The Court of the Emperor Maurice in the Gregory the Great Correspondence

The early middle Ages are one of the most controversial and dramatic historical eras. On the remains of ancient heritage, as if in a "cauldron", formed new States with their religious currents and cultural heritage. One of the key roles in this process was played by the Byzantine Empire – the successor of the Roman Empire. However, in historiography, the Roman and Byzantine worlds were mostly considered in parallel, despite the fact that Rome and Constantinople were closely related to each other. The focus of research is more often the opposition of the two capitals, while it is more important to consider their interaction. At the junction of two eras was born and lived Gregory the Great, whose pontificate came at the end of VI – beginning VII centuries. It is also called the last Roman Bishop of Antiquity or the first Pope of the Middle ages . During this period, the Byzantine Empire both in the West and in the East underwent a series of crises, both externally and internally. There was also the rise of Constantinople and the gradual decline of Rome, which undoubtedly affected the relations between the two capitals. Under Gregory the Eternal city became the center of the Christian world, which opposed itself to Constantinople. What connected these two worlds at the turn of the century? How was the cultural, religious, political exchange between two different worlds in the same Empire?