Constantine had set the capital of the Roman Empire in the Greek-speaking area of Constantinople in 330. When Odoacer seized Rome in 476, he did not destroy the Roman Empire in the East -- what we now call the Byzantine Empire. The Emperor Justinian (ruled 527-565) is the last of the Byzantine emperors to consider reconquering the West.
Members of the Roman Empire who lived in the East considered themselves Romans, although their culture was more Greek than Roman.
Although we discuss Byzantine history and the Byzantine Empire, this is a name that was not in use by the people living in Byzantium. The name was invented in the 18th century.
