The Byzantine Empire

1. The Byzantine Empire

2. I. After the Fall of Rome • 330, Emperor Constantine moved Empire’s capital to Byzantium, later renamed Constantinople • 395 – Roman Empire officially split between East and West empires • Two emperors share equal power • After decline of west, eastern Roman Empire would last another 1000 years • Becomes known as Byzantine Empire The state of the Roman Empire by 476.

3. II. A New Power • 527 C.E. – Justinian, a Byzantine noble-man, takes throne of eastern empire • Sent his armies to reconquer western territories • North Africa, Italy, parts of Spain eventually reclaimed in name of Rome • Ruled over almost all of the territory that was once originally Roman Empire • Ruled with absolute power • Head of empire and church • Led to a new age of Roman influence and domination

4. II. Continued… • Justinian ordered the building and construction of many great projects • 14-mile stone wall along city coast • Hagia Sophia – once considered greatest church in Christian world • Public baths, aqueducts, courts, schools

5. III. New Roman Culture • The Byzantine Empire developed its own culture separate from that of the western empire • Latin no longer most popular language, most people spoke Greek • Restructuring of Roman Law • Justinian Code – based on 400 years of Roman law, made up of four works: • Code: contained 5,000 Roman laws still considered useful • Digest: summarized opinions of Rome’s greatest legal thinkers • Institutes: textbook explaining how to use laws • Novellae: means New Laws, anything passed after the year 534 • Covered everything: marriage, slavery, women’s rights, criminal law, and much more • Lasted over 900 years as dominant law

6. III. Continued… • Preservation of Greco-Roman culture • Education focused on Greek & Latin grammar, philosophy • Byzantine scholars helped preserve many scholarly works from Ancient Greece and Rome • Along with Muslim scholars, would help influence the Renaissance in western Europe

7. IV. Split in Christian Church • When Roman Empire split, Christianity began to develop differently in east & west • Causes: • distance and lack of contact/communication • Disagreements on practices/beliefs – use of icons, behavior of Christians • In east: Patriarch was leading bishop, but Emperor head of church • In west: the pope was head of church • Arguments between the eastern patriarch and western pope led to permanent split • Roman Catholic Church in west • Orthodox Church in east

8. V. End of another empire • Plague of Justinian • Began before Justinian’s death (Justinian himself survived the disease) • 542 C.E. – 10,000 people a day were dying • Would come and go until the year 700 • Killed up to 25% of population • Empire slowly shrank due to constant attacks • Sassanid Persians in the east • Muslim armies from south • Lombards in the west • Avars, Slavs, Bulgars in north • 1350 – reduced to tip of Anatolia • City of Constantinople held until 1453

9. VI. Influence on Eastern Europe • Byzantine Empire pushed Christianity north • Accelerated development of independent civilizations in Eastern Europe • Missionaries bring culture – development of Slavic written language (Cyrillic) • Kievan Rus’ • Scandinavian traders moved through Slavic lands of eastern Europe • Settlements and governments established along trade routes • City of Kievbecame focal point of commerce, culture • Became center of small kingdom, called Kievan Rus’, later Russia

10. VI. Continued… • Based many traditions on Byzantine culture • Autocratic (supreme) ruler that controlled church – Russian Orthodoxy develops • Called tsar, from Russian word for “Caesar” • Developed strong aristocratic class – known as “boyars” • Invaded/conquered by Mongols (Tatars) in 1200s