Constantnople Case

1) It allowed silk to be made outside of china, and so china's monopoly on silk was ended and it could be obtained for much less money.

2) Byzantine was established in 330 AD, when Emperor Constantine segregated the Roman Empire into two halves, declaring Constantinople the new capital. It carried on the attitudes, values, culture and beliefs of Western Rome. They had the knowledge of how to construct aqueduct systems for plumbing purposes and paved roads for transporting goods easily. Philosophical ideas, inventions, architecture and warfare techniques were transferred to Byzantium provinces.

3) It was an absolute monarchy. A highly centralized bureaucracy with an emperor who exercised sole and absolute power or A system where all initiative comes from above. Still the rule in that part of the world.

4) A definitive law code that survived throughout western Europe for a long time Justinian's Body of Civil Law consisted of 4 parts. Codex,digesta, Institutiones, and Novellae.

5) The rise of Islam was rapid and gave the Byzantine Empire another powerful enemy to contend with. The frequent wars and raids caused by Islam would take a hefty toll on the Byzantines and with so many enemies and few allies the Byzantines were forced to constantly defend themselves from powerful foes. Eventually in the 15th century Islam would overtake the Byzantine Empire and expand all the way to Hungary, only being stopped at the gates of Vienna.

6) The theme system was a method of providing troops for the byzantine empire. It was introduced by the emperor Constans around 650 AD. The system was hereditary, so the citizens actually owned the land; however, the obligation for military service was also hereditary, but this meant that the empire had a constant supply of manpower for the military from generation to generation. The theme system started to decline from 963, when military reforms introduced by emperor Nikephoras II Phokas emphasized the role of the Tagmata, the regular standing army portion of the Byzantine military based in Constantinople, rather than thematic troops.

7) Constantnople, was situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Therefore the vast majority of East-West trade passed through the city, directly enriching the emperors and the empire. Byzantine Empire was able to survive the fall of the Romans due having still standing Navy, while the Western Roman Empire had none.

8) There were doctrinal issues like the filiquoe clause ( Latin for "and (from) the Son", was added in western Christianity to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. Byzantium patriarchs and Roman popes disputed the rights and powers. Each wanted to be the head of the Church. Excommunicated each other

9) Internal issues were the leading problems. The reign of incompetent emperors with absolute power tore the unity of the empire apart and ended the centralization of the government