How Did Christianity Change the Roman Empire?

‘Christianity brought much greater intolerance’

Peter Sarris is Professor of Late Antique, Medieval and Byzantine Studies at Trinity College, Cambridge and author of Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint (Basic Books, 2023)

Over the course of the fifth century, the Western Roman Empire fragmented into a series of post-Roman kingdoms largely dominated by ‘barbarian’ rulers. As a result, in order to come to terms with the longer-term impact of Christianity on the Roman Empire, we need to shift our focus eastwards, to the so-called Eastern Roman Empire ruled from Constantinople and the world of Byzantium.