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When did the Byzantine Empire exist?
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Byzantine Empire
The Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child (centre), Justinian (left) holding a model of the Hagia Sophia, and Constantine (right) holding a model of the city of Constantinople; mosaic from the Hagia Sophia, 9th century.
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, existed for approximately one thousand years, spanning from 330 CE to 1453 CE.12
While the empire considered itself the continuation of the Roman Empire, historians traditionally use the term "Byzantine" to distinguish the medieval state that evolved after the 7th century from its earlier Roman roots. The empire's administrative and intellectual life was centered in Constantinople, which was refounded by Emperor Constantine I in 330 CE. The empire ultimately collapsed in 1453 CE when Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, marking the end of Byzantine rule and the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.21