“new rome”. the roman empire united the entire mediterranean for centuries. but it became too...
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BYZANTINE EMPIRE
“New Rome”
SUMMARYThe Roman Empire united the entire Mediterranean for
centuries. But it became too unwieldy to govern as a whole, so in 286 CE, the empire was split into an eastern half and a western half by Diocletian, in what were hoped to be more manageable administrative regions. Then, in 313, Christianity was accepted in the empire; and in 330, when Constantine converted to Christianity, he reunited the empire at Constantinople. It was still the Roman Empire, it just wasn’t centered in Rome. The empire split again in 395, at which time the eastern half became known as the Byzantine Empire. Almost 400 years later, in 800, yet another empire was established, the Holy Roman Empire centered in Rome. The Byzantines continued on as before in the east. So again there were two empires, but still one religion. That, however, was to change as well some 200 years later when, in 1054, Christianity began to be practiced as 2 entirely separate religions: Roman Catholicism and Christian Orthodoxy.
INTRO Diocletian
split Roman empire into East and WestUsed tetrarchs (officials) to rule districts
ConstantineBuilt ConstantinopleTried to reunite E & W (didn’t go so well…
Byzantium ppl probs… like Visigoth invaders and Huns)
Rome slowly collapses, well, Western RomeChristianity, law, and culture survive in
Eastern Rome, (Byzantine Empire.)
EARLY BYZANTINE EMPIRE Early challenges:
Conflict with Sasanid dynasty (226-641 C.E.) in Persia
Invasions of Germanic groups from the north & east
The early Byzantine State Tightly centralized rule of emperor Caesaropapism:
Divine favor for his rule Secular ruler AND played important roles in
ecclesiastical affairs Emperors also stood above the law
JUSTINIAN AND THEODORA
JUSTINIAN & HIS LEGACY Justinian and Theodora
Both came from obscure origins Theodora was a wise advisor
Hagia SophiaDomed roof; heavy use of precious metals &
jewels Justinian Code
Issued the Corpus iuris civilis (The Body of the Civil Law) Definitive codification of Roman law
The code influenced civil law codes of western Europe
Belisarius and Byzantine conquests Belisarius reconquered most of the W. Roman
empire Threats from Sasanid and Slavic peoples$$$$ successors w/drew forces
BYZANTINE LIFE
AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY The peasantry
The backbone of the Byzantine army and economy Worked as share-croppers or serfs Invasions of the 6th & 7th century led to the
theme system (explanation in a few slides) 11th century-free peasants declined
Consequences of the peasantry's decline Large landowners shifted tax burden to peasants Large landowners raised forces on their own
estates The pool of military recruits shrank
INDUSTRY & TRADE Manufacturing enterprises
Artisans & craftsmen: glassware, linen/woolen textiles, gems, jewelry, gold/silver work
High-quality silk principal supplier of silk in Med. Basin
Trade Constantinople, an important center for Eurasian
trade Bezant – Byzantine gold coin became the standard
currency of the Mediterranean basin Levying of custom duties on foreign goods “Upgrading” commodities before redistributing
them Trade Organization
Banks- gave business loans Merchant partnerships- pool resources; limit risk
URBAN LIFE Housing in Constantinople
Enormous palaces owned by aristocrats Less splendid dwellings owned by the less
privileged classes Attractions of Constantinople
A city of baths, taverns, restaurants, theaters, the Hippodrome
The most popular game - chariot races Greens vs. Blues
The two factions of fans for chariot races Frequent fights in the street between them In 532 G & B rioted over high taxes left
Constantinople in shambles
“GREEK FIRE”
ISLAMIC CONQUESTS & BYZANTINE REVIVAL
Islamic state Arab peoples conquered the Sasanid empire &
part of Byzantium Prolonged sieges of Constantinople Byzantine survived partly because of "Greek fire"
THEME SYSTEM
Put an imperial province (theme) was placed under the jurisdiction of a general Provide military defense & civil
administration Peasants recruited to army in exchange for
land Strengthened army and agricultural economy Allowed forced to mobilize quickly and resist
Islam Advanced Reconquered Syria from Arab Muslims, the
10th century "Basil the Bulgar Slayer," crushed the
Bulgars in the Balkans
BYZANTIUM & WESTERN EUROPE
BYZANTIUM & WESTERN EUROPE TENSIONS Ecclesiastical tensions
Constantinople: conducted affairs in Greek, caesaropapist emperors, patriarch, iconoclasms,
Rome: conducted affairs in Latin, religious autonomy from imperial authorities, pope, icons, (Churches in the east and west looked down upon each
other )
1054 – patriarch & pope MUTUALLY excommunicated each other SCHISM
BYZANTIUM & WESTERN EUROPE TENSIONS
Political grievances Germanic ppls, Visigoths, Vandals, Franks, set up
successor states (and Byz leaders couldn’t do anything about it) Charlemagne received imperial crown from the pope
in 800 Otto of Saxony claimed himself an emperor in 962 these directly challenged Byzantine claims to
imperial authority
BYZANTINE CHURCH Church and state
Caesaropapist emperors active in religious & theological matters
Constantine organized Council of Nicaea Debated Jesus' human vs. divine status divine won
Iconoclasm Instituted by Emperor Leo III in 726 C.E. “breaking of icons” – destroying religious images &
forbidding their use in churches protests and riots
Policy abandoned in 843 C.E. Greek Philosophy and Byzantine theology
Examining religious issues from a philosophical point of view
Trying to combine Christian revelation w/ Greek reason
MONASTICISM & POPULAR PIETY Asceticism
Extreme asceticism and self-denial by some Christians to demonstrate their holy lives
"Pillar saints"
Monasticism The earliest monasteries of dedicated hermits,
ascetics Reforms of monasteries by St. Basil, the 4th
century C.E. Monasteries
provided social services to local communities Not centers of learning as monasteries of Western Europe
DOMESTIC PROBLEMS & FOREIGN PRESSURES
Social problems Generals and local aristocrats – powerful elite class Few free peasants fewer military recruits and less tax
income
Challenges from the west Norman army took over southern Italy Crusades by Normans, etc, carved out pieces of Byz. The 4th crusade seized Constantinople in1204 (taken
back in 1261)
Challenges from the east The Muslim Saljuqs invaded Anatolia Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, the end
of the empire
EARLY RELATIONS W/ SLAVIC PEOPLES Byzantium & Slavic regions
The peoples included Serbs, Croats, and Bulgars
Relationship through political diplomacy, commercial & cultural connection
Missions to the Slavs Saints Cyril and Methodius
Developed Cyrillic alphabet to best represent Slavic languages
Cyrillic writing stimulated conversion to Orthodox Christianity
ST. CYRIL AND METHODIUS & CYRILLIC WRITING
BYZANTIUM & RUSSIA Russians started to organize a large
state
The conversion of Prince Vladimir, 989 Invited merchants, teachers & engineers to
increase relationship Byzantine art and architecture dominated Kiev
The growth of Kiev a conduit for the spread of Byzantine culture and
religion The princes established caesaropapist control of
Russian Orthodox church Russians later claimed to inherit the imperial
mantle of Byzantium
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