Why is the Eastern Roman empire called Byzantine empire?

A lot of interesting answers have already been given, but, anyway, I'll try to give my own views—and perhaps even wander off a bit. read more

It was called the Byzantine empire because some racist German historian decided to try and legitimize the Holy Roman Empire which was by no means Holy, Roman or an Empire and to differentiate the Latin speaking west and the Greek speaking east. read more

The name Byzantine was around earlier than the 16th Century, having been used by various "Eastern Roman" authors to describe the heart of the Empire, Constantinople, in a metaphoric sense. The inhabitants of the city and its surrounding hinterland were almost universally referred to as "Byzantines". read more