ABSTRACT

The Byzantine empire, a Christian state whose capital was founded in 330, survived for a thousand years after the fall of Rome in 476, until 1453 when the city was taken by the Ottomans. By the eleventh century, the Byzantine empire was suffering seriously from the pressure of the Turkic-speakers but, nevertheless, managed to survive until the middle of the fifteenth century when the Ottomans administered the coup de grace. Byzantine decline, palpable economically, became obvious in matters military after Myriakephalon. A protectorate over the western regions was established and military colonies began to be introduced, each colony having some 500 soldier-farmers and their wives. The Byzantines were in grave danger, yet managed to resist the Avar nomads who were harassing them along the Danube frontier from where they launched deep incursions. The emperor Maurice successfully contained the Avars and repulsed the Sassanids.