But  it  existed  only  in  particular  parts  and  under  special
conditions.  It  is  found  mainly  in  possessions  of  the
Empire  which  had  become  isolated,  in  lands  which  had
been  lost  and  won  again,  and  in  lands  which  came
under  the  influence  of  Western  ideas.  The  importance
of  these  tendencies  is  shown  by  the  ftict  that  three
powers  wdiich  had  been  cut  off  in  various  ways  from
the  body  of  the  Empire,  Bulgaria,  Venice,  and  Sicily,
became  three  of  its  most  dangerous  enemies.  But  the
actual  destruction  of  the  Empire  came  from  those  bar-
barian attacks  from  which  the  West  suffered  but  httle.
Speaking  generally  then,  the  Western  Empire  fell
asunder  from  within  ;  the  Eastern  Empire  was  broken  in
pieces  from  without.     Of  the  many  causes  of  this  dif-
ference, perhaps  only   one    concerns   geography.     At  Closer  con-
the  time  of  the  separation  of  the  Empires,  the  Western  the  East

JT?  •  l^  1  ^  with

r^mpire  was  really  only  another  name  for  the  dominions  i>""i«n

political

01  the  King  of  the  Franks,  whether  within  or  without  traditions.
the  elder  Empire.     The  Eastern  Empire^  on.  the  other
hand,  kept  the  political  tradition  of  the  elder  Empire
unbroken.     No  common  geographical  or  national  name  Disuse  of
took  in  the  three  Imperial  kingdoms  of  the  West  and  "Hmein'

,,..,-.  ^  ^  the  West.
their  nihabitajats.    But  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  Eastern  '»« '-^^x"

J-,        ,  tion  in  t

bjmpire,    down  to  the  end,   knew   themselves  by    no  i'-''-^'
national  name  but  that  of  Romans,  and  the  huid  gradu-


lio


364


THE   EASTERN   EMPIRE.
CHAP.
X.
Importance
of  dis-
tinctions of
race  in  the
East.
The

original

nations.
Albanians.
Greeks.
Vlachs.
Use  of  the

Roman

name.
Sliivonic
settlers.
