origins surviving eastern half of roman empire byzantine rulers saw themselves as roman emperors ...
TRANSCRIPT
• Origins Surviving eastern half of
Roman Empire Byzantine rulers saw
themselves as Roman emperors
Constantinople founded by Constantine on site of Greek colony of Byzantium
Constantine
• Early Byzantine Period From 324 CE to 842 CE
Emperor Justinian I Empress Theodora General Belisarius and
reconquest of empire – peak of territory
Codification of Roman law
Emperor Justinian and Theodora
• The Middle Byzantine Period 843-1081 CE
Golden Age Extended power over
Middle Eastern lands previously lost to Muslims
Use of secret weapons such as Greek Fire
Byzantine court life adopted by other rulers
Period of wealth and military strength
Greek Fire in action
• The Crusades Period 1081-1204 CE
Emperor Alexius Comnenus Call to West for help versus Seljuk
Turks Constantinople base for operations Dislike between Western
“Barbarians” and Byzantine “Sissies” Sack of Constantinople 1204 –
Fourth Crusade
• Byzantine Decline 1261-1453 Empire restored to
Byzantine control Territories lost to
Ottoman Turks Commerce dominated
by Italian city-states of Venice and Genoa
The Black Death in 1300’s
1453 - Constantinople fell to Ottoman Turks
Ottoman ruler, Mehmet II, directs the attack on Constantinople
Byzantine Empire – Animated Map
Hellenic – from the Greek word “Hellenes”
The Greek word for “Greece”
Constantinople - The fortified capital of the Byzantine Empire
• External threats:Sassanid
EmpireHunsGermanic tribesMuslimsVenice
Attila the Hun
• The EmperorByzantine rulers wielded absolute power –
“divinely” appointedEarly emperors elected to office by the
Senate, the army, and the peopleDynasties and co-emperorsPomp and ceremony used to awe
diplomats
• Byzantine GovernmentLogothesia- government ministers that ran
day-to-day administrationImperial Senate- advised the emperor and
provided a pool for higher appointmentsEunuchs- held positions closest to the
emperorHigh Chamberlain- chief of the Eunuchs
• Byzantine BureaucracyGoal to expand Byzantine influence and
protect the empire through vassal statesLogothete of the Dromus-
Spied on foreign ambassadors / visitorsKept notes on strengths / weaknesses of other
nations
• Byzantine BureaucracyByzantine ambassadors spied on the nations to
which they were postedBribes were used to buy off enemies and pay
enemies of friendly states to keep those states off-balance
“Stables” of potential heirs to foreign thrones were maintained for possible use
What does the word “byzantine” mean today? Why?
• The Family Oldest male dominated the householdUnlike Rome, children were protected from
incest, and could not be sold or abandonedParents were required by law to find
spouses for childrenChildlessness was viewed by society as a
disaster
Upper-class children were educatedLower-class children received little to no educationThe primary duty of a woman was to marry, bear
children, and run the householdMarriage contracts agreed upon disposition of
propertyWomen could inherit and dispose of property in
any way they wished
Upper-class females were secluded and veiled
Seclusion extended into the home itselfWomen had their own quarters surrounded
by slaves and servants (her gynaeceum)If women ventured outside the home she
was accompanied by her gynaeceumVery few women were educated
• Byzantine ArtRoman architectural
traditionsHagia SophiaMosaicsThe Icon
• Iconoclasm Initiated by Emperor Leo the
Isaurian and son, Emperor Constantine V
Eighth century Worship of icons seen as
idolatry Appropriation of Church wealth
by emperor Destruction of Byzantine art
form Back to status quo in ninth
centuryIcon of Madonna and Child
• Effects of Iconoclasm on the West Iconoclasm damaged
relations between Byzantines and Christian West - Pope against iconoclastic movement
Western Christianity turned away from Byzantines and to the Franks for support
Icon of Mother and Child
• Byzantine Religion Emperor chosen by God
– head of Church Patriarch – highest
Church official First Christian
monasteries 1054 - Papal claims to
primacy led to split of Church creating Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches
• Byzantine ReligionOrthodox
missionaries converted Slavs in Balkans, Ukraine, and Russia
Saint Cyril developed Cyrillic alphabet for Slavs
Saint Cyril
• The Byzantine EconomyCenter of trade –
locationTrade routes
MediterraneanSilk RoadBlack SeaRussian
The Byzantine Nomisma
Government influence on industrySilk industryConcessions to
foreign merchants
Competitors VeniceGenoa – Genoese
coins supplanted Byzantine Nomisma
Byzantine silk found in tomb of Charlemagne
Byzantines: Roman or Greek?
• Greek replaced Latin as state language around 610 CE with ascension of Emperor Heraclius (Greek)
• Subsequent emperors ethnically Greek
• Chariot races • Baths• Emphasis on bureaucracy• Roman law• Center of Christianity in East Chariot races in the Hippodrome
Impact of Byzantines on Neighbors
• Societies most influenced were Balkans, Ukraine, and Russia
• Byzantine religion, art, architecture, and court life were adopted
• Russia adopted Byzantine double-headed eagle as royal symbol
• Russian rulers adopted title of “Caesar” (Tsar)• Russia considered itself “The Third Rome” and heir to
the Byzantines after the fall of Constantinople