The Roman Empire, sometimes rarely referred to as the Empire of the Greeks or the Greek Empire, is a state that borders the Aegean Sea and controls the majority of Greece. The Empire, as Nicaea, was one of the three survivor states of the classical Roman Empire, the other states being the Empire of Trebizond and the Despotate of Epirus, both of which faded from existence in the 15th century. The Germanic Holy Roman Empire is a claimant to the same title, but has different origins.