Chapter 13

The Byzantine Commonwealth

Background• Vestiges of the Roman Empire• Dominate until the 1100’s, existed

until 1453• Large impact on Russian and Slavic

culture• Byzantine Commonwealth refers to

area of influence beyond formal borders

Early Byzantine Empire

• Excellent site – defensible, good harbor, site of major crossroads

• Constantinople becomes capital of Roman empire in 340 BCE

• Empire con’t to shrink over time, with occasional periods of expansion

• Kept Roman institutions/advances, avoids “Dark Ages”

• Dev. own unique and complicated culture• Main threat during early centuries was

the Sasanid Dynasty of the Persian Empire (226-641 BCE)

Byzantine Empire

• Imperial, autocratic rule• Emperor

– Absolute power– Complex rituals– Took on aspect of divinity, control of theology

– ceasaropapism

• Large complex bureaucracy • Byzantine Court

– Complex rituals and etiquette– Theatrical component

Justinian (r. 527-565) and Theodora

• Both came from lower class backgrounds

• Generally reigned as co-rulers• Quashed internal rebellion with large

military actions• Launched rebuiling of Constantinople

– Hagia Sophia• Justinian’s Code

– Reorganized Roman Civil Law– Heavy influence on western world law

Belisarius & Byzantine Expansion

• Justinian’s top general – campaigned 533 – 540

• Justinian wanted to recreate the whole of the Roman Empire

• Successful in terms of expansion, but unable to establish occupation and administration force to maintain such a large empire

• 561 BCE falling out between Belisarius and Justinian – numerous myths – basically peaceful retirement

Competition with the Islamic Empire• Later 600’s, early 700’s

• Conquered Persian empire and pushed back Byzantine frontiers

• Laid siege to Constantinople (674-678, 717-718)

• Byzantine military made use of “Greek Fire” – retained control of Asia Minor, Greece, and SE Europe

• Smaller size of Byz. Emp, actually allowed for a revival

Imperial Reorganization

• Theme system – Put jurisdictions under the control of a general

who also acted as a governor – Closely supervised– Recruited military from free peasants in return

for land– Improved agricultural production – Allowed for quick militia style mobilization

• Successful enough to allow for imperial expansion

• By 11th century, came to dominate Med. Basin again

Tension Between East and West

• Conflict between Catholic and Orthodox faiths

• Religious conflicts – issues of faith and practice, arguments between pope & patriarchs

• Political conflicts – creation of Holy Roman Empire (Charlemagne)

• Eventually led to military conflict in Italy

Byzantine Economy and Society

• Agriculture – • Dependent on grain from Egypt • Free peasants who owned small parcels of

land– Protected by imperial gov’t until 1000’s – Decline of free peasantry will cause military decline

• Serfs worked large estates for the wealthy – Did not pay taxes – Undermine power of gov’t– Last three centuries of Byz Emp, chronic, slow

decline

Industry and Trade

• Wealthy state regardless of internal/external problems – – largely due to trade –– location! location! location!– Bezant becomes currency of the Med. Sea

• Huge manufacturing enterprises within urban areas

• Silk industry by 500’s • Business methods – partnerships, dynamic

system of banking - allowed less affluent merchants to start up competitive businesses

Urban Life

• Extremely luxurious lifestyle for upper class

• Women lived in seclusion • Roman traditions (baths, hippodrome,

“bawdy houses)• Chariot Racing

– “Blues and Greens” –• rivalry on and off track, led to public unrest and

revolts • Eventually evolve into civic committees

Classical Heritage and the Orthodox Church

• Influence of Classical Greece– Greek replaced Latin as the spoken language – Greater focus on classical Greece than Rome– School system based on Greek models

• Byzantine Christianity – Close link with gov’t – 325 CE Council of Nicea – radically changed

and organized Christian beliefs– Icon Controversy (p332) Byzantine officials

tried to ban saints, other religious icons c. 726 CE, caused further split with Catholic Church (834 – Iconoclasty is abandoned)

Conflicts between Catholic & Orthodox Christianity

• Icon Controversy • Many small debates– bread, beards• Larger conflicts over doctrine • Conflicts between popes and

patriarchs over power – 1054 – Pope of Rome and Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated each other

Influence of Byz Emp on Eastern Europe

• Greater attention to Eastern Europe with development of Islamic Empire

• Relations with E.E kingdoms became increasingly friendly

• Byz missionaries sought converts in E.E. • Cyril and Methodus (monks) created Cyrillic

alphabet for Slavic languages • Very close ties between Byz Emp and Russia

– Kiev was Russian capital – Volga & Dneiper rivers connected Scandinavia, Russia, and Constantinople

– 989 Prince Vladimir converted to Orthodox Christianity – Considerable intermarriage between royal families– Considered itself to be the “Third Rome” after the fall of

Constantinople

Fall of Byzantine Emperor

• Theme system eventually created problems • Loss of free peasantry, too much power in

the hands of the aristocrats • Expansion and development of western

Europe in the 1100’s• Crusades – 4th Crusade attacked

Constantinople • Anatolia conquered by Seljuk Turks – loss

of farmland crippling (1100’s) • Ottoman Turks conquer Constantinople

1453