The Rise of the Byzantine Empire

1. The Rise of the Byzantine Empire

2. Introduction You will be viewing a series of slides that help explain the Byzantine Empire. You will expected to view each slide carefully , write down some basic notes on the slide on the notesheet provided, complete the Graphic Organizers for each slide, and answer each of the attached questions in essay form.

3. Cityscape of Istanbul

4. When Constantine the Great became the first Christian emperor of Rome, he moved the capital eastward. He chose the Greek seaport of Byzantium and renamed it New Rome. It became known as his city – Constantinople. Constantine chose the new capital for its fine harbor and strategic location. The city was surrounded on three sides by water, which was excellent for trade, as well as for defense. A chain stretched across the Golden Horn inlet to protect it from attacks launched at sea. The landed side of the city was protected by 13 miles of walls, watchtowers and 50 fortified gates.

5. Constantinople was at a shipping and trading crossroads between two continents: Europe and Asia. Whoever ruled Constantinople was in position to control all shipping from Asia to Europe, as well as the trade between Russia and the Mediterranean territories. Since Constantinople began as the eastern capital of the Roman Empire, its culture was heavily influenced by the Roman Empire. The city was built on seven hills, its buildings and structures – hippodrome, forum and aqueducts – reflected Roman influence. Circuses, chariot races and the tradition of the emperor giving bread to the citizens were kept. Moreover, emperors selected officials on the basis of talent, not social class.

6. The territory of the Byzantine Empire included the lands of Greece, Asia Minor, Palestine, Syria and Egypt. For years is military held off invasions, its scholars preserved classical literature and philosophy and its legal experts codified legal traditions. The Empire saw 88 rulers come and go. It survived centuries of riots, religious differences and foreign threats. However, it ended in 1453 when Constantinople fell to the Turks. Today it is the modern city of Istanbul.

7. Emperor Justinian

8. Justinian became emperor at the age of 45. Procopius described him as devout, determined and hard-working; and at the same time, cruel, devious and two-faced. His armies conquered land in Africa, Italy and Spain to expand the size of the Empire to its greatest size. Like all Byzantine Emperors, he was the absolute head of both the Christian church and the state.

9. He appointed a group of 10 men, working under the legal scholar Tribonian, to collect and organize all the laws of the Empire. They created a new legal code – Justinian Code - which became the basis for many Western legal codes over the years. His most lasting achievements were his building programs. Bridges, churches, monasteries and roads were built. Hospitals, public baths, recreation centers a library and a seaside park were also part of this program of public works.

10. Empress Theodora

11. Theodora was an influential and remarkable woman who sometimes surpassed her husband in political skill and wisdom. She was born into the lower class and became a dancer and actress before she married Justinian. She advanced her friends to positions in the government, destroyed her enemies, and sometimes gave orders that cancelled her husband’s.

12. She was responsible for several welfare programs that helped the city’s poor and homeless girls, and for expanding women’s rights. She saved the empire by convincing her husband to crush the Nika Rebellion in which an angry mob began rioting and burning the city.

13. Hagia Sophia

14. When Justinian rebuilt Constantinople, he had 25 cathedrals constructed. The largest was a domed church named Hagia Sophia. It took only five years to build the Hagia Sophia, or the Church of “Holy Wisdom.” Its dome reaches 180 feet above the floor. Its diameter is 107 feet and at its circumference it has 40 stained glass windows. Everywhere there was polished marble in six colors: green, black, red, purple, blue and white.

15. The outside of the church is plain, a brick and mortar exterior. It represents the daily world and earthly life. The rich interior is ornate. It represents the ideal, spiritual universe that the Byzantines believed accompanied the coming of Christianity. The Hagia Sophia also contains two styles of architecture. The cathedral’s size and strength – thick pillars – are reminders of the architecture of Rome. The design and decoration, with its intricate mosaics, reflect Eastern influences. The hardest part to build was the penditive. This is a strangely curved wall space that extends above the four central arches. It joins two circular shapes.

16. Icon of Mary and Jesus

17. An icon is a representation of sacred persons or events. They can appear in several forms: in murals, mosaics, and most typically, painted on small wooden panels. Byzantine Christians opposed icons because they felt it was wrong to worship man-made images. In the West, religious leaders often used icons and images to explain Christian teachings because few people could read. This rift caused the Christian church to split into two churches in 1054. The church became known as the Roman Catholic Church in the West; and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East.

18. According to the Catholic Church: • Masses were always conducted in Latin. • The pope was the supreme religious authority. • All clergy were celibate (They did not marry). • Religious icons of martyrs and saints were to be respected. Christianity in the east took on a different tradition: Masses were in Greek. Monks and missionaries translated the Bible into the language of the people they were trying to convert. The patriarch, the bishop of Constantinople, dominated the Byzantine Church. Bishops could not marry, but priests and clergy could.

19. Lands of the Byzantine Empire

20. Most of the inhabitants of the Empire were farmers. They raised grapes, olives, and wheat, or herded sheep, and lived on cheese, bread and vegetables cooked in olive oil. Constantinople became known as “The City”. It had many magnificent buildings, a large population and commercial success. It was the home of the wealthy and powerful.

21. Byzantium’s trade routes connected three continents with its system of caravan tracks, rivers, seaways and roads. Merchants set up along Constantinople’s main street, displaying everything from rugs and shoes to fruits and vegetables to icons.

22. India: Export: Spices, pepper and jewels Import: ivory Africa: Export: ivory and gold Import: silk (after stealing the process from China) Russia: Export: honey, wood and furs Import: art and architecture Spain: Export: Cork and grain Import: bronze church doors

23. France: Export: Fine wines and wool Import: Silk England: Export: Iron and tin Import: Works of the ancient Greeks China: Export: Silk Import: Christianity *Justinian persuaded missionaries to smuggle from China silkworms and seeds for the mulberry bush.