Byzan­tine Empire facts

It was taken over from the Byzantine Empire. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Moscow claimed succession to the legacy of the Eastern Roman Empire. Ivan III married Sophia Palaiologina, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI, and made the Byzantine double-headed eagle his own, and eventually Russian, coat-of-arms. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the Emperor having authority over both secular and religious matters.

Greek. The primary language used in the eastern Roman provinces even before the decline of the Western Empire was Greek, having been spoken in the region for centuries before Latin. The use of Latin as the language of administration persisted until formally abolished (in favour of Greek) by Heraclius in the 7th century.

Viking runes. Constantinople, called Miklagard by Vikings, hosted thousands of Vikings and Anglo-Saxons, who served as mercenaries of the Varangian Guard. They were famed for their battlefield skills and fierce, loyalty and drinking. They often fought for the Byzantine Empire, including fights with Arabs.

Constantinople was the capital city of the Roman Empire, of the Byzantine Empire, and also of the brief Crusader state known as the Latin Empire. It was the capital of the Ottoman Empire. In 1923 the capital was removed and the name changed to Istanbul.