The objective of the Research Area is to study the history of the states and peoples beyond the borders of the Byzantine Empire, and their relations with the latter, as well as the role of Byzantium in the wider medieval world. The Research Area incorporates two Programs. The first one studies the Latin states established in the former lands of the Byzantine Empire after the fall of Constantinople to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. The second one focuses on the relations of Byzantium with its northern neighbours, and especially the early Slavs, the Germanic peoples and the nomads of Eurasia, emphasizing in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages.
