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Technically you're correct, but IMHO the Eastern Roman Empire fell at the end of the 6th - the beginning of 7th century when the Danube "limes" fell in front of

Technically you're correct, but IMHO the Eastern Roman Empire fell at the end of the 6th - the beginning of 7th century when the Danube "limes" fell in front of the incoming Slavs and Avars. Yes, there was a renaissance between let's say ~850 and the late 1100s (with the Eastern Roman Empire getting back to the Danube, among other things), but I think that at that point they were actually a Greek empire, nothing Roman left about them.

geowwy 6y ago
It's still the same empire. The Roman Empire was home to many different ethnicities and was ruled at various times by different ethnicities. Latins, Greeks, Armenians, Arabs, etc. Even the Ottomans considered their empire a continuation of the Roman Empire – one of the Sultan's title's was "Caesar of Rome". So you can add Turks to that list too.
- LukeEF 6y ago
  This is a really important point - I am reminded of a story of the 'Greek' occupation of 'Rome' in 1912: On 8 October 1912, the island of Lemnos became part of Greece after being captured from the Ottoman Empire. Peter Charanis, born on the island in 1908 and later a professor of Byzantine history at Rutgers University, recounts when the island was occupied and Greek soldiers stationed themselves in the public squares. Some of the children ran to see what Greek soldiers looked like. ‘‘What are you looking at?’’ one of them asked. ‘‘At Hellenes,’’ the children replied. ‘‘Are you not Hellenes yourselves?’’ a soldier retorted. ‘‘No, we are Romans." An identity that had at that point endured for more than 2,600 years. There is nothing that compares to Rome.
LukeEF 6y ago
It was already a Greek speaking Empire by the time of Justinian. The lingua franca of the Empire doesn't, imho, determine continuity. Hellenism and speaking Greek was popular from the time of Hadrian (and before). Marcus Aurelius wrote his meditations in Greek and Emperors before Justinian were more comfortable in Common Greek than Latin. Calling it a Greek empire is falling for a thousand years of Papal and Frankish propaganda. They want it to seem 'other' as they never wanted the (Eastern) Roman Empire to appear legitimate. It is the church in Rome that is other. It broke from the one true Orthodox faith, not the other way around.

geowwy 6y ago

It's still the same empire. The Roman Empire was home to many different ethnicities and was ruled at various times by different ethnicities. Latins, Greeks, Armenians, Arabs, etc. Even the Ottomans considered their empire a continuation of the Roman Empire – one of the Sultan's title's was "Caesar of Rome". So you can add Turks to that list too.

LukeEF 6y ago
This is a really important point - I am reminded of a story of the 'Greek' occupation of 'Rome' in 1912: On 8 October 1912, the island of Lemnos became part of Greece after being captured from the Ottoman Empire. Peter Charanis, born on the island in 1908 and later a professor of Byzantine history at Rutgers University, recounts when the island was occupied and Greek soldiers stationed themselves in the public squares. Some of the children ran to see what Greek soldiers looked like. ‘‘What are you looking at?’’ one of them asked. ‘‘At Hellenes,’’ the children replied. ‘‘Are you not Hellenes yourselves?’’ a soldier retorted. ‘‘No, we are Romans." An identity that had at that point endured for more than 2,600 years. There is nothing that compares to Rome.

LukeEF 6y ago

It was already a Greek speaking Empire by the time of Justinian. The lingua franca of the Empire doesn't, imho, determine continuity. Hellenism and speaking Greek was popular from the time of Hadrian (and before). Marcus Aurelius wrote his meditations in Greek and Emperors before Justinian were more comfortable in Common Greek than Latin. Calling it a Greek empire is falling for a thousand years of Papal and Frankish propaganda. They want it to seem 'other' as they never wanted the (Eastern) Roman Empire to appear legitimate. It is the church in Rome that is other. It broke from the one true Orthodox faith, not the other way around.