Byzantine EmpireByzantine Empire

• The ancient city of Byzantium was originally founded by the Greeks. At its height the Byzantine Empire controlled most of the territory around the Mediterranean Sea.

•Due to being strategically located on an Isthmus called the Bosporus Straits, Constantinople became very prosperous by controlling trade routes between Asia, Europe, Russia and the Middle East.

•The Byzantine Empire, once part of the greater Roman Empire continued flourishing for 1000 years after the fall of Rome.

•The empire continued many Greco-Roman life style patterns and spread its Orthodox Christian civilization through most of eastern Europe ( Kievian Russia) by using its missionaries.

•Roman Emperor Constantine in the 4th c. moved his capital to Constantinople calling it the ”New Rome”.

•Moving was necessary due to ROME constantly being invaded by the barbarians.

•After seeing a vision of a cross before a battle Constantine adopts Christianity for his empire

Greek became the official language

•Constantinople –Capital of the Byzantine Empire; constructed on the site of Byzantium, an old Greek city on the Bosporus

Remember……Remember……Germanic invaders Germanic invaders pounded the Roman pounded the Roman empire in the westempire in the westHuns – Group of nomadic Huns – Group of nomadic tribes that pushed tribes that pushed through central Europe in through central Europe in the 4the 4thth and 5 and 5thth c. c. instigating the migration instigating the migration of the Germanic tribes of the Germanic tribes into the Roman Empireinto the Roman Empire

Most emperors that were Most emperors that were conquered moved their conquered moved their empire back in the eastempire back in the east

Important New CenterImportant New CenterConstantinopleConstantinople– ““NewNew Second Rome”Second Rome”

Located on a strait that Located on a strait that linked linked AegeanAegean/Mediterranean /Mediterranean and and BlackBlack Seas SeasKey trading route linking Key trading route linking Europe, Africa and AsiaEurope, Africa and Asia– Buffer between Buffer between

Western Europe and Western Europe and AsiaAsia

Hellenistic culture – After Alexander’s death, Greek art, education, and culture merged with those in the Middle East

Trade and important scientific centers were established, such as Alexandria, Egypt

Byzantine Empire-Byzantine Empire-((Eastern Roman EmpireEastern Roman Empire))

The Age of Justinian 527-565The Age of Justinian 527-565Byzantine empire Byzantine empire reached greatest sizereached greatest sizeWanted to recover what Wanted to recover what had been lost during the had been lost during the fall of Romefall of RomeRe-conquered N. Africa, Re-conquered N. Africa, Italy and southern SpainItaly and southern Spain– Victories were temporaryVictories were temporary

•Justinian rebuilt Constantinople in classical style; among the architectural achievements was the huge church of Hagia Sophia

•Justinian – 6th c. Byzantine emperor; failed to reconquer the western portions of the empire; rebuilt Constantinople; codified Roman law

•Hagia Sophia – Great domed church constructed during the reign of Justinian•Body of Civil Law – Justinian’s codification of Roman law; reconciled Roman edicts and decisions; made Roman law a coherent basis for political and economic life

•Justinian helped preserve and transmit the Greek and Roman culture into his empire.

•Icons – Images of religious figures prohibited from being worshipped by the Byzantine Christians. This leads to the Great Schism between the Eastern/Western Catholic church.

•Justinian codification of Roman law was his greatest achievement

•The revived empire withstood the 7th c. advance of Arab Muslims although important regions were lost along the eastern Mediterranean and the northern Middle Eastern heartland Hagia Sophia

•Byzantine political patterns resembled the earlier Chinese system

•Emperor, ordained by God and surrounded by elaborate court ritual, headed both church and state

During Middle AgesDuring Middle AgesDispute over worshipping Dispute over worshipping icons (Holy Images)icons (Holy Images) contributed to split (Great SCHISM) contributed to split (Great SCHISM) between between Eastern and Western ChurchesEastern and Western ChurchesByzantine Emperor Leo III outlawed prayer to Byzantine Emperor Leo III outlawed prayer to icons because it was idol worship.icons because it was idol worship.1054 provoked a permanent split between 1054 provoked a permanent split between Byzantine, Eastern (Greek) Orthodox and Byzantine, Eastern (Greek) Orthodox and Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchEastern Orthodox Church no longer recognized Eastern Orthodox Church no longer recognized the supremacy of the Pope as their leaderthe supremacy of the Pope as their leader..

A Divided Christian ChurchA Divided Christian Church

Western Roman Western Roman CatholicCatholic

Pope is headPope is head

Located in RomeLocated in Rome

Latin LanguageLatin Language

Priests cannot marryPriests cannot marry

Most important holy Most important holy day Christmasday Christmas

Can use Icon WorshipCan use Icon Worship

Excommunicated Excommunicated Byzantine EmperorByzantine Emperor

Eastern OrthodoxEastern Orthodox

Emperor is headEmperor is headPatriarch in Patriarch in ConstantinopleConstantinoplerejected Pope’s rejected Pope’s authorityauthorityClergy could marryClergy could marryGreek LanguageGreek LanguageMost important holy Most important holy day Easterday EasterNo Icon worship No Icon worship

Compare churches…..Compare churches…..

•The final break between the two churches occurred in 1054 over arguments about the type of bread used in the mass and the celibacy of priests

Byzantine HeritageByzantine Heritage

Built on the Built on the Hellenistic cultureHellenistic culture– Christian beliefsChristian beliefs– Greek science, art Greek science, art

and literatureand literature– Roman engineeringRoman engineering

Byzantine ContributionsByzantine Contributions

Preserved classic Preserved classic works of ancient works of ancient GreeceGreeceMostly concerned with Mostly concerned with writing about their own writing about their own timestimesMany went and taught Many went and taught at universities in Italy,at universities in Italy, Contributed to the birth Contributed to the birth of the next cultural time of the next cultural time in European history, in European history, RenaissanceRenaissance

•Religion will play a major role in decline of Byzantine Empire

•The long decline began in 11th c.

•Muslim Turkish invaders seized almost all of the empires Asian provinces, removing the most important sources of taxes/food

•Crusaders, led by Venetian merchants, sacked Constantinople in 1204-------------WHY??????????????

•A smaller empire struggled to survive for another two centuries

•In 1453, the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople

What happened to the Byzantines?What happened to the Byzantines?

CrusadesCrusades– Byzantine emperor called for help to fight the Byzantine emperor called for help to fight the

Muslims headed for JerusalemMuslims headed for Jerusalem

Western Christians drained $$$ from the Western Christians drained $$$ from the Byzantine Empire outfitting armiesByzantine Empire outfitting armies

CrusadesCrusades

1453 A.D.1453 A.D.

– With the use of cannons Ottoman Turk With the use of cannons Ottoman Turk Muslims (Mehmed II) eventually took Muslims (Mehmed II) eventually took Constantinople andConstantinople and renamed it Istanbul renamed it Istanbul

Benefits Benefits Long term cultural diffusion took place Long term cultural diffusion took place between the Middle East and Europeansbetween the Middle East and Europeans

The same sharing of ideas and products The same sharing of ideas and products took place between members of all the took place between members of all the different armies during Crusadesdifferent armies during Crusades

With conquest of Constantinople, the With conquest of Constantinople, the Ottoman empire will be able to expand its Ottoman empire will be able to expand its borders because they now control the borders because they now control the strategic spot between Asia and Europestrategic spot between Asia and Europe

Europe must now find new trade routes to Europe must now find new trade routes to get the goods from the far Eastget the goods from the far East