How did the empire collapse ???
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In the year 1453, Turks from the Ottoman Empire captured the city of Constantinople bringing an official end to the Byzantine Empire. However, as we're about to learn, it was more than Turkish guns that brought an end to this grand empire. For centuries, the Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, had enjoyed prosperity. Situated along profitable trade routes and protected by the Black Sea, the empire thrived. For centuries, it seemed that the Roman Empire of the East would eclipse the grandeur once found in Rome. However, like Rome, the Byzantine Empire would face a gradual decline, aided by internal instability and external invasion.
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After the great schism
After the Great Schism in 1054, the Byzantine Empire fell from its major empire status to a minor empire, no longer able to call upon help from the West. On its Eastern front, Islamic Turkish invaders were pressing on the Byzantine border. By holding all lands to the East, the Seljuk Turks cut off trading lines between Constantinople (the capital of the Byzantine Empire) and Asian provinces. The Byzantines lost tax revenue, food supply, and trading opportunities.
In 1071, the Byzantine Emperor lost a skirmish against the Turks at the Battle of Manzikert. A large part of his army was killed, and it never regained its former strength. Sensing the Byzantine Empire was losing its ability to rule a centralized region, northern provinces started breaking off into independent Slavic states.
At this point, the Byzantines tried to call for aid from its Western brethren, but their request was ignored. Italian merchant city-states sailed to Constantinople, taking advantage of special trade agreements. This made the western merchants turn their focus on the East. In 1204, Italian merchants went on a crusade that initially started on trying to conquer the Holy Land, but ended up focusing on taking down Constantinople for its profits and access to Eastern trade. While the attempt failed, it certainly highlighted Byzantine weakness.
Ultimately, this few hundred year period of weakness and military challenged culminated in 1453 with a large Turkish army that conquered the city. The Byzantine Empire had finally fallen, and Islam had spread further into Eastern Europe.
In 1071, the Byzantine Emperor lost a skirmish against the Turks at the Battle of Manzikert. A large part of his army was killed, and it never regained its former strength. Sensing the Byzantine Empire was losing its ability to rule a centralized region, northern provinces started breaking off into independent Slavic states.
At this point, the Byzantines tried to call for aid from its Western brethren, but their request was ignored. Italian merchant city-states sailed to Constantinople, taking advantage of special trade agreements. This made the western merchants turn their focus on the East. In 1204, Italian merchants went on a crusade that initially started on trying to conquer the Holy Land, but ended up focusing on taking down Constantinople for its profits and access to Eastern trade. While the attempt failed, it certainly highlighted Byzantine weakness.
Ultimately, this few hundred year period of weakness and military challenged culminated in 1453 with a large Turkish army that conquered the city. The Byzantine Empire had finally fallen, and Islam had spread further into Eastern Europe.