Notes

the byzantine empire in the east thrived

476ce, the last roman emperor of the west, romulus Augustulus, was overthrown by a germanic prince named odovacar

Without a powerful Western Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church became a unifying and powerful force in western Europe.

While the West was repeatedly invaded after the fourth century CE, the East succeeded in defending itself well enough that Constantinople

during justinians rule, artists revived hellenistic art and literature, relating to ancient greek civilization

Most Byzantines were Greek, but a mix of North Africans, Arabs, Persians, and Turks also lived within the borders of the Eastern Roman Empire. Latin was the official language of the Roman Empire, but more people spoke Greek in the East. Eventually Greek became the official language in the Byzantine Empire.

The emperor had final authority on church matters. The Patriarch

Patriarch: the bishop of Constantinople, high-ranking official in the Eastern Orthodox Church and other bishops answered to the emperor. I