Empires: The Rise And Fall Of The Byzantine Empire

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By definition, an empire is: “a major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority.” Throughout history, there have been hundreds, if not thousands of empires that have risen and fallen over millennia. Some of them stand out more than others. In this paper, three of some of the most powerful empires will be discussed: the Mongol empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Russian Empire. When one hears the term “Mongol Empire” they may think of none other than Genghis Khan. Born Temujin, near present day Ulaanbaatar, In 1206, Genghis Khan rose to power through a charismatic personality and political manipulation to create what would be known as the largest contiguous land empire in history. He united the nomadic tribes of Mongolia in the Central Asian steppes, and at its climax, the Mongol empire stretched from present-day Vietnam to Hungary. The empire’s domination came so quickly as Mongols were ruthless fighters with exemplary discipline. The empire continued to be ruled by Genghis Khan’s son, Ögedei Khan and continued to Kublai Khan. After Kublai Khan’s death in 1294, the Mongol Empire was broken up into four different khanates, referred to as the Golden Horde. After being broken up into the Golden Horde, the Mongol Empire began to decline as each khanate pursued different interests. This separation also allowed the Ming Dynasty to take control and in 1368, the Mongol Empire had dissipated. As the western Roman Empire began to crumble, Roman emperor founded a “new” Rome at the old Greek colony of Byzantium. …show more content…
Byzantium would later be renamed In 476 A.D. when the western half finally fell, the Byzantine, or Eastern Roman Empire, rose and would continue to thrive for another 1,000 years. The Byzantine empire brought innovation in art and literature and became a trading point between Europe and Asia Minor. The Byzantine Empire reached its “golden age” under the rule of Justinian I. Old Roman laws were revised and new laws were implemented under what was called the Justinian Code. He encouraged the arts, funded bridges, roads, and churches, with the iconic Hagia Sofia Church being constructed under his rule. Around 1054 A.D., the Catholic Church split, with Constantinople becoming the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the head of the Catholic Church remaining in Rome. The Byzantine Empire began to decline with the rise of the Ottoman Empire, leading to multiple wars with the Muslims (Crusades), and finally, in 1453 A.D., Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire, ending what was left of the Roman empire. Before Russia was Russia as we knew it, it was not really an organized country. It really was just a bunch of cities that gradually became an empire. From nomadic tribes in antiquity, to few and far between cities, to Slavic/Viking rule, to Mongol rule, and finally a Tsardom, Russia went through a lot to become the Russian Empire which rose around 1721 A.D. The Russian Empire came to be under Czar Peter I. Under Peter I’s rule, Russia established itself by defeating Sweden. In 1762, Catherine the Great came to power and she oversaw the enlightenment period of the Russian Empire. She incorporated many territories into the Russian Empire, giving Russia much of its size. In

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