Byzantine Empire

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Byzantine Empire

• The Byzantine Empire with territory in the
  Balkans, the Middle East, and the eastern
  Mediterranean, maintained very high levels of
  political, economic, and cultural life between
  500 and 1450 C.E.
• The Byzantine Empire, once part of the grater
  Roman Empire continued flourishing from an
  eastern Mediterranean base after Roman decline
• The empire continued many Roman patterns and
  spread its Orthodox Christian civilization
  through most off eastern Europe.

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Emperor Constantine in the 4th c. established a
capital at Constantinople Greek became the
official tongue after the 6th c. The empire
benefited from the high level of civilization in
the former Hellenistic world and from the
regions prosperous commerce It held off
barbarian invaders and developed a trained
civilian bureaucracy

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

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Remember

• Germanic invaders pounded the Roman empire in the
  west
• Huns Group of nomadic tribes that pushed
  through central Europe in the 4th and 5th c.
  instigating the migration of the Germanic tribes
  into the Roman Empire
• Most emperors that were conquered moved their
  empire back in the east

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Important New Center

• Constantinople
• Second Rome
• Located on a strait that linked Mediterranean and
  Black Seas
• Key trading route linking Europe, Africa and Asia
• Buffer between Western Europe and Asia

Hellenistic culture After Alexanders death,
Greek art, education, and culture merged with
those in the Middle East Trade and important
scientific centers were established, such as
Alexandria, Egypt
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Byzantine Empire-(Eastern Roman Empire)
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The Age of Justinian 527-565

• Byzantine empire reached greatest size
• Wanted to recover what had been lost during the
  fall of Rome
• Re-conquered N. Africa, Italy and southern Spain
• Victories were temporary

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

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• 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 Justinians codification of
  Roman law reconciled Roman edicts and decisions
  mad Roman law a coherent basis for political and
  economic life
• Icons Images of religious figures venerated by
  Byzantine Christians

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

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During Middle Ages

• Dispute over use of icons (Holy Images)
  contributed to split
• Byzantine Emperor outlawed prayer to icons
• Two branches of Christianity grew further apart
• 1054 provoked a permanent split between
  Byzantine, Eastern (Greek) Orthodox and Roman
  Catholic Church
• Iconoclasm The breaking of images religious
  controversy of the 8th c. Byzantine emperor
  attempted, but failed to suppress icon veneration

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CHRISTIANS BUT DIFFERENCES DIVIDED!!!Division
s in the Church

• West
• Pope in Rome
• Latin Language
• Most important holy day Christmas

• East, Constantinople
• Patriarch in the Byzantine-rejected Popes
  authority
• Clergy could marry
• Greek Language
• Most important holy day Easter

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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

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Byzantine Heritage

• Built on the Hellenistic culture
• Christian beliefs
• Greek science, art and literature
• Roman engineering

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The World of Learning

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

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• 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 and food

• Crusaders, led by Venetian merchants, sacked
  Constantinople in 1204
• A smaller empire struggled to survive for another
  two centuries
• In 1453, the Ottoman Turks conquered
  Constantinople

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What happened to the Byzantine?

• Crusades
• Byzantine emperor called for help to fight the
  Muslims headed for Jerusalem
• Western Christians drained
• Muslims took control of northern territories
• Muslims eventually took Constantinople and
  renamed it Istanbul

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Rise of Russia

• Geography-lies on Eurasian plain and borders
  China
• Ural Mts. Physical boundary
• Wanted Moscow to be the Third Rome
• 3 regions helped shape early Russian life
• North-Lumber and hunting
• South-Fertile land for farming
• Steppe-treeless grassland Open to nomads from
  Asia and Europe

• Kiev Commercial city in Ukraine established by
  Scandinavians in 9thc, became the center for a
  kingdom that flourished until the 12th c.

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Steppe Areas

• Great Highway
• Nomadic migrates
• Rivers linked Byzantine to Russia

• Vladimir I ruler of Kiev (980-1015) converted
  kingdom to orthodox Christianity
• Russian Orthodoxy Russian form of Christianity
  brought from the Byzantine Empire

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First Civilization

• Kiev in Present day Ukraine
• Home of vital trading networks
• Would become the center of the first Russian
  state
• Boyars Russian landholding aristocrats
  possessed less political power than their western
  European counterparts

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Kiev and the Byzantine Empire

• Trade helped Kiev enter the Byzantine empire
• 957 Princess Olga of Kiev converted to Byzantine
  Christianity
• Grandson spread religion which gained strength
• Russians started to adapt religious art, music
  and architecture
• Onion domes

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Onion Domes

• is a type of architectural dome that frequently
  adorns Russian Orthodox Churches.

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Symbolism

• The domes are often brightly painted the colors
  symbolize different aspects of religion.
• Green, blue, and gold domes represent the Holy
  Trinity, the Spirit of God, and Jesus,
  respectively. Green dome
• Onion domes often appear in groups of three or
  five, representing the Holy Trinity or Jesus and
  the Four Evangelists, respectively. Domes
  standing alone represent Jesus.

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Mongol Influences

• Nomadic people from central Asia
• United by Genghiz Khan (Later Chapters)
• Looted and burned Kiev
• Russian princes had to pay money to rule without
  Mongol interference
• Mongol rule cut off Russian contacts with Western
  Europe which were making advances in art and
  science
• Russian Orthodox grows stronger due to religious
  toleration
• Tatars Mongols who conquered Russian cities
  during the 13th c. left Russian church and
  aristocracy intact

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Moscow Takes Lead

• With their location near trading rivers, Moscow
  steadily increased their power
• Head of Russian Orthodox church made Moscow
  capital, became political and spiritual center

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Ivan the Great ---- Ivan III

• Recovered Russian territories that were lost to
  invaders
• Tried to limit the power of boyars (landowning
  nobles)
• Took on the title of Czar (Russian for Caesar)

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Ivan the Terrible --- Ivan IV

• Grandson
• Nobles granted land for military service
• Tied serfs to land
• Violent, killed own son
• Black horses and black robes-slaughtered rebels
• Introduced Russia to extreme absolute power
  Eastern Europe

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Recap

• Byzantine
• Greek language
• Claimed right to appoint the head of the church
• Did not accept pope
• Good Silk, Paper
• Taxes provided money to run govt. and army

• Western Europe
• Latin in churches
• Pope had power and the people accepted
• Trade, town life and learning declined after the
  fall of Rome

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Shaping Eastern Europe

• Geography makes area cultural crossroads
• Crusades will bring in a lot of Muslims to area