Why Did The Byzantine Empire Fall

According to
history, it is inevitable that all empires should fall. Usually, empires are too powerful to be
taken down by outside forces. For this reason, most empires fall from within. While the Eastern
Roman Empire did have to contend with a powerful Turk empire to its east, and re-emergence of
Western Europe, it seems that internal decay caused its collapse. One of the great strengths of
the Byzantine Empire was the sheer size and organization of its military. The various provinces
were required to send a certain amount of troops. This was known as the theme system, and it
allowed Byzantine emperors to efficiently mobilize large numbers of troops in very short
order.

Two civil wars in the early 14th Century severely diminished the
military capabilities of the emperor. The emperors only had themselves to blame for the
consequential decline in their military. The first civil war (1321-1328) was fought between the
emperor and his grandson. The two sides fought for seven years with the result that they would
share power. While this imperial family feud was happening, the Turks were watching. By the end
of the war, the Turk capital was less than one hundred miles from Constantinople.

A second civil war occurred in 1341 and lasted for over six years. This was a class war
between the throne and the nobility. This time, it was the Serbs that used this civil conflict
to their advantage, racking up significant territorial gains.

The end result
of these civil wars was that the Byzantine Empire had destroyed a very efficient military
system, lost significant population, and seriously disrupted its trade network and economy.
While the empire was on the decline for some time before these events, the civil conflicts
hastened its demise.