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Heirs to Rome: The Byzantine Empire

Heirs to Rome: The Byzantine Empire. World History: Libertyville HS. What Was the Byzantine Empire?. Same thing as the Eastern Roman Empire The capitol, Constantinople, was located at the Hellespont Narrowest area btwn Asia, Europe Imp. trade routes met there North, to Rus / Vikings

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Heirs to Rome: The Byzantine Empire

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  1. Heirs to Rome: The Byzantine Empire World History: Libertyville HS

  2. What Was the Byzantine Empire? • Same thing as the Eastern Roman Empire • The capitol, Constantinople, was located at the Hellespont • Narrowest area btwn Asia, Europe • Imp. trade routes met there • North, to Rus / Vikings • South, to Anatolia / ME • East, to India / China • West, to Europe

  3. To inhabitants, they were simply the Roman Empire Emperors continued in unbroken succession from Caesar to Diocletian, Constantine and beyond Statue of Octavian Who Were They?

  4. Justinian I (527-565) • Introduced Law Code (“Codex Justinian”), a revision of old Roman laws, in Greek • Great general, Belisarius, helped recapture much of traditional Roman Empire (Italy, Africa, part of Spain) Expansion of Byzantine Empire from start of Justinian’s rule to his death

  5. Justinian I Construction of the Hagia Sophia, the greatest church built east of Rome, completed

  6. Justinian I • After death of Justinian, territory gained in West was quickly lost • Empire almost fell in late 500s • Persians reached Nile River & Bosphorus • Slavs overran the Balkans in Europe and laid siege to Constantinople itself

  7. Savior of Empire Considered abandoning Constantinople Reforms Gave soldiers land in frontier Soldiers paid no taxes Sons of soldiers = soldiers themselves Reorganized provinces into themes, under control of General Byzantine Themes, ca 620 AD (yellow) and 900 AD (in pink) Heraklius (610-628)

  8. Heraklius • Successes • Longest period of Byz. Empire success, creativity • Re-established Byz. Empire in Balkans • By 629 AD, recaptured most of ME (Jerusalem) • Rise of Islam put Byz, Empire on the defense • Lost Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt, Africa by 700 AD

  9. Spread of Orthodox Christianity Two monks, Cyril and Methodius, spread Orthodox faith into Balkans, Poland, & Russia Intro’d Cyrillic Alphabet, to Russians (still use today) Monks, scholars & artists followed, giving culture a distinct Byzantine flavor Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Empire, 600-1025

  10. Let’s Flash Forward several hunderd Years…..

  11. Death of emperor in 1025 led to conflict between military themes& civilian nobility in capital By 1081, Byzantine Empire had been reduced to Greece due to this civil war & pressure from Turks Decline of the Byzantine Empire Byzantine Empire, 1081

  12. Decline of Byzantine Empire • 1100s were a period of recovery for the Empire • Assisted by Western Crusaders, starting in 1097 • Economy flourished • Artistic revival • Re-captured SE Europe

  13. Weak ruler took throne in 1185 Emptied treasury for gifts, building churches In 1204, the 4th Crusade sacked Constantinople (Crusaders / Venetians) Led to fragmentation of empire (local states fought for local control) Sack of Constantinople in 1453 by Ottomans (85k v. 7k defenders) Crusaders enter Constantinople Fall of the Byzantine Empire

  14. Legacy of Byzantine Empire • Most (only!) stable state during European Middle Ages • Expert military, diplomacy saved Europe from Muslim invasion • Trade center brought many peoples into contact with one another • Transmission of classical knowledge from Islamic world to West helped bring about European Renaissance

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