Illustration
This map illustrates the shifting frontiers of the Byzantine Empire from the accession of Justinian I (reign circa 527 - 565) to the Fourth Crusade's sack of Constantinople in 1204, showing how the Greek-speaking eastern Roman state acted as both a military bulwark and a cultural bridge between medieval Europe and the Muslim world.
Justinian’s armies briefly restored Roman Mediterranean unity, but later centuries saw losses to Slavs, Bulgars, and successive Muslim caliphates. A revival peaked under Basil II (reign circa 976 - 1025), who crushed Bulgaria and expanded into Armenia, yet civil strife, the Seljuk victory at Manzikert (1071), and Venetian economic leverage eroded Byzantine strength. In 1204 a Venice-backed Fourth Crusade toppled Constantinople, replacing Byzantine rule with the Latin Empire and splintering the remnants into successor states—Nicaea, Epirus, and Trebizond.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Netchev, S. (2022, March 09). Map of the Byzantine Empire, c.520 - 1204. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15330/map-of-the-byzantine-empire-c520---1204/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Byzantine Empire, c.520 - 1204." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 09, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15330/map-of-the-byzantine-empire-c520---1204/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Byzantine Empire, c.520 - 1204." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 09 Mar 2022, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15330/map-of-the-byzantine-empire-c520---1204/. Web. 07 Jul 2025.
