Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as tbe Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was tbe continuation of tbe Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and tbe Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinople. It survived tbe fragmentation and fall of tbe Western Roman Empire in tbe 5th century AD and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until tbe fall of Constantinople to tbe Ottoman Empire in 1453. During most of its existence, tbe empire remained tbe most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. The terms "Byzantine Empire" and "Eastern Roman Empire" were coined after tbe end of tbe realm; its citizens continued to refer to tbeir empire simply as tbe Roman Empire, and to tbemselves as Romans, a term which Greeks continued to use for tbemselves into Ottoman times.