Why do you think the Byzantine empire was so much more prosperous than the Holy Roman Empire...?

Question

during the middle ages?

Answer 1

It is true about the spice road benefiting the Byzantines, but control of the Medditeranean that benefited the Byzantines over the Holy Roman Empire. The Medditeranean Sea is where all the trade ended up anyway. For example, the Holy Roman Empire had the Amber Road, which ran from the North Sea through Germany into the Adriatic.

Answer 2

short answer: The Byzantine Empire had distinct reward over the Holy Roman Empire, the most important of which became proximity to commerce. earlier to the invention of the Cape of sturdy wish or the Straits of Magellan in the 15th and sixteenth centuries respectively, all jap products had to go back via Caravan by the middle East into Europe. As between the most important powers in the middle East on the time, the jap Roman Empire (they in no way quite referred to themselves as "Byzantine") benefited the most from this association. The peoples of Europe were desirous to purchase oriental products at the same time with silk, porcelain, spices etc, the overall public of which got here by the jap Roman Empire. to boot to the jap Roman Empire also benefited to various tiers from better political stability and a extra useful monetary equipment that became no longer as heavily inspired by feudalism because the Holy Roman Empire. besides the undeniable fact that this isn't to assert that this became unavoidably the case continually. the soundness and prosperity of the jap Roman Empire fluctuated for the era of it truly is historic past. in case you needed a extra concrete answer you should grant some honestly dates really than a imprecise era.

Answer 3

In the words of some enlightenment philosopher whom I cannot recall, "the holy Roman empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire." The HRE was rarely united under one flag, whereas the Byzantines had emperors who were capable of wielding absolute power. The Byzantines were also descendants of the Romans, (and if we are to believe the stories, Mars the god of war himself), they had a highly organized military reminiscent of that of Rome. It is almost laughable to contrast Byzantine military with that of the Germans who were still wallowing in the quagmire of feudalism after most states had abandoned it, perhaps wisely.

Hope that helps...

Answer 4

Was it? You need to define your time frame. After 1261 I'd say it was the other way round.
Constinantinople may have been larger and richer than any HRE town, but all the other cities were much, much smaller.

Answer 5

Location, goods coming and going, especially the spice road.