The Byzantine Emperor and Local Elites

Between 750 and 850, Byzantium staved off Muslim attacks and began to rebuild. After 850, it expanded. Military victories brought new wealth and power to the imperial court, and the emperors supported a vast program of literary and artistic revival at Constantinople. But while the emperor dominated at the capital, a new landowning elite began to control the countryside. On its northern frontier, Byzantium helped create new Slavic realms.