Turn this into a thesis statement: Another cause of decline was the internal conflicts and instability within the Byzantine Empire. Successions disputes, political infighting, and power struggles among the ruling elite often weakened the empire's central authority and hindered effective governance. This internal instability further undermined the empire's ability to defend itself and effectively govern its territories.
The internal conflicts and instability within the Byzantine Empire, manifested through successions disputes, political infighting, and power struggles among the ruling elite, not only weakened the empire's central authority, but also hindered effective governance, undermined the empire's ability to defend itself, and impeded its ability to effectively govern its territories, thus contributing to its decline.
The thesis statement based on the provided information could be:
"The decline of the Byzantine Empire was exacerbated by internal conflicts and instability, characterized by successions disputes, political infighting, and power struggles among the ruling elite, which weakened the empire's central authority and hindered effective governance, ultimately undermining its defense and governance capacities."
The thesis statement could be: "The internal conflicts and instability within the Byzantine Empire, characterized by successions disputes, political infighting, and power struggles among the ruling elite, significantly contributed to its decline by weakening central authority, hindering effective governance, and undermining its ability to defend itself and govern its territories."
To create this thesis statement, I condensed the main points from the given explanation into a single sentence. The key elements of the thesis statement include the identification of the cause of decline (internal conflicts and instability), the specific manifestations of this instability (succession disputes, political infighting, and power struggles), and the consequences of this internal instability (weakening central authority, hindering effective governance, and undermining the empire's ability to defend itself and govern its territories).