Aftermath of the Byzantine Empire
A Thousand Years Of Byzantium
The Ottoman Turks Takeover
Arguably the most notable feature of the aftermath of the Byzantine Empire was that all of its territories had become part of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. In reality the Byzantine Empire had actually been shrinking for two or three hundred years before its final fall in 1453, and it had lost its most important provinces to its most dangerous adversaries, the Ottoman Turks. For the Ottoman Turks Constantinople was the ultimate target, as its physical position was economically, militarily, strategically, and trade wise very favorable.
The capture of Constantinople and the demise of the Byzantine Empire ushered in a further period of further military and territorial expansion of the Ottoman Turkish Empire especially in North Africa and the Middle East. The Ottoman Turks gladly recruited Christians in their armies from the parts of the Byzantine Empire they conquered in order to attack other Islamic countries and empires.
The trade as well as the commerce that went through Constantinople also greatly increased the wealth of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Constantinople itself was renamed Istanbul to indicate that its new rulers were Muslim Sultans rather than Christian Emperors.
The Impact on Western Europeans
For the Western European Christians the fall of Constantinople had been a shock, though none of them with the notable exception of Genoa had done anything to support the Byzantine Empire in its final years. Indeed except for Genoa the Western Europeans would have only helped the Byzantine Empire if its Eastern Orthodox population had agreed to become Roman Catholics en masse. The Ottoman Turks at least allowed the Eastern Orthodox Christians freedom of religion once they had overthrown the Byzantine Empire. The Ottoman Turkish Empire went on to threaten other parts of Europe after taking Constantinople in 1453. Hungary was successfully invaded in the 1520s, whilst Vienna was besieged as late as 1683.
The Slow Rise Of Russia And Western European Empires
In Muscovy its rulers were keen to stress that they were taking over the mantle of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire of promoting and protecting the Eastern Orthodox denomination of Christianity. Muscovy eventually became Tzarist Russia yet was not a major power until after the Great Northern War.
In the aftermath of the fall of the Byzantine Empire the Western Europeans began to explore other ways of travelling and therefore trading with Asia. Trading with Asia directly to obtain silks and spices without having to pay duties to the Ottoman Turkish Empire. The fall of Constantinople and the demise of the Byzantine Empire proved to be the spur for the Portuguese to sail to Africa, and Christopher Columbus' inadvertently discovered the New World in 1492.
Bibliography
Bideleux R and Jeffries I (1998) A History of Eastern Europe – Crisis and Change, Routledge, London
Breuilly J (1998) Nationalism and the State 2nd edition, Manchester University Press, Manchester
Roberts, J.M (1996)- A History of Europe, Penguin, London
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