They didn't call themselves Byzantines; they were the true Romans

History · Published 27 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: For over a millennium, the Eastern Roman Empire survived while the West crumbled into feudal kingdoms. Yet, the very name we use to describe them—Byzantine—is a modern invention that contradicts how the inhabitants actually viewed their own identity and heritage.

The people living in the Eastern Roman Empire did not consider themselves 'Byzantines.' To them, they were simply Romans, or Romaioi. They viewed their state as a direct continuation of the original Roman Empire, founded by divine grace to unify humanity. This identity was rooted in a deep pride of both Christian and Roman heritage, believing their earthly empire mirrored a heavenly pattern that was intended to be immutable.

The term 'Byzantine' is used by modern historians primarily to distinguish the medieval era from the classical period. While the political unit can be accurately called 'East Rome' until 476—the year the Western Empire fell while two emperors still existed—profound societal changes occurred shortly thereafter. By the 7th century, the state and society in the East had shifted so significantly from their earlier forms that historians began using the term Byzantine to mark this distinction.

The empire's geographic heart was Constantinople, founded as 'New Rome' by Emperor Constantine I around 330. Situated on the European side of the Bosporus, it served as a vital transit point between Europe and Asia Minor. The city eventually fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, ending over a thousand years of survival. This history is defined by cycles of reconquest under leaders like Justinian, periods of 'Dark Ages,' and later renaissances of art and military power under the Macedonian dynasty.

The transition from a classical Roman identity to a medieval one was not instantaneous. Some scholars argue that as long as the inhabitants continued to act and think according to old Roman patterns, the label 'East Rome' remained appropriate into the last half of the 6th century. The tension between their internal self-perception as Romans and our external classification as Byzantines highlights how history is often framed by those looking back rather than those living it.

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