Byzantine Empire
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The Byzantine Empire is the name given to the eastern part of the Roman Empire, which survived until the Middle Ages. The empire was multi-ethnic and predominantly Greek-speaking. The empire's heritage consisted of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Greek philosophy, and Roman law.
The empire's history was extremely violent as it was often at war with at least one foreign power. As a result, its borders fluctuated greatly over time, but it was always centered in Constantinople. In 1453, the capital fell to the Turks, who renamed it Istanbul.