The Early Centuries Of The Greek Roman East Constantinople was founded by the roman emperor Constantine I (324337) who A look at a map of the late roman empire shows that Constantinople was right http://www.greece.org/Romiosini/constple.html
Background On The Byzantine Empire The Byzantines considered themselves Romans, and their emperor considered The Byzantine empire reached its greatest size under the emperor Justinian who http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/worldreach/assets/docs/crusades/BackByz.html
Extractions: Background on the Byzantine Empire As the cities of the western Roman Empire fell victim to Germanic invaders, Constantinople seemed to prosper. By 330 the emperor Constantine had rebuilt the Greek city of Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople. From this new center, trade began to flourish from the Eastern Europe to the Middle East and North Africa. Roman political concepts, Greek culture and the Christian faith were the main elements which determined Byzantine development. The Byzantines considered themselves Romans, and their emperor considered himself a Roman ruler, successor and heir to the Roman Caesars. There were different characteristics, however, that began to differentiate this Eastern empire from the West. In language and culture Greek elements gained in importance, and the Church increased its influence in daily life. Politics The Emperor was not only the highest military commander, the supreme judge and the only legislator, but also the protector of orthodoxy. Emperors continued to live in splendor with entertainment with great arenas such as the Hippodrome The Byzantine empire reached its greatest size under the emperor Justinian who ruled from 527-565. With his objective to regain the glory of the ancient Roman Empire, he spared no expense. With competent generals he reconquered North Africa, Italy , and Southern Spain. The endless fighting, however, lay Italy in ruin while exhausting Justinian's treasury and weakened his defenses. In the end, these costly victories were temporary and Justinian's successors lost the lands in the west. Other legacies of Justinian's reign were the construction of the
