>>1392104
It was at the crossroads of Europe and Asia so all the goods flowing between the two continents passed by Constantinople. It was the World Trade Center of its day.

>>1392104
It's nobody's business but the Turks.

How did contemporary European Kingdoms think of the Byzantine empire? Did they consider it "Rome"? Did they have any special reverence for it or look up to it?

>>1392233
I second this

>>1392104
new capital of rome

>>1392104
Crossroads of two continents, central location for the empire, and it was sand is an INCREDIBLE position as far as natural defenses go.

>>1392233
>did they have any special reverence for it or look up to it?
No. Fear and awe, at certain times. Derision at
others.

>Did they consider it "Rome"?
The names all meant rome. "byzantine" was a term made up centuries after it fell.

>>1392233
It literally was called the Roman Empire, no such thing as the "Byzantine" Empire or the "Eastern Roman Empire"

Some Swampnigger started calling it the Byzantine Empire to try to make the HRE seem more genuine

>>1392233
I know that contemporary Arabs and Persians referred to it as "Rum," aka Rome. And they referred to its leader as "Kaisar," aka Caesar.

Not sure about the Far East or Europe, though.

>>1392233
For western europeans it was the kingdom of the greeks when they were butthurt and Romania when they were not. Don't confuse that Romania with the modern country.