The Byzantine empire

[Kyriakos]

In the past decade there has been a ressurection of interest in the Byzantine Empire, in computer games. From forums i used to go to involving them i got the view that many people were fond of the medieval era of the Greek civilization

While personally i have no read many books about it, apart from some about the last years, after the battle of Matzikert, and i had a vague impression from school, i like the symbolic element of the empire, being a lighthouse of civilization surrounded by barbarism, although i do not, naturally, like the fact that ultimatelly it fell to such barbarism.

I adore its emblems, which is why one of them is my Avatar. The double headed eagle, which meant that the empire consisted of lands in both sides of the bosporus, in two continents (at an earlier time in three continents) can also be seen as symbolic, and could signify on a personal level the double existence of man, being both a creature of the senses and of imagination, and of course the eagle being a symbol of power.

What about you? What is your opinnion of the Byzantine empire? It is not required that you actually know much about it, it could be a reflection based on anything.

(to Mods: this is not a history thread, as must become apparent in the OP, i am interested in reading what the OT crowd feels about our empire )

 

[holy king]

the byzantine empire was roman, later developed an own byzantine identity, and was certainly not greek.

 

[Kyriakos]

Hm, apart from entirely failing to post anything rellevant to what was asked, and acting like a troll, you are also utterly wrong.
In the future please think before posting.

 

[Lone Wolf]

The double headed eagle, which meant that the empire consisted of lands in both sides of the bosporus, in two continents (at an earlier time in three continents) can also be seen as symbolic, and could signify on a personal level the double existence of man, being both a creature of the senses and of imagination, and of course the eagle being a symbol of power.

Russia took that symbol for herself. It now symbolizes Russia's connections to Europe and Asia (or the double rule of Putin and Medvedev, as you wish).

 

[kulade]

A miserable empire that spent a thousand years circling the drain. Thank God the Turks put it out of its misery.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

The roman empire died fast in the west, but had an agonising slow decadent death in the east. The latter is basicaly the byzantine empire.

EDIT: Damnit kulade

 

[Lone Wolf]

A miserable empire that spent a thousand years circling the drain. Thank God the Turks put it out of its misery.

Sure, but decadent, decaying, bureaucratic empires can be a very interesting topic. Especially with Byzantine territory pulsating to and fro.

 

[aronnax]

What about you? What is your opinnion of the Byzantine empire?

It became a symbol of dying imperialism who after centuries of pure arrogance and pride in themselves as #1, finally isolated themselves from the rest of the Christian world and its Muslim conquerors, its decaying carcass being thrown across Thrace for 500 years by the Bulgarians, Hungarians, Serbians, Italians, Turks, Arabs, Norsemen and Latin Crusaders only to be finally put out of its misery by having gunpowder outwit what they thought was the unbreachable, impenetrable, unyielding wall.

Kudos to the fact that it managed to postpone its death date an additional 250 years after Constantinople was sacked.

 

[gangleri2001]

by the Bulgarians, Hungarians, Serbians, Italians, Turks, Arabs, Norsemen and Latin Crusaders

And Catalans, and Catalans....

 

[Kyriakos]

Does it really matter what insects bit the lion, causing it to go to sleep?

Oh well, i guess it is hard to communicate some of the time in these forums, with so many different people with different levels of maturity. If any mod is watching this, please move the thread to the history sub-forum

 

[gangleri2001]

Does it really matter what insects bit the lion, causing it to go to sleep?

The lion? What lion? Do you really think that anyone back then feared Latin and post-Latin Byzantium?

BTW, if Catalans were just an "insect", why did that byzantine "lion" ask us for help against the seleucids? Should I rememeber you who stopped the ottoman expansion in the mediterran area at Lepanto?

 

[aronnax]

Were you hoping for the entire forum to out itself as neo-Byzantines and start singing glorious praises?

 

[aronnax]

BTW, if Catalans were just an "insect", why did that byzantine "lion" ask us for help against the seleucids? Should I rememeber you who stopped the ottoman expansion in the mediterran area at Lepanto?

Because after that, the Ottomans didn't build a new terrifying Navy and conquer Cyprus?

 

[holy king]

Hm, apart from entirely failing to post anything rellevant to what was asked, and acting like a troll, you are also utterly wrong.
In the future please think before posting.

saying byzantium wasnt greek is "trolling" now?

nationalism is utterly disgusting...

 

[gangleri2001]

Because after that, the Ottomans didn't build a new terrifying Navy and conquer Cyprus?

The ottomans took Cyprus in 1570. The battle of Lepanto took place in 1571.

 

[Lone Wolf]

Maybe Varwnos is the lion and we're the insects?

Honestly, I am interested in the history of Byzantine empire, because it had much influence on Russian culture and political thought back in the day. I remember, a year ago an Orthodox hierarch, archimandrite Tikhon, made a film about the empire, in which he blamed everything bad that happened to it on the West .

saying byzantium wasnt greek is "trolling" now?

The Byzantines spoke Greek for the majority of their existence, does it count?

 

[Kraznaya]

The Byzantines spoke Greek for the majority of their existence, does it count?

They certainly didn't speak modern Greek.

 

[Lone Wolf]

They certainly didn't speak modern Greek.

Well, no one spoke modern anything back in the day.

 

[holy king]

the ruling class though of themselves as romans, ruling over the roman empire.

also, they ruled over many more enthnicities than just greeks.

 

[aronnax]

The ottomans took Cyprus in 1570. The battle of Lepanto took place in 1571.

But both engagements were part of the same war. Despite annihilating a good part of the Ottoman Fleet, the Venetians and the Holy League was unable to reverse Cyprus. Two years later, the Ottomans kept Cyprus when Peace was signed and even took parts of Croatia with a new fleet. Lepanto did put a dent in the Ottoman Naval Machine. But to say that it ended Ottoman Expansion/dominance is an overstatement. What really ended Ottoman Expansion was a series of weak rulers rather than a single battle or war.