Skip to main content

The rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire - Leonora Neville

6,209,985 Views

46,105 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Most history books will tell you that the Roman Empire fell in the fifth century CE, but this would’ve come as a surprise to the millions who lived in the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages. This Medieval Roman Empire, today called the Byzantine Empire, began when Constantine, the first Christian emperor, moved Rome's capital. Leonora Neville details the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

Want to learn more about the Byzantine Empire? Click here

During the Byzantine Empire, Anna Komnene was a highly educated princess who devoted herself to her studies. She penned the Alexiad, which detailed the reign of her father Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Check out this book, which explores her life as a philosopher, historian, and cunning political figure. 

After the fall of the Roman Empire, two different "teams," known as the Blues and Greens, inhabited the Byzantine Empire. Originally sports' teams, they had transformed into complex alliances that historians continue to try to understand today—were they political parties? Religious adherents? Read this article from the Smithsonian to find out more. 

To explore the politics of the Byzantine Empire, click here.

Next Section »

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Leonora Neville
  • Director Remus Buznea, Kyriaki Kyriakou
  • Script Editor Dan Kwartler
  • Art Director Remus Buznea, Kyriaki Kyriakou
  • Animator Remus Buznea, Kyriaki Kyriakou
  • Composer Stephen Eugene Larosa
  • Sound Designer Stephen Eugene Larosa
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott, Elizabeth Cox
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Fact-Checker Francisco Diez

More from The World's People and Places