Byzantine’s Exceptionalism in the Early Middle Ages

Byzantine’s Exceptionalism in the Early Middle Ages. The Byzantine Empire modern day Turkey was an empire that was based on its own culture coming out of the Roman Empire. It was a strong Empire that came out of the Roman Empire along with Islam and Europe, each where apart of the Roman Empire, and each survived the fall of the Roman Empire: â€Å"By 750 three distinct and nearly separate civilizations- Byzantine, European, and Islamic- crystallized in and around the territory of the old Roman Empire.† . The Byzantine Empire was considered a small country at the time, but even so it was also considered tough. As a result of Byzantine being a part of the Roman Empire before the collapse of the Roman Empire, they represent a break from the old†¦show more content†¦This is proven in the passage where the Holy text is written: I believe in one God, the Father almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen./ and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages, light of light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father, by whom all things where made†¦ This indicates that the Byzantine Church is breaking away from not only the old Roman Empire but also the two other countries that lived past the Roman Empire with it. The fracture from the Byzantine Empire from the old Roman Empire is that of the Byzantines politics. The Byzantine Empire’s military is what made the small country one of the strongest at the time, this could be seen as a similarity to the old Roman Empire because they were also a strong country that started small and then expanded outward over time calming many other countries. However, this is not the case because the way that they approached their military’s where different and this is what made the fracture from the old Roman Empire. In Michael Psellus writings on the emperors and empresses he talks about Basil II the Bulgar Slayer’s (963-1025) military style and how it may go hand in hand with his autocratic attitude.