By AD 400, the Roman Empire was too big to rule from one place. It had been split into a western half, ruled from Rome and later Ravenna, and an eastern half, ruled from Constantinople, a city the emperor Constantine had built on the Bosporus strait where Europe meets Asia.
Key idea
The Western Roman Empire grew weak: armies fought over who would be emperor, taxes were heavy, and Germanic peoples moved across the borders. In AD 410 the Visigoths captured Rome, and in AD 476 the last western emperor, a boy named Romulus Augustulus, was removed from the throne. The eastern half lived on for almost 1,000 years more as the Byzantine Empire, until AD 1453.
The greatest Byzantine emperor, Justinian (ruled AD 527 to 565), collected all the Roman laws into one great book. Many countries' laws still build on it. He also built the church of Hagia Sophia, "Holy Wisdom," whose huge dome seemed to float on light. Byzantine artists made glittering pictures from tiny pieces of colored glass and stone: mosaics.
Worked example: How long did Byzantium last after the West fell?
The Western Empire ended in AD 476. Constantinople fell in AD 1453. How many years later was that?
- Both dates are AD, so subtract.
- 1,453 − 476 = 977.
Answer: 977 years, almost 1,000.
Common mistake
Thinking all of the Roman Empire fell in 476. The eastern half, Byzantium, kept going. Its people still called themselves Romans.
Try it at home
- Make a paper mosaic: cut colored paper into small squares and glue them onto card to make a picture or pattern, leaving tiny gaps between pieces.
Going further. See the last western emperor and Rome sacked on the Timeline. Play Mosaic Match. Read Famous Men of the Middle Ages (Alaric, Justinian and more).