Byzantine Empire in AD 1180 at a glance
In AD 1180 the empire covered about 591,029 km². That is 30.8% less than at AD 1000. It took in all or part of 10 modern countries, with the biggest shares of Kosovo (100%), Bulgaria (100%) and North Macedonia (100%).
Manuel I Komnenos spent his reign fighting in Italy, Hungary and Anatolia. A heavy defeat by the Seljuk Turks at Myriokephalon a few years before his death ended his hopes of retaking central Anatolia, and the empire's strength faded after him.
Manuel I Komnenos dies; the empire has lost the Anatolian interior but holds the Balkans. Ruler at the time: Manuel I Komnenos.
- 591,029 km²area of the empire
- -30.8%since AD 1000
- 10modern countries inside
Built from modern administrative units (Natural Earth admin-1); whole units overshoot into contested Anatolia and the western Balkans. This outline is built from modern regions (Natural Earth states and provinces), so it follows modern boundaries and is coarser than the others. Borders are approximate and debated.
What changed since AD 1000
The area fell by about 263,572 km² (30.8%), from 854,602 km² to 591,029 km². There is no province table for this date, so the map compares areas only.
Modern countries newly inside: Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia. Modern countries no longer inside: Italy and Syria.
Which modern countries were inside the empire in AD 1180?
10 modern countries were at least partly inside the empire. The share is the part of today's country that fell inside the outline above. The largest shares were Kosovo, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania, Greece and Cyprus.
| Country | Share inside | Area inside (km²) |
|---|---|---|
| Roman Kosovo | 100% | 10,913 |
| Roman Bulgaria | 100% | 112,760 |
| Roman North Macedonia | 100% | 25,385 |
| Roman Albania | 100% | 28,336 |
| Roman Greece | 100% | 131,353 |
| Roman Cyprus | 62% | 5,736 |
| Roman Serbia | 29% | 22,613 |
| Roman Croatia | 29% | 15,824 |
| Roman Turkey | 29% | 223,176 |
| Roman Romania | 6.3% | 14,927 |
Shares are measured against the part of each country inside a box around the Mediterranean world, so overseas territories do not count. A country counts as inside only above 1% of its area or 500 km².