Byzantine Empire
noun
the Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of the Western Empire in a.d. 476. Capital: Constantinople.
British Dictionary definitions for byzantine empire
Byzantine Empire
noun
the continuation of the Roman Empire in the East, esp after the deposition of the last emperor in Rome (476 ad). It was finally extinguished by the fall of Constantinople, its capital, in 1453
See also Eastern Roman Empire
Cultural definitions for byzantine empire
Byzantine Empire
[ (biz-uhn-teen, biz-uhn-teyen, bizan-tin) ]
An empire, centered at Constantinople, that began as the eastern portion of the Roman Empire; it included parts of Europe and western Asia. As the western Roman Empire declined, the Byzantine Empire grew in importance, and it remained an important power in Europe until the eleventh century. The Byzantine Empire was conquered by Turkish forces in the fifteenth century.
The Byzantine emperor was an absolute ruler (see absolute monarchy), and the laws and customs associated with his empire were strict and complex. His rule was supported by the Christian Church in the region, which later became the independent Eastern Orthodox Church.
notes for Byzantine Empire
The word
byzantine is often applied to a group of intricately connected and rigidly applied regulations or traditions, or to a complex
bureaucracy that insists on formal requirements.
notes for Byzantine Empire
Constantinople is called
Istanbul today.