Describe the place that Byzantium occupied in the medieval world.

We are talking about the period from 395 to 1453. At the early stage of the Middle Ages, Byzantium (it was called the “Romei state”) was one of the most developed states in the world, only the Sassanid empire and China could compete with it, and a little later (VIII-IX centuries) – the Arab Caliphate and the empire of Charlemagne.

The capital of Byzantium, Constantinople, was located at the crossroads of trade routes from north to south and from west to east. It was one of the largest and richest cities in the world; at the beginning of the 5th century, walls 5.5 kilometers long were built there, they had 100 towers.

During this period, Russia, Serbia and Bulgaria adopted Christianity from Byzantium.

In the XI-XV centuries, Byzantium experienced a period of decline. First because of the wars with the Turks, and then because of the ruin by the crusaders in 1204 and internal conflicts in the middle of the XIV century.

Tamerlane’s campaign to Ankara in 1402 and his victory over the Turks extended the existence of the empire for another 50 years.