Nations, Economies, and the Byzantine Empire: A Historical Analysis
States: Political and Legal Aspects
Political and legal states are organizations where people, under the condition of citizens, are subject to its laws. Profit vendors also have rights protected by these same laws.
Economic Sectors
- Primary: Mining, agriculture, livestock
- Secondary: Industry and construction
- Tertiary: Health, transportation, trade, consumption
Country Developments
- GDP
- High per capita income
- Dedicated to the tertiary sector
- The state guarantees health and pension benefits
- Great technological development
- Large middle class; women have rights and work
Underdeveloped Countries
- Low GDP
- Low per capita income
- Engaged in the primary sector
- The state provides very few benefits
- Socially, wealth is in the hands of very few; women have limited rights and work hard
The Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a period of history spanning from 476 AD (fall of the Western Roman Empire) until 1492 (fall of the Byzantine Empire).
The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was ruled by the Eastern Roman Emperor, and its capital was Constantinople, which was formerly Byzantium and is now Istanbul. The capital was strategically located, serving as a rallying point for trade between East and West because it linked the Black Sea, the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, the Dardanelles, and the Aegean Sea, a sea of Mediterranean history. The Byzantine era is distinguished by four phases. The emperor was called basileus, which means king of kings, and had absolute power of divine origin, surrounded by high-ranking officials. The most important Byzantine emperor was Justinian in the eighth century, who sought to rebuild the ancient Roman Empire, conquering southeastern Spain and northern Africa, as well as the Italian peninsula. However, after his death, all conquered land was lost, and Byzantium entered a period of crisis that lasted almost two centuries. During the ninth and tenth centuries, there was recovery, but in 1453, it fell to the Ottoman Turks.
Western Christian Civilization
The Western Roman Empire was invaded by Germanic peoples for three main reasons:
- Population growth led to a need for new land.
- Climate change in Europe caused colder temperatures, forcing them to seek warmer lands.
- The Huns pushed Germanic tribes south.
The Visigoths
In 409, the Suebi, Vandals, and Alans entered Hispania. The Romans, who had already had contact with the Visigoths, asked them for help to expel these people from the peninsula. In the year 418, a pact was made between the Romans and Visigoths, with the condition that the Visigoths would remain as allies to the Romans in Hispania if they expelled these peoples. The Visigoths quickly moved and acted with autonomy. The first Visigoth king was Ataulfo, and the last was Don Rodrigo.
The Fall of the Visigoths
A contradiction existed because the monarchy was always elective, while at one time, the family of Wiiza tried to make it hereditary.
This caused a debilitating civil war, allowing the Muslims to enter in 711.
Change of Dynasty: The Carolingians
The Carolingians were a very important family that served the Merovingians. A member of the Carolingian family, Charles Martel, defeated the Muslims in the Battle of Poitiers in 732, stopping their advance. His son, Pepin, deposed the last Merovingian king, Childeric III, and seized the throne for the Franks.
Why the Carolingian Empire Was Short-Lived
Charlemagne died in 814, and his empire, which was based on the trust of the Counts and Marquises, tended to disappear little by little as the person of his successor, Louis the Pious, had to face the counts who demanded more each time. After the death of Louis, the empire was divided among his sons by the Treaty of Verdun in 843.