Introduction
The capital city of the Byzantine Empire was Constantinople. It was destroyed when the Ottoman Empire attacked and captured the capital city, Constantinople, in 1453.
Here are a few reasons behind the downfall of the Byzantine Empire:
Constant Attacks From Enemies
Avars and Slavs invaded the Balkans too, taking farms there.
Just after the Persians, the Arab attackers invaded the important and rich territories like Egypt and Syria of the Byzantine Empire.
The important battle that was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Turks in 1071 at Manzikert, and the result of the battle was the loss of the Byzantine Empire. They lost the territory of Anatolia (present-day known as Turkey).
After losing big at Manzikert in 1071, the Byzantines lost again at Myriokephalon in 1176. This meant no more safe land in Anatolia. A century later, the Ottoman Empire was conquering the world with its strong army and advanced weapons, and it attacked the Byzantine Empire and captured its capital city.
Internal Politics Problem
Many rich generals, nobles, and ministers tried to snatch power with the help of powers. Because of these conflicts, many times civil wars happened, in which the country faced a huge amount of loss in the army and finances.
Because of these civil wars, people started dividing themselves on a religious basis. These civil wars made the country weak from the inside, which gave enemies an advantage to capture the country easily. The government was also very corrupt; it only favoured rich and powerful people and neglected the problems of poor people. The important and powerful positions of the country were usually given to the friends or relatives of the royal family. The rulers of these empires were also the main reason behind their downfall because most of the rulers spent their lives in luxury and never thought about the country's development.
Financial and Economic Problems
The empire had a large amount of fertile land and was the main trade route between Asia and Europe. But the lands and route were invaded and captured by enemies. They made fake gold coins (hyperpyron) that lost value fast. No more silk trade after the Arabs took it. The territories of Egypt and Syria were attacked and captured by Arabs, and the territory of Anatolia (present known as Turkey) was attacked and captured by Seljuk Turks.
Because of the wars, they lost many farmlands and main sources of taxes, which caused the decline in the economic growth of the Empire. Because of the bad economic conditions, the ruler increased the taxes on the common people and farmers, which made them unhappy and angry towards the ruler. There was corruption in tax collection, too, because the ruler received a low amount of taxes. Without a strong economy, it was difficult to make the army stronger and trade too, which made the empire weaker and easier to capture. In 1374, the Black Death killed more than 75% of Constantinople's population (from 400,000 to 50,000). No workers, no soldiers, no money led to one of the biggest reasons behind the fall of the Byzantine Empire.
Discrimination on Religious Basis
The Christian Church was divided into 2 parts: the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. The Byzantine Empire was a follower of the Orthodox Church, and the western countries of Europe were followers of the Catholic Church.
For over 100 years (726 to 843), emperors banned holy pictures (icons), causing hate between kings and priests. Later fights over religious beliefs split people more. This made everyone angry and divided the people. During the battle against the Seljuk Turks, the Byzantine Empire asked for help from Western European countries, but they didn't help them because of religious beliefs. The religious discrimination was also inside the country, which caused fights and civil wars for many decades.
Final Blow and End of the Empire
At the end, the capital city Constantinople was attacked and captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The Byzantine Empire was very weak due to financial issues, and the Ottoman Empire was one of the strongest empires during that time. The ruler of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Mehmed II, planned the whole scenario and attacked the territories of the Byzantine Empire wisely.
The Ottoman Empire had advanced weapons like the fire cannon, which used gunpowder to make it more powerful and destructive. After 53 days of continuous war, the last ruler of the Byzantine Empire, Constantine XI, was killed. Constantine XI begged Venice and Genoa for help; however, some came but fought each other. On a fall day, the emperor took off his crown, charged into battle, and died fighting. The Ottoman Empire successfully captured the capital city.
★ FAQs
When did the Byzantine Empire actually fall?
Answer: The Byzantine Empire fell on 29 May 1453. The Ottoman Empire ruler, Sultan Mehmed II, defeated the ruler of the Byzantine Empire, Constantine XI, and captured the capital city of Constantinople.
What were the main causes behind the fall of the Byzantine Empire?
Answer: There were many reasons behind the fall of the Byzantine Empire. The main reasons are as follows:
Continuous attack from the enemies
Financial Issue
Discrimination on a religious basis
Corrupted government and bad politics
How did the Ottomans manage to breach the famed walls of Constantinople?
Answer: The Ottoman Empire used a fire cannon with gunpowder to breach the famed walls of Constantinople. The fire cannon and gunpowder combo was very strong and destructive.
What is the modern name of Constantinople, which was the capital of the Byzantine Empire?
Answer: The modern name of Constantinople is Istanbul. It's a big city in Turkey in modern days.
