THEOCRACY

1
THEOCRACY

• Christianity played a big role in creating and
  maintaining loyalty of subjects to the emperor
• Christians saw emperor as more than a political
  ruler
• He was also Gods representative on earth and the
  protector of the Church
• Christianity promoted high degree of patriotism

2
CHURCH AND STATE

• Because state and church were so closely
  connected, heresy became a matter of direct
  government concern
• It became treason
• Religious disputes became political disputes in
  the East
• Political interference in religious matters
  tended to turn Christianity in the East into just
  another branch of government
• Made it subservient to political needs
• Gradually weakened its hold on the common people
  and left them open to other, more dynamic and
  independent religious doctrines
• Such as Islam

3
BYZANTINE CULTURE

• Emphasis on education resulted in the
  preservation of many masterpieces of ancient
  Greek literature
• Survived to fertilize the intellectual life of
  western world
• Literature was predominantly Greek
• History was the favorite subject among reading
  public
• Herodotus, Thucycides, etc.
• Best known contemporary Byzantine historian was
  Procopius

4
PROCOPIUS

• Wrote official account of the reign of Justinian
  and also an unofficial Secret History of the
  reign in which he viciously attacked and
  ridiculed the same emperor he praised in the
  official version
• Not exactly an objective historian but his work
  was lively and entertaining
• Later historians concentrated on victories of
  emperors and descriptions of barbarian enemies
• Also very curious about foreigners
• Painted unflattering portraits of western
  European rulers

5
GREEK FIRE

• Discovered nothing new in geometry, astronomy and
  natural sciences
• But they did faithfully learn what the ancients
  had achieved in these areas
• Only made advances in science when they could be
  put to military use
• Greek Fire
• Combination of oil, sulphur, and quick-lime which
  was shot from a flame thrower and could even burn
  under water
• Devastating weapon against wooden ships

6
MEDICINE

• General level of medical competence higher in
  Byzantine Empire than in the West
• Basis was Hippocrates concept of the four
  humours
• In healthy body, four humours were in perfect
  balance
• Also stressed diet and rest
• Relied heavily on drugs made from herbs
• Weakness was excessive use of bleeding
• Empire had many hospitals and army had medical
  corps

7
FINAL WORDS ON CULTURE

• Byzantine culture was almost exclusively Greek
• Not Roman per se
• As time went on, the Empire cut itself off from
  non-Greek west
• Byzantine Church paid no attention to pope in
  Rome
• Latin not taught in schools after 1000 AD
• Cultural isolation from the West would continue
  until the Crusades

8
JUSTINIAN

• Highest peak in Byzantine history occurred during
  the reign of Justinian
• 527-565 AD
• Obsessed with reviving old unified Roman Empire
  by reconquering the western provinces from
  barbarians
• Reign also witnessed golden age of art and
  architecture
• Construction of Sancta Sophia

9
THEODORA

• Justinian received tremendous support in
  achieving his goals from his wife
• Perhaps more ambitious than the emperor himself
• Former circus performer and prostitute
• Possessed extraordinary amount of energy and
  intelligence
• Pushed Justinian to greatness
• Sometimes in spite of himself

10
Returned to Italy in 552 and retook it Meanwhile,
Byzantine armies and naval squadrons took over
islands in Western Mediterranean and southern
coast of Spain from the Visigoths
Justininian took advantage of disunity in West to
pick off barbarian kingdoms one by one Belisarius
defeated Vandals in North Africa invaded Sicily
and ultimately captured Rome from the Ostrogoths
after four years of hard fighting
Persian invasion forced transfer of army from
Italy to Syriaallowing Ostrogoths to recover
most of their lost territory
11
By last years of his rule, the treasury was
bankrupt, economy was shattered by outbreak of
plague, and new barbarian tribes, such as the
Slavs, Avars, and Bulgars had moved into eastern
Europe
New barbarian tribes began to pick off his
conquests shortly after his death Lombards took
over northern Italy in 568 Visigoths retook
Spain Arabs would take North Africa in the 690s
Justinians plan to reconquer west was
essentially just foolish romantic nostalgia He
overextended resources of the empire instead of
concentrating them on his eastern provinces
12
SASSANIAN DYNASTY
Took over Persian in 300 AD and developed a
cosmopolitan and powerful society Served as a
bridge between Mediterranean world and
India Possessed a culture that was, at the
minimum, equal to that of the Byzantine Empire
Biggest threat in years after Justinians death
was Sassanid Empire
13
KHUSRO II

• Warlike Persian aristocracy found perfect leader
  in Khusro II
• Dreamed of restoring the old Persian Empire of
  Darius I
• Attacked Byzantine Empire in 602 AD
• Captured Antioch, Damascus, Tarsus, and Jerusalem
  by 613
• Besieged Constantinople for ten years but never
  could capture city
• Decisively defeated in 627 and then murdered by
  his own men
• Byzantines then reoccupied Syria, Palestine, and
  Egypt

14
THE ARABS

• Long and costly war left both Byzantine Empire
  and Persians fatally weakened and unprepared for
  new and unexpected attack by Arabs
• Beginning in 632 Arabs conquered entire Persian
  Empire and grabbed Palestine, Syria, and Egypt
• Also attacked Constantinople several times
• But the city held on, saving the rest of the
  empire and much of eastern and western Europe

15
Still held Constantinople and Asia Minor and had
shaky control of southeastern Europe Empire was
now much smaller but it was also more compact,
easier to defend, and more unified in terms of
religion and culture
By 800, the Byzantine Empire had lost all the
western territory conquered by Justinian and much
of the Middle East to the Arabs
16
MACEDONIAN EMPERORS

• 867-1056 AD
• Empire began to expand again
• Reconquered Syria and extended northeast frontier
  in Asia Minor
• Most important accomplishments were the
  establishment of firm control of Slavs and
  Bulgars in southeastern Europe and the conversion
  of these formerly pagan tribes to Christianity

17
RUSSIA

• Empire had trade links with the Vikings who had
  taken over Russia in the 900s
• Also used them as mercenaries
• Independent Russian state of Kiev founded around
  1000 AD
• Macedonian emperors went out of their way to
  establish good relations with this new state
• Formed an alliance with it and provided military
  aid

18
BYZANTINE INFLUENCE

• Prince Vladimir of Kiev married sister of
  Byzantine emperor in 1015 and officially
  converted to Christianity
• Byzantine influence flooded into Kievan Russia
  from this point onwards and left permanent
  impression on the new states emerging
  civilization
• Alphabet that Russia still uses today was
  invented by Byzantine missionary St. Cyril in
  order to translate Bible into spoken language of
  the Russians

19
SELJUK TURKS

• Seljuk Turks moved into Middle East
• Took over most of the territory formerly
  controlled by Arabs
• Invaded Asia Minor in 1071
• Destroyed Byzantine army at Battle of Manzikert
  (1071)
• Empire now fatally crippled
• Could now only fight Turks by begging military
  aid from Western Europe

20
END OF THE ROAD

• Byzantine Empire limped on for several more
  centuries
• But period of expansion and greatness was over
• Devoted all its energies and resources to just
  surviving
• Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453
• Put empire out of its misery for good

21
LEGACY

• By preserving Greek culture and Roman
  administrative practice, the Byzantine Empire
  performed a valuable service for the still
  embryonic civilization of Western Europe
• Also protected fledgling Western kingdoms from
  the full force of such powerful invaders as the
  Persians and Arabs
• Commercial network eventually stimulated the
  economic revival of such western trading centers
  as Venice and Genoa
• Biggest impact was on the Slavic people of
  Eastern Europe
• Eastern Orthodox Christianity, for example