1 The Byzantine and Roman Empires have also quite an interlaced history. For centuries it was practically the same
country. Depending on the location of the capital – Rome or Constantinople – we talk about the Roman Empire or the
Byzantine Empire. Some historians prefer to use the names Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire. A
separation of these two empires started around 330 (some historians point to the year 395) when Constantine I created
the so called Second Rome on the site of Byzantium. Later the name changed to Constantinople and now it is Istanbul.