When we talk about the fall of the Roman Empire, we're only talking about the western half - France, Spain, Italy, North Africa, and Britain. The eastern half of the Roman Empire survived the disastrous fifth century and would last in one form or another until 1453. What was so special about the eastern half of the Roman Empire, and how did it avoid the fate of its western cousin? Subscribe to Tides of History today so you never miss an episode: https://smarturl.it/TOH Thank you to our sponsors: Texture - Get a 14-day free trial with access to thousands of online magazines here: www.texture.com/tides Squarespace - Get a free trial and save 10% when you launch your domain here: www.squarespace.com/tides The Great Courses - Get a free trial with access to thousands of videos here: www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/tides See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.