Much of what we know about the colourful Russian middle ages comes from legal sources: the treaties of Russian-Scandinavian warlords with the Byzantine emperors, the gradual penetration of Christianity and Byzantine institutions, the endless game of war and peace among the numerous regional princes, the activities of Hanseatic merchants in the wealthy city-republic of Novgorod, the curious relationships between the Mongol conquerors and Russian rulers and church dignitaries, etc.
The Byzantine Empire; a state which can said to have been in continuous existence from 324 A.D. to 1453 A.D. During this time, its fortunes have waxed and waned; it has celebrated great triumphs and suffered the basest defeats, defeated the strongest powers of the time and been overrun mere years later. To the historian, a subject of intense interest then, a history of which could only be brought together in the most illustrious of ways, through strenuous research and meticulous compilation.
Upon the fall of the Roman Empire, a new imperial rule rose. From Constantinople — the "new Rome" — Emperor Constantine ruled land from Spain to Mesopotamia and from Asia to Egypt. A rift with the Catholic Church led to the establishment of the Eastern Church, and eventually the Eastern Roman Empire. The Byzantine Empire survived more than 1,000 years in spite of the deadly plague and attacks from crusaders and pillagers, but eventually fell victim to a new invention: gunpowder.
