The Byzantine Empire was ruled over a millennium by various dynasties. Some were more influential than others while some brought about important changes.
This is a bar chart that shows which dynasties ruled the Byzantine Empire and how many years they were in control in Constantinople.
As you can see on the chart here, the early dynasties dd not exceed 100 years in power.
By the time we get into the 9th Century with the Macedonians you have three dynasties with control of the throne going past a century. The Macedonians and the Palaiologans were the only dynasties to have been able to be survive as long and they were quite impressive for different reasons.
The Macedonians were long lived due to their military prowess and economic strength.
The Palaiologans were able to survive through one of the best utilizations of Byzantine diplomacy. This allowed for the much-shrunken empire to be able to survive a politically more dynamic age in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.
In conclusion, this chart represents the longevity of the Byzantine state. In spite of the all the changes in dynasties, the Roman Empire still able to thrive and alter the course of history on Earth. To me, that is another reason why this empire is so special to study in comparison with other imperial states.
Byzantine-Empire.com 