In 330, Constantine moved his capital
from Rome to the Greek
city of Byzantium.
He renamed the city Constantinople, but we refer to the civilization
centered in Constantinople as the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine
Empire began to look less like the Roman Empire as the years passed.
The empire covered Greece, the Balkans, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt.
By the seventh century, Greek had completely replaced Latin as the
language of the empire. The Byzantine
emperors still thought of themselves as the successors of Caesar Augustus,
but over the years Roman influence gradually disappeared.
Seljuk
Turks began moving into the Byzantine
Empire from Central Asia in the eleventh century. The Turks had recently
become Muslims, and the Byzantine emperor feared they would soon overpower
his Christian empire. He asked the leader of the Christian church-the
Pope-to assist in a holy war against the Turks. In 1095, Pope Urban
II launched the first of many Crusades, or "wars of the cross." Soldiers
from western Europe left their homes to free the Byzantine Empire
of the "unbelievers." This was the first time many Europeans left
their homes. Their exposure to new and different cultures was a factor
that led to the Renaissance.
The Crusades were ultimately unsuccessful
because the Turks conquered
the Byzantine Empire. The city first called Byzantium and later Constantinople
is now known as Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish has replaced Greek as the
language of Asia Minor, and 99.8% of the people in modern Turkey are
Muslims.