It's so funny when modern nationalistic discourse bleeds into our understanding of the past because you have to open one (1) modern Byzantine history book to learn who the true "mortal enemies" of Romanía were lol
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I'd say it depends on the time period—mostly Sasanians at first, the caliphate for a few centuries (eventually w/ grudging respect), Goths Lombards Avars Bulgars Rus or Seljuks at specific points—but yeah, Franks deserve the most blame for the empire's collapse, the Ottomans just finished the job
Yeah, and personally I find it funny how of all their rivals and enemies, it was the Franks that draw honest ire from the Romans. The absolute disgust with which primary sources refer to fhem...
"I can excuse nabbing half of our territory including the Holy Land and our most agriculturally productive province, but I draw the line at calling yourself the emperor of Rome"
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- Eastern Romans circa 800 CE