When Constantinople fell to Mehmed II in 1453, the question of who inherited the Roman Empire became one of the most contested issues in early modern politics. My thesis examines how both the Ottoman sultans and Russian tsars claimed to be the legitimate successors to Byzantium, each constructing ideological frameworks to justify their assertions. Mehmed II proclaimed himself Kayser-i Rûm (Caesar of Rome), preserved Byzantine administrative structures, and appointed the Ecumenical Patriarch, positioning the Ottoman Empire as Rome continued under new management. Meanwhile, Ivan III of Moscow married Sophia Palaiologina, niece of the last Byzantine emperor, adopted the double-headed eagle, and promoted the "Third Rome" theory that Moscow inherited Byzantium's spiritual and political authority after Constantinople's fall to the "infidels."
This competition connects to "On Beauty & Justice" through the fundamental question both empires faced: what makes imperial succession legitimate and beautiful? Is it dynastic blood, religious orthodoxy, military conquest, or institutional continuity? The beauty of empire, both claimed, lay in bringing diverse peoples under just rule and preserving ancient traditions, yet each empire's vision of justice differed fundamentally. This is my History Honors thesis which grew out of a love for the Roman Empire, political structures, and Church history.
