User:Cplakidas/Sandbox/Byzantine1
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The Byzantine Empire had a complex system of aristocracy and bureaucracy, which was inherited from the Roman Empire. At the apex of the pyramid stood the Emperor, sole ruler (autokrator) and divinely ordained, but beneath him a multitude of officials and court functionaries operated the administrative machinery of the Byzantine state. In addition, a large number of honorific titles existed, which the emperor awarded to his subjects or to friendly foreign rulers.
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Over the more than 1000 years of the empire's existence, different titles were adopted and discarded, and many lost or gained prestige. At first the various titles of the empire were the same as those in the late Roman Empire, as the Byzantine Empire was not yet distinguished from Rome. The massive crisis of the 7th century, resulting from the Muslim conquests, saw a drastic reform in the state's administrative structure. Nevertheless, the Roman tradition of a professional bureaucracy would be maintained, with minor alterations, until the second great period of crisis in the late 11th century. The imperial government and court were then reformed by Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081-1118), becoming centered around the ruling dynasty and the noble families of the Empire, which monopolized the higher offices of the state. It was this system that survived until the fall of the Empire in 1453.