on few mentions out of so many centuries where some of them refer themselves as greeks and do use this minority as if it was more important than majority doing this rather from nationalistic reasons in case of modern greeks or from politically biased reasons in case of westerners.
      For the absolute majority of time they firmly,consistently and proudly reffered themselves as Romans,with greek identity being applied on more significant level only after conquest of Constantinople when it was given also by shift in meanings of terminologies at that time.While "Roman" started to be view as a term for western Catholic Christian,"Greek" started to be viewed as a term for orthodox Christians of the Empire.But even at that point most common "Byzantines" continued to refer themselves simply as Romans and when westerner confronted them as being Greeks they protested.Greek selfidentification at the very last centuries of Empires existence was solely propagated by very small class among Byzantine intelectuals of that time and it is mostly this class on which modern greek nationalists desperately rely on,ignoring ocean because of a pond.But to make it even more complex and realistic-it is nonsensical to see them simply as Romans or Greeks.In fact for them those two identiies coexisted and were not in conflict.It is only modern people who often have propblem to understand that.
      Example?Ammianus Marcellinnus,a Greek historian with Latin name refers himself as Greek several times in his historical work yet at the same time there can be zero doubts that he fully considered himself a Roman at the same time which is also obvious from his writtings.And he was no exception but illustration of usual Roman citizen of that era.Even at the very end Constantine XI refers his people as "descendants of greeks and romans"as recorded by another "Byzantine" who was his close associate and was present at that final speech,George Sphrantzes.Last Roman Emperor with Latin name of Constantine reigning from the city whose oficial name was New Rome.

    • @goranpersson7726
      @goranpersson7726 Рік тому +3

      @@gilpaubelid3780 they were both, citizens of rome and greek ethnically

    • @goranpersson7726
      @goranpersson7726 Рік тому +1

      even during the glory days of rome most romans were not actually roman ethnically, they did after all keep extending citizenship to other people that lived in the empire

  • @WildBillCox13
    @WildBillCox13 4 роки тому +2

    Great content. Thanks for posting.

  • @LostSoul340
    @LostSoul340 3 роки тому +13

    Original Rome - Manga
    Byzantine Empire - Anime
    Holy Roman Empire - Netflix Spin-off

  • @fretstride2
    @fretstride2 4 роки тому +2

    A map and a timeline. Excellent. Every history Channel should follow this standard

  • @greenhead96
    @greenhead96 4 роки тому +1

    Very Good Video, Very thorough and well put together, I am a very big fan of your channel keep up the good work.

  • @jean-baptistecarrere-gee9157
    @jean-baptistecarrere-gee9157 4 роки тому +4

    Epimetheus every single of your video is a pleasure to watch. Keep up the amazing work friend and all the best.

  • @dzpower189
    @dzpower189 4 роки тому +3

    thank you for this work

  • @georgeplagianos6487
    @georgeplagianos6487 3 роки тому +1

    Well I got to say again I just can't get out of my seat, just been captivated by all the information we're learning here.Your a great teacher. thank you for this history that we keep reliving

  • @emmaavelar2325
    @emmaavelar2325 4 роки тому +1

    Great video! I like how the maps changed from different time periods!

  • @lukashuber4419
    @lukashuber4419 4 роки тому +3

    Thank you for the great video

  • @ThisIsEduardo
    @ThisIsEduardo 4 роки тому +3

    Great video !! You a very informative lecturer !! Bravo

  • @EricScheid
    @EricScheid 4 роки тому +1

    The timeline thing across the bottom is really nice touch, very useful, thanks!

  • @andreagullo1700
    @andreagullo1700 4 роки тому +26

    In Italian we have an expression that is "tirare a campare", whose meaning is something like "continuing to live with great difficulty despite there are no serious prospects for improvement but instead you're going increasingly towards the abyss (or directly death)", this is basically the essence of the Byzantine Empire after Justinian and Teodora. XD

    • @tylerellis9097
      @tylerellis9097 4 роки тому +1

      Andrea Gullo Cough Macedonian Dynasty.

    • @andreagullo1700
      @andreagullo1700 4 роки тому +1

      @@tylerellis9097 in general yes but, ehehi the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom resisted against the powerful Han Dynasty of China, not bad! And Egypt was pretty cool during Ptolemaic Dynasty ;-) Byzantines instead are just...Depressing and boring (especially if we consider that they inhereited the memory of the Roman Empire).

    • @tylerellis9097
      @tylerellis9097 4 роки тому

      Andrea Gullo The Byzantine Empire was literally the strongest nation again outside China on Earth from 940 to 1050. Look up John Tzimeskes.

    • @andreagullo1700
      @andreagullo1700 4 роки тому

      Mmh...I dubt they were stronger than the Califfate :-/

    • @tylerellis9097
      @tylerellis9097 4 роки тому

      Andrea Gullo which was a mere puppet state to surrounding Muslim powers at the time. The Strongest Muslim nation at the time was the Fatimid Caliphate who couldn’t defeat the Byzantines.

  • @vangelisskia214
    @vangelisskia214 2 роки тому +5

    "Eustathius of Thessalonica ; c. 1115 - 1195/6) was a Byzantine Greek scholar and ARCHBISHOP of Thessaloniki. disambiguates the distinction in his contemporary account of the sack of Thessaloniki by the Normans in 1185 by referring to the invaders with the generic term "Latins", encompassing all adherents to the Roman Catholic Church, and THE "HELLENES" AS THE DOMINANT POPULATION OF THE EMPIRE."
    Espugnazione di Thessalonica, Palermo 1961, p. 32

  • @joshuapongwattana6252
    @joshuapongwattana6252 4 роки тому +3

    This video should be required history for this era in schools worldwide. Very well made...

  • @stevensammons4062
    @stevensammons4062 4 роки тому +2

    Another great video. Thanks

  • @dawneabdulal-bari9313
    @dawneabdulal-bari9313 4 роки тому +2

    Very informative! Thank you

  • @DonoDino
    @DonoDino 4 роки тому +12

    It is quite remarkable and really an achievement how on earth they managed to survive for eleven centuries while they were literally attacked from all sides. Leave alone the civil wars and corruption.... Truly amazing!
    Also, quite an astonishment, if you think that they recovered many times lost territories, breathing new life into the empire, prolonging its existence for centuries.
    It makes you think that if they had 8-9 consecutive great emperors (e.g. like Justinian, Leo III the Isaurian, John II Komnenos, Basil II, Heraclius, Maurice, Alexios Comnenus, John I Tzimiskes, John III Doukas Vatatzes) they would have restored the roman empire!
    Damn, I think I want to play Age of Empires now.... LOL

  • @agandaur88
    @agandaur88 4 роки тому +11

    Manzekirt was prelude to crusades. At first it greatly helped Romans to retake Anatolia, but later devil came to take his share. Never make deals with devil.

  • @brokenbridge6316
    @brokenbridge6316 4 роки тому +2

    What a fun n informative video this was. I liked it a lot.

  • @adamelaschuk1295
    @adamelaschuk1295 4 роки тому +1

    Love the content. Thank you

  • @peterroberts7832
    @peterroberts7832 4 роки тому +47

    i cant see the number 1453 without bursting into tears

    • @Daradajee
      @Daradajee 4 роки тому +3

      Rather than cry remember how good the Sultan Padishah was to Europeans who knelt before him, converted to Islam and enjoyed a luxurious life of silks, spices, perfumes and exotic slave girls!

    • @peterroberts7832
      @peterroberts7832 4 роки тому +6

      @@AngryBitterNeckbeard you nihilistic fucks like to shit all over people's heritages over the internet

    • @peterroberts7832
      @peterroberts7832 4 роки тому +7

      @@Daradajee Those lost souls may have enjoyed the spoils of this life but only earned damnation in the next. Orthodox now and ever yeet

    • @tylerellis9097
      @tylerellis9097 4 роки тому

      Peter Roberts Empire Of Nicaea was shit once the Palaiologos got it anyways.

    • @user-xs5te5eb3b
      @user-xs5te5eb3b 4 роки тому +5

      I feel you my friend but My Empire is sitll living in those who are STILL Orthodox Christians amen.

  • @andrewjenery1783
    @andrewjenery1783 4 роки тому +1

    This video made a lot of sense, glad I watched it.

  • @tamerlane3931
    @tamerlane3931 4 роки тому +2

    excellent summary ...cheers mate

  • @mokin-rui717
    @mokin-rui717 4 роки тому +9

    These questions popped in my head when I saw the title. What makes this topic interesting? Why should I learn about Byzantine history? Who were the Byzantines? How are they even remotely related to current events? Most importantly, where is the connection between today and then? These were my initial questions until I decided to sit and listen. Good video, thank you.

  • @emmasbooknook4576
    @emmasbooknook4576 4 роки тому +3

    Very interesting!!

  • @ConcealedCourier
    @ConcealedCourier 4 роки тому +2

    Another good one :)

  • @bodyboardingchronicles602
    @bodyboardingchronicles602 4 роки тому +1

    "We will not have a family brawl!"
    Everyday is a blessing cousinz.
    Great presentation!

  • @menaseven9093
    @menaseven9093 4 роки тому +16

    Empires always first fell from within before being conquered by outside enemies. The Eastern Roman Empire weakened themselves by a large number of coup d etats and civil wars. They were lucky their empire lasted 1000 years. The fall to the Ottoman was inevitable because the Eastern Roman Empire was terminally sicked. Wonderful short history of the Ancient Roman Epimetheus.

    • @goranpersson7726
      @goranpersson7726 Рік тому

      it's very easy to say that something is inevitable when it's in the past, it happened after all and nothing can change that it already has happened but inevitable? nah not really, tons of things that could have changed the outcome of what happened to them. for example if the emperor hadnt tried to get the pope to help by sending an army over it probably would have gone a wee bit better that is after all how the crusades started and they for sure weakened the empire quite a bit especially that period when the crusaders just said fuck it and went for the eastern romans instead of the holy land or even just the nearby turks

    • @Dave102693
      @Dave102693 Рік тому

      @@goranpersson7726 The Pope always tired to find a way to kneecap the east, and if not him, a east-hating, western ruler would.

    • @goranpersson7726
      @goranpersson7726 Рік тому

      @@Dave102693 they didn't really have the east hate as much as more modern times as that devide is mainly because of the iron curtain. They hated that the east were the actual roman empire and it delegitimized their claim to the Roman empire and the Pope's power to handing said title out

  • @slavkoostojic2514
    @slavkoostojic2514 4 роки тому +8

    Thank you for mentioning the Serbian Empire 💪🇷🇸
    All the best form Novi Sad.
    Keep up the good work!

  • @Lee-xb7lb
    @Lee-xb7lb 4 роки тому

    Stumbled on to your channel. I am glad I did. Thank you sir.

  • @j.bbailey6275
    @j.bbailey6275 3 роки тому +1

    Awesome Content man

  • @thebrocialist8300
    @thebrocialist8300 4 роки тому +4

    Justinian looking baked af in that picture

  • @tharos
    @tharos 4 роки тому +5

    How can you be the Eastern Roman Empire when there is no Western Roman Empire?

  • @dc7370
    @dc7370 4 роки тому +1

    You are awesome. That was a dizzying pace. Tales of the eye gougers

  • @FromNothing
    @FromNothing 4 роки тому +2

    Hey man how's it going? It's been a while. I have to say I'm very impressed with how well-developed your art and editing is becoming. Keep up the good work and shoot me an email if you can. I did before but I know you're probably very busy. Have a god night!

  • @vmycode5142
    @vmycode5142 4 роки тому +3

    finaly!Thanks :)

  • @aldeen9190
    @aldeen9190 4 роки тому +7

    Finally something more relatable.

  • @livewithapurpose5651
    @livewithapurpose5651 4 роки тому +1

    Thanks for this superb video

  • @devintaylor8702
    @devintaylor8702 2 роки тому

    Awesome videos I learn more from you than
    I ever did in history class 😀

  • @MCorpReview
    @MCorpReview 4 роки тому +15

    They seem on d verge of collapse many times but somehow kept bouncing back.

  • @LeviUlysses-mp5wg
    @LeviUlysses-mp5wg 4 роки тому +7

    Basically anything on the Byzantines I watch within the first hour.

  • @djw07williams84
    @djw07williams84 4 роки тому

    been waiting for a new one for a while

  • @oliverf.68
    @oliverf.68 4 роки тому +1

    Very informative thanks.
    Valde informativus, historias magnificus est.

  • @comb528491
    @comb528491 4 роки тому +7

    Plz do the Medes/Median Empire/Kingdoms

  • @user-bu3vu8xz5c
    @user-bu3vu8xz5c 4 роки тому +6

    In 1453, China lost a friend it had known for years.😭

  • @AlwaysSleepy13
    @AlwaysSleepy13 4 роки тому +2

    I love you epimetheus

  • @adamorlowski4886
    @adamorlowski4886 4 роки тому +1

    Very good video

  • @Artur_M.
    @Artur_M. 4 роки тому +3

    Great summary of the "Byzantine" history.

  • @rudolfs3474
    @rudolfs3474 4 роки тому +5

    1:00 there is a mistake Augustus was ruler until 14 AD not 14 BCE

  • @killthecensors58
    @killthecensors58 4 роки тому +2

    Very nice

  • @neonmojito9363
    @neonmojito9363 4 роки тому

    AMAZINGGGGGG thank you

  • @limnmark
    @limnmark 4 роки тому +8

    Roma took the name from the Greek word "Ρώμη" that means strength. Romulus as well. Greeks of the South and Greek civilization gave Birth to the Roman Empire, not the northern barbarians.

    • @greekphoenix3618
      @greekphoenix3618 4 роки тому +1

      @MISERICORDI A go read the ancient sources and then you can speak

  • @-.-..._...-.-
    @-.-..._...-.- 3 роки тому +3

    One thing people do not really pay attention to when it comes to the Byzantine empire is that even while only using the 1204 end date (instead of 1453) and a start date of 476 (instead of 395), the Byzantine empire is the longest-lasting empire in Europe. Truly a wonder of history, so much stuff happened.

    • @otisdylan9532
      @otisdylan9532 2 роки тому +1

      If you use the dates that make the Byzantine empire shorter, the Holy Roman Empire (962-1806) was a little longer.

    • @selfdo
      @selfdo Рік тому

      @@otisdylan9532 Which was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.

    • @jackmack6217
      @jackmack6217 6 місяців тому

      Eastern Roman Empire"

  • @hysam980
    @hysam980 3 роки тому

    great efforts mostly accurate accounts, thank you 👍

  • @bryanutility9609
    @bryanutility9609 6 місяців тому

    This is perfect thanks. The timeline helps and simple maps. I can actually follow this.

  • @gavriloprincipgaming7857
    @gavriloprincipgaming7857 4 роки тому +3

    Roman Empire - Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
    Byzantine Empire - Original Trilogy
    whatever the hell happened in the 1930’s and 40’s - Whatever Disney was trying to do.

  • @alaskadrifter
    @alaskadrifter 4 роки тому +10

    Justinian is my favorite Emperor. For one brief moment East and West were reunited, even if they weren’t able to maintain it.

  • @ventolus2068
    @ventolus2068 4 роки тому +1

    As a History teacher i love your videos

  • @dr.weaklicksofcrashedcurse4535
    @dr.weaklicksofcrashedcurse4535 4 роки тому

    A good summary to have a first idea of the history of this empire, then one can get more details through reading, other videos, whatever. Thanks

  • @466chalk
    @466chalk 4 роки тому +4

    I want to give a shout out to the Vandals! And yes, the correct spelling does include and exclamation point. ;)

  • @Cheesenommer
    @Cheesenommer 4 роки тому +6

    Also 100% recommend "The History of Byzantium" Podcast by Robin Pierson! It goes into so much depth about all of this and lots that was not covered in this video.