Why do historians consider constantine i the founder of the byzantine empire? a. he switched loyalty from the western roman empire to the eastern roman empire, which he renamed in honor of his birth city, byzantium. b. he allowed freedom of religion, which motivated the orthodox eastern roman empire to break away from the catholic western roman empire. c. he converted to eastern orthodoxy, unifying the early byzantine empire, which until then had been culturally and ethnically fractured. d. he moved the capital of the roman empire from rome to byzantium, which would be the capital of the byzantine empire for more than 1,000 years.