The Byzantine Empire

1. The Byzantine Empire

2. The Byzantine Empire was formerly the Eastern Roman Empire.

3. Due to invasions by the Goths, the Eastern part of Rome falls • Goths: German barbarians • Goths destroy libraries and schools • Empire falls into a period of disorder and chaos • Weak central government forms • Eastern Empire falls and is renamed the Byzantine Empire Results of the Fall of Rome

4. Formerly the Eastern Roman Empire • Led by Justinian • preserved Greek and Roman culture • instituted the Justinian Code • served as a model for European legal systems • Constantinople became the center of the empire • located between Europe and Asia The Byzantine Empire

5. The emperor Justinian ruled the Byzantine Empire from A.D. 527 to 565 The Growth of the Byzantine Empire This picture is based on a mosaic of Justinian at San Vitale in Ravenna.

6. His wife, Theodora, urged Justinian to change Byzantine law to improve the status of women The Growth of the Byzantine Empire Emperor Justinian (482-565) and Empress Theodora (d. 548)

7. Constantinople • Protection from Eastern Frontier by geography, Peninsula • Distanced from Germanic invasion • Crossroads of trade • Capital of Byzantine Empire till Ottomans takes over • Preserved Classical Greco Roman Culture Location – Modern Turkey

8. Codified Roman Law (Justinian’s Code) Reconquest of many former Roman territories Expanded Trade Justinian

9. Justinian was a Byzantine Emperor. He ordered the collection of Roman law.

10. Justinian chose Belisarius to lead his army, and the Byzantine Empire expanded to its greatest size The Growth of the Byzantine Empire

11. The emperor and strong central government ruled the empire and the military protected the borders Strengths of the Empire

12. Ships carried a chemical called “Greek fire” that burst into flames when sprayed onto enemy ships Strengths of the Empire

13. Constantinople, located where Europe meets Asia, controlled the Bosporus Strait and grew wealthy from trade Strengths of the Empire

14. The Byzantine Empire became wealthy from trade.

15. Icons (Religious Image Paintings) • Mosaics • Hagia Sophia (Domed Church) • Byzantine Church • Byzantine Culture • Continued Greco Roman Traditions • Greek Language • Greek Orthodox Christianity Byzantine Achievements In Art and Architecture

16. Started the Orthodox Christian religion and the Cyrillic alphabet • spread to Russia through cultural diffusion • Russia was influenced by the Byzantine Empire more than any other country

17. Art included murals, mosaics, icons; religious architecture included the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople Byzantine Culture

18. The Hagia Sophia was a Byzantine Church and an architectural marvel.

19. The Byzantine Empire survived for one thousand years after the fall of Rome.

20. While western Europe was entering the Dark Ages, Byzantine civilization thrived Byzantine Culture

21. Christian missionaries, such as the brothers Cyril and Methodius, carried Byzantine culture to new lands Byzantine Culture Icon of Cyril and Methodius

22. The brothers taught the Bible to the Slavs and created a Slavic alphabet, known as Cyrillic Byzantine Culture

23. A major disagreement concerned the role of icons, which led to the Iconoclastic Controversy The Christian Church

24. The Byzantine Emperor ordered icons destroyed, but the church in Rome decided that abolishing icons was a heresy The Christian Church “Augustine of Hippo Refuting Heretic” Illuminated manuscript,13th century

25. In 1054, the Christian church split into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches The Christian Church

26. The Christian church was important, but differences between the West and East divided the church The Christian Church

27. The Byzantines did not recognize the pope’s authority - the patriarch of Constantinople headed the Eastern church The Christian Church

28. Eastern Church • Centered in Constantinople • Close to seats of power after Constantinople became capital • Use of Greek language • Western Church • Centered in Rome • Farther from Constantinople power base • Used Latin Split of the Church

29. Trade routes between black and Baltic seas Adoption of orthodox Christianity by Russia Greek alphabet in the Slavic languages Church architecture Influence of Byzantine culture on Eastern Europe and Russia

30. During the A.D. 1000s, the Seljuq Turks captured Asia Minor, a source of food and soldiers for the empire The Decline of the Empire

31. When the emperor asked for help, in 1204 the West turned against the Byzantines and seized Constantinople The Decline of the Empire The capture of Constantinople in 1204 by the Crusaders during the Fourth Crusade was one of the darkest hours in history. Eventually, the Crusaders too, would suffer from this event...

32. The Byzantines regained Constantinople, but were conquered in 1453 by the Ottoman Turks The Decline of the Empire