Byzantine and Islamic Empires

Ryan Comper

HIS 101-02

9-25-12

Islamic and Byzantine Empires

Before Western Civilization entered the middle ages, the Islamic and Byzantine Empires were the two main powers. The Islamic Empire covered much of North Africa and even into Spain. The Byzantine Empire was located in eastern Europe around Turkey. It’s capital, Byzantium, was the center of the western world after the Roman empire moved its capital there. Both cultures have greatly influenced Western Civilization. 

The Islamic Empire has given us many things. There religion, Islam, was preached and established by the prophet Muhammed. He was himself a radical thinker. His violent conquering of Mecca makes me wonder if his teachings are what causes much of the terrorism around the world today. It is no secret that a large majority of global terrorist attacks are carried out by someone of muslim faith. However, I understand that the large majority of muslim people are not radical terrorists. The Islamic Empire also gave us the Arabic number system which is the only number system in use in civilized countries today. They also indirectly are responsible for the rest of Western Civilization for coming out of the middle ages during the crusades. As European men came to the Middle East to fight, they took back spices and goods that the Islamic Empire had. This restarted trade. 

The Byzantine Empire, while not as strong as the Islamic Empire, was very influential on Western Civilization as well. The Byzantines helped spread the Christian faith by making Catholic and later the Greek Orthodox faiths their official religions. The Byzantines also split the Roman Empire effectively in half. This move from Rome by Constantine showed a break from the old Roman Empire. From this point the eastern empire nose-dived into its eventual collapse. However, the western empire staved off the Germanic tribes and kept the Muslim expansion at bay for about a thousand years. It preserved Western Civilization for a millennium.