Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire is a term that is used to give a description of the Roman Empire that was purely made of the Greek-speaking people during the middle ages. This particular Roman Empire was centered at the capital called Constantinople. There is no exact date as to when the Eastern Roman Empire started but it was spared a lot of what the Western Empire faced during the third and the fourth centuries.1 This was mainly because the urban culture had already been established in the Eastern Roman Empire and the invasions that had occurred earlier were because of the wealth that was in Rome. And throughout the fifth century, various invasions were realized to have conquered the western half of the Roman Empire but only tributes were being demanded from the eastern half.
Constantinople walls were enhanced by Theodosius II which left the city impenetrable to any kind of attacks: the eastern half was to undergo preservation from the foreign conquests till 1204. Theodosius gave out subsidies of gold in order to have his empire spared from the invasions of Attila and the Huns. And by doing so he was favoring all the merchants who were in Constantinople who was always engaging in trade with the barbarians.
The successor of Theodosius who was Marcian refused to give out this huge sum but by then Attila had already changed the direction of his invasions to the Western Empire and then he died in 453. After his death, his Empire also collapsed and Constantinople was freed from the menace of Attila. After all this, the Empire started a profitable relationship with the Huns who often fought in Byzantine armies as mercenaries.
The Tang Empire
The Tang dynasty was established in the year 618 and died in the year 907.2 The Tang Empire is the most prosperous dynasty that has ever been known in Chinese history. The early period of the Tang was considered the golden age while the other period was said to be the decline period. The whole of China was unified after Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Taizong and Li Shimin had established the Tang dynasty. The unification process took approximately ten years.
During his time in the reign as it is claimed by the sources, Emperor Taizong made sure that he had invested all of his efforts in the consolidation of his regime making it the most prosperous in the well-known history of feudal China. This period of his reign was then known as Zhen Guan’s reigning years. During this period China was said to be leading in politics, economy, and culture. The golden age which was considered the peaceful period continued till the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. In the later years of this reign, the Tang Empire was really hurt and this was what marked the decline of the Tang Empire.
During the earlier periods of this particular Empire, there was evident growth in the economy and also political stability was present that served to provide a favorable environment for cultural development, art, and foreign relations. But the late period of the Tang Emperor leads China into political turmoil, with the strife between the Li faction, Niu faction, and eunuch monopoly.
Carolingian Empire
This in other terms is known as the Carolingian dynasty and this dynasty is said to be the chief founder of Germany and France.3 Some early scholars claimed that France originated from this Empire. Emperor Charlemagne was also crowned in this particular empire by Pope Leo III in 800. Another empire was never made from this particular crowning because the ancestors of Charles together with him had been in control of the empire for quite a long time and they had therefore made lasting roots.
The empire is also referred to as Frankish kingdoms and reams. The empire’s large size resulted in historians regarding it as one of the largest since the fall of Rome. This was facilitated by the reigning government’s tight control of power and the military. It further received much support from the governed people and the church, both of which were heavily protected by the empire. The tight control of power was further enhanced through government bureaucracy that was highly accountable compared to other empires.
The three empires discussed herein were all being ruled by Emperors who had the complete authority of controlling trade, economy, culture, and politics. Though such similarity exists the empires were totally different in terms of their establishment. The Byzantine Empire is not known when exactly it was established. Tang Empire was established in 618 and declined in 907. The Carolingian Empire which its exact date of existence is not precisely given, but is historically regarded as being one of the biggest and strongest since the fall of the Roman empire. In addition, the empires were in different locations: Byzantine was based in Russia, Tang in China, and Carolingian in Europe, notably modern France and Germany.
References
Allen, Gardner. The History of Italy. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000).
Carr, James. France & Its Empires. (N.J.: Princeton press, 2007).
Chidsey, Donald. The World History. ( New York: Crown, 2007).
Footnotes
- Chidsey, Donald. The World History. ( New York: Crown, 2007). p. 114.
- Allen, Gardner. The History of Italy. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000). p. 158.
- Carr, James. France & Its Empires. (N.J.: Princeton press, 2007). p. 228.