Byzantine EmpireAfter the Western Roman Empire

fell to German barbarian invasions in the 5th century, the Eastern Roman Empire, with its

capital at Constantinople, repelled the invasions and went

on to survive for 1000 more years, preserving and spreading

the culture of ancient

Greeks and RomansWelcome to

the Byzantine Empire

Located on a peninsula that overlooked the Bosporus Strait

Controlled movement between Med. & Black Seas

Key trade center between East & West

The Golden Horn Natural

protection from invaders: water on 3 sides

Triple Walls fortified open side

Constantinople: A Strategic CityWhere Europe & Asia Meet

Constantine and the move east

- western Roman Empire crumbled in 5th century due to invading Germanic tribes from the north

- the threat to the Roman Empire was already apparent in the 4th century as Emperor Constantine rebuilt they city of Byzantium (a port city) on the Bosporus straight

- 2 reasons as to why he built here: 1. he could respond to the danger of the Germanic

tribes 2. he could be close to his rich eastern provinces

- city named Constantinople in his honor and in 330 it was the capital of the Byzantine Empire, the New Rome

- center of power for the Empire shifted east as a result and the eastern provinces began to develop independently of the declining west

- communication difficulties officially divided the Empire in 395

- even though a split had taken place, rulers in the east continued to think of themselves as Roman emperors

-cultural blend of people from Africa, Europe, Middle East

-mainly Greeks occupied Byzantium

Justinian and Theodora

Justinian was a 6th century Byzantine Emperor considered one if its greatest rulers & his wife Theodora was very influential in his reign

Theodora was concerned with improving the social standing of women; urged Justinian to give women more rights

Theodora urged Justinian not to flee when taxpayers revolted (Nika Rebellion)

Justinian stayed and his army crushed the rebels

Theodora & Her Attendants

Justinian and His Attendants

Justinian

- in 527 he succeeded the throne from his uncle - described as a serious, even-tempered ruler who worked

from dawn til dusk by Procopius, his court historian - Justinian made good on his claim to be the head of the

whole Roman Empire, east and west - sent his best general Belisarius to take North Africa from

the Vandals, Rome from the Ostrogoths, parts of Spain and nearly all of Italy

- by this time Justinian ruled almost all the territory that Rome had ever ruled

Belasarius Expands Empire Belasarius was a peasant with little

military experience He was a friend of Theodora’s. Led the troops that crushed Nika

Rebellion Appointed general of Byzantine

armies which fought a series of wars against the Vandals, Ostrogoths & Visigoths

Byzantines conquered these Germanic groups and extended their rule in the west

Power of the Emperors:

- Byzantine emperors ruled with absolute power like old Caesars

- they headed the state and the Church (appointed and dismissed bishops at will)

- politics were more brutal (of 88 Byzantine emperors, 29 died violently and 13 abandoned throne to live in monasteries)

Building the New Rome:

- the Byzantine Empire is different that western ones, difficulty of communications gave Byzantine Empire its own character

- citizens thought they shared Roman traditions, but in actuality few spoke Latin (most spoke Greek and belonged to eastern branch of Christian church)

- such a complex society needed some regulation, so Justinian set up a legal panel of ten experts to comb through 400 yrs of Roman law and legal opinions

- goal of the panel was to create a single, uniform code for Justinian's New Rome, as many of the previous laws had become outdated or contradicted themselves

-result was a body of civil laws known as Justinian Code

Code consisted of 4 works:

1. The Code --> contained nearly 5,000 Roman laws, which experts still considered useful for the Byzantine Empire

2. The Digest --> quoted and summarized the opinions of Rome's greatest legal thinkers about the laws (50 volumes)

3. The Institutes --> a textbook that told law students how to use the laws

4. The Novellae (New Law) --> presented legislation assed after 534

-decided legal questions that regulated whole areas of Byzantine life: marriage, slavery, property, inheritance, women’s rights, crimes

-even though Justinian died in 565 his code served Empire for 900 years

Justinian’s Code

Justinian had Roman laws codified and classified

Omits repetitions, inconsistencies, and statutes dealing with Roman religion

Preserved Rome’s legal heritage and later became the basis for most European legal systems

Creating the Capital

his rebuilding of Constantinople was the most ambitious public building program ever seen in the Roman world

church building was his biggest passion as he believed it help show a close connection between church and state

Hagia Sophia “Holy Wisdom” in Greek built 532-537; decorated in mosaics, lamps and candles; its beauty helped convince Russian nobility that they should adopt Christianity; remained Christian until Ottoman Empire took over Constantinople in 1453 and converted it into a mosque; in 1935 country of Turkey made it into a museum

Byzantine Architecture

Greatest form of Byzantine art Greatest masterpiece is church of Hagia

Sophia, meaning “holy wisdom” Huge building in form of a cross; includes

murals, mosaics, stone carvings and insets of ivory, silver and jewels

Capped by huge dome that rests on massive columns

Inside

Hagia

Sophia

Constantinople

in time city became unparalleled with its baths, aqueducts, law courts, schools and hospitals

the main street running through the center was Mese (MEH-see) or “Middle Way” lined with merchants, here shoppers could buy wine from France or tin from England, city seen as a vibrant mercantile area and Byzantine currency was widely accepted around Europe and Asia Minor

free entertainment was at the Hippodrome “horse track” which held 60,000 people

fans cheered on their teams, such as Greens and Blues, in 532 a city-wide riot sparked called the Nika Rebellion (“nika” is what they yelled, meaning conquer)

the quelling of this revolt is often attributed to the quick thinking and eloquent speaking of Theodora

Justinian’s Accomplishments

Expanded the Empire Created Justinian’s Code Commissioned rebuilding of Hagia

Sophia Helped spread Christianity Increased women’s rights

Conflict in the Christian Church Argument over use of

icons (religious images) in worship

AD 726 Emperor Leo III ordered all icons removed from churches b/c he believed they encouraged superstition and the worship of idols

Emperor’s supporters known as iconoclasts (image breakers)

Church leaders resisted order and were supported by the Roman Pope

Christian church in east and west argued over source of religious authority

Pope in Rome said he was supreme leader of church

Patriarch of Constantinople opposed this claim Eventually led to a schism (separation) in 1054 Roman Catholic Church in West and Eastern

Orthodox Church in East

The Church Divides

the distance and communication difficulties led the West and East (Byzantine) to split on doctrines and rituals

outcome: Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches Eastern Orthodox built on the early works of church

fathers, such as St Basil and St John Chrysostom (KRIHS-uh-stuhm) who later became the patriarch or leading bishop of the east

even patriarchs bowed to emperor’s authority which led to controversy

the use of icons (religious images used by eastern Christians to aid their devotions) was banned by Emperor Leo III b/c he believed it led to idol worship

this led to iconoclasts or “icon-breakers” who broke into churches to destroy images

1054 dispute b/t east and west came to head when pope and patriarch excommunicated each other over religious doctrine

after this schism (split) Christianity was permanently divided between the Roman Catholic Church in the west and the Orthodox Church in the east

Differences Between Two Christian Traditions

Roman Catholic Eastern Orthodox

Services are conducted in Latin Services are conducted in Greek or local languages

The pope has authority over all other bishops

The patriarch and other bishops head the church as a group

The pope claims authority over all kings and emperors

The emperor claims authority over the patriarch and other bishops of the

empire

Priests may not marry Priests may be married

Divorce is not permitted Divorce is allowed under certain conditions

now both churches competed with one another for converts

eastern missionaries tried to convert the Slavs, they invented an alphabet for the Slavic languages so they could read the Bible in their native tongue

this led to the creation of the Cyrillic alphabet

Orthodox Clerics Get Papal Apology May 5, 2001

Pope John Paul II, in a sweeping statement of regret aimed at healing Christianity’s East-West divide, begged forgiveness for sins committed by Roman Catholics

Pope John Paul II singled out the plunder of Constantinople, now Istanbul, as an example of Catholic sin. In an animated voice, he called it “disastrous” and “tragic” that assailants, who had set out to secure free access to Christians to the Holy Land, “turned against their own brothers in faith.”

Byzantine Art

Glorified religion Icons in homes, churches & shrines Mosaics - pictures made of many tiny pieces

of colored glass or flat stone set in plaster Illuminated manuscript Subjects of Byzantine art appeared stiff and

artificial with calm, meditative faces to inspire reverence

Hagia Sophia

11th Century Crusaders

Came from western European kingdoms to help defend the Empire from invading Muslims, the Seljuk Turks

But…for three days crusaders burned and looted the city, stealing & destroying priceless manuscripts and works of art

Established a “Latin Empire” in Constantinople (lasts until 1261AD)

Fall of Constantinople

Ottoman Turks from central Asia attacked the Eastern provinces

In AD 1453 the Ottomans laid siege to Constantinople