Allegiance of Papal States to Byzantine Empire: Map & History
The foreign relations of the Byzantine Empire were conducted by the emperor.
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The foreign relations of the Byzantine Empire were conducted by the emperor. Preferring diplomacy over war, the emperor would use alliances, treaty's and diplomatic tactics to achieve goals. Military confrontations also occurred, with Dimitri Obolensky calling it as a form of "defensive imperialism". The conduct of its foreign relations is a large factor to the Empire's longevity of 1,123 years.
Modern Countries Once Part of Allegiance of Papal States to Byzantine Empire
At its mapped extent, Allegiance of Papal States to Byzantine Empire covered territory in 8 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Malta755–869 CE · nearly all
- San Marino757–774 CE · nearly all
- Vatican (Holy See)755–869 CE · nearly all
- Greece755–869 CE · most
- Turkey755–869 CE · a large part
- Albania755–869 CE · a large part
- Italy755–869 CE · a large part
- Bulgaria755–813 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Allegiance of Papal States to Byzantine Empire's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Allegiance of Papal States to Byzantine Empire in Depth
Overview
The Empire's longevity has been said to be due to its aggressive diplomacy in negotiating treaties, the formation of alliances, and partnerships with the enemies of its enemies Even when it had more resources and less threats in the 6th century, the costs of defense were enormous; foreign affairs had become more multi-polar, complex and interconnected; further the challenges in protecting the empire's primarily agricultural income as well as numerous aggressive neighbors made avoiding war a preferred strategy.
The primary objective was survival, not conquest, and the foreign relations strategy was fundamentally defensive or as Dimitri Obolensky has claimed "defensive imperialism".
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Foreign relations of the Byzantine Empire (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Allegiance of Papal States to Byzantine Empire Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 723,324 km² in 790 CE.
Allegiance of Papal States to Byzantine Empire: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Allegiance of Papal States to Byzantine Empire exist?
The Allegiance of Papal States to Byzantine Empire is dated to 755 CE – 869 CE, in the Early Middle Ages era.
How large was the Allegiance of Papal States to Byzantine Empire at its peak?
At its peak in 790 AD the Allegiance of Papal States to Byzantine Empire covered about 723,324 km².
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Middle Ages • Capital: Constantinople
Classical Antiquity • Capital: Pataliputra, Ujjain
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Early Middle Ages • Capital: Chang'an