The Byzantine Empire

1
The Byzantine Empire
2
Rise of the Byzantine Empire
What did the Roman Emperor Diocletian do in A.D.
285 that ultimately paved the way for the
creation of the Byzantine Empire?
In A.D. 330, to which city did Constantine move
the capital of the Roman Empire?
3
Emperor Justinian

• Ruled from 527-565 (37 years)
• Sent his armies to regain some of the territory
  lost (from the western Roman Empire) to Germanic
  invaders
• Organized and put together old Roman and
  Byzantine laws into one clear code of laws

4
Justinians Conquests
In A.D. 476, the Byzantine Empire included Asia
Minor (now part of Turkey), the Balkan Peninsula,
Egypt, Palestine, and Syria. Justinian, with
Generals such as Belisarius, conquered and
reclaimed parts of North Africa, the southern
tip of Spain, and all of Italy during his reign.
5
Corpus Juris Civilis The Body of Civil Law

• Better known as Justinians Code, Justinian
  ordered that old Roman laws be reviewed and that
  repetitive or outdated laws be deleted.
• Taking good Roman and Byzantine Laws and adding
  some new ones, a collection of 10 books of law
  were established for the empire.
• These laws influenced future laws in Europe and
  the United States (for example, principles were
  continued such as all people are equal under the
  law and people are innocent until proven guilty.)

6
How do the legal principles below compare to U.S.
law?
Laws about Justinians Code
Womens Rights All women could own property, make contracts, and bring lawsuits.
Robbery Robbery was not a crime but the victim could sue the robber for up to four times the value of the stolen property.
Failure to pay debts People who were owed something could sue the person owing them something to gain the debt back.
Murder Murder was punished by banishment.
7
The Hagia Sophia
Justinian also undertook many great building
projects in Constantinople, including a number of
large churches. The most famous was a
magnificent church known as the Hagia Sophia,
built between 532 and 537. It later became a
mosque under Turkish rule.
8
Theodora
Theodora was the wife of Justinian who rose from
a humble background to become not only an
Empress, but an important advisor to Justinian
and one of the worlds most powerful women of
that time (6th century). During an early
challenge to Justinians rule called the Nika
Rebellion, she urged Justinian to stay and fight
the rebels rather than flee the throne.
9
The Christian Church Divides
After several years of conflict over church
authority, doctrine, and practices, the Christian
Church officially divided into two parts in 1054.
The division of the Church into the Roman
Catholic Church (in the West) and the Orthodox
Church (in the East) is known as The Great
Schism. Though relations have improved in modern
times, the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern
Orthodox Church remain under separate leadership
to this day!
10
Defenses around Constantinople
11
Restored section of the Walls of Theodosius. The
Moat Wall and Outer Wall can be seen in the
foreground, with a tower of the Inner Wall in the
background (top left). Some towers stood as high
as 20 meters (over 65 feet). The moat was about
20 meters wide and 10 meters deep.
12
The Fall of Constantinople
After years of decline and loss of territory due
to various wars and invasions, the Byzantine
Empire finally came to an end in 1453 when the
Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II captured
Constantinople. The city was renamed Istanbul
and is now the largest city in Turkey.
The army of Mehmed II readies to attack
Constantinople
The siege of the city by the Turks.
13
Constantinople
ISTANBUL