Transcript Byzantine Empire - Mr. Heusing's Website

Byzantine Empire
After the Western Roman Empire fell to
German barbarian invasions in the 5th century,
the Eastern Roman Empire, with its capital at
Constantinople, repelled the invasions and
went on to survive for 1000 more years
Known by historians as the Byzantine Empire
Played important role in –
preserving and spreading the culture of ancient
Greeks and Romans
Constantinople: A Strategic City
Where Europe & Asia Meet
Located on a peninsula that
overlooked the Bosporus Strait
Controlled movement between
Mediterranean & Black Seas
Key trade center between East &
West
Natural protection
from invaders:
water on 3 sides
Triple Walls
fortified open
side
The Golden Horn –
inlet could be
blocked off with
iron chains
Fortifications
Greek fire…
Modern Istanbul
Eastern Roman Empire
Politically: Highly centralized; emperor;
superb military, defenses; Roman Law
(theoretically innocent until proven guilty;
evidence to convict)
Economically: trade crossroads=
prospered; but also had excellent
agricultural production & manufacturing
Culturally: uniform church (enforced –
heretics persecuted); church subject to
Emperor in practice; art/architecture
Why did the Byzantine
Empire develop this way?
Why did it eventually
collapse?
Justinian & Theodora –
ruled Byz. Empire 527-565 CE
Muslim Ottoman Turks
Conq. Constantinople 1453 CE
Primary source: Precopius
 Read the assigned excerpt:
 What were the major
accomplishments of Justinian &
Theodora?
 What were their characteristics as
rulers?
 What effect did their rule have on
the Empire?
Justinian and
Theodora
Justinian & wife, Theodora
6th century Emperor & Empress
Gave women more rights – own land,
business, protection from spousal abuse
 Justinian’s army : Put down Nika
Rebellion & crushed rebels & heretics
Expanded the empire
Theodora & Her Attendants
Justinian and His Attendants
Brief expansion of empire…
Byzantine Art
Glorified religion
Icons –
Mosaics –
Illuminated manuscripts - artists tried to preserve what
they believed to be the true
appearances of the religious
figures
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
Illuminated
manuscript
Byzantine
Architecture
Greatest form of Byzantine art
Hagia Sophia, meaning “holy
wisdom” Greatest masterpiece
Huge building in form of a cross
huge dome that rests on massive
columns
Hagia Sophia
Inside
Hagia
Sophia
Justinian’s Code
Justinian had Roman laws
codified and classified
Preserved Rome’s legal heritage
Principles like innocent until
proven guilty
later became the basis for most
European legal systems
Conflict in the Christian Church
Arguments over use of icons & Nature of
Christ (monophysite vs dual) –
dual nature prevailed
persecuted monophysites as heretics
AD 726 Byz Emperor condemned icons;
supporters: iconoclasts (image breakers)
All church leaders resisted order and were
supported by the Roman Pope - so both
sides used “images”
But causes rift
First split (schism) in Christendom
east and west argued over religious authority
Pope in Rome & Patriarch of
Constantinople each declared their “seat” the
supreme church authority +
Other differences in custom & ritual…
Eventually led to a schism in 1054 AD
Roman Catholic Church in West and
Eastern Orthodox Church in East
Eventual weakening
of the Empire
 Muslim Seljuk Turks  Crusades  Ottoman Turks – conquered
Constantinople 1453;
 Istanbul
Legacy of the Byzantine Empire
 Preserved writings of ancient Greeks
and Romans and the importance of
scholarship
 Codified and preserved Roman Law
(Code of Justinian)
 Spread Christianity (Eastern Orthodox
Church) to the Russians and other
eastern Europeans
 … cultural diffusion
Next:
 How did early Russia
develop & how was that
development influenced by
the Byzantine Empire?
 Look at maps…
Pink:
Kievan Rus
The Kievan Rus
 Kiev developed along the Dnieper
River- important trade route
connecting Baltic Sea and Black Sea
 Byzantine goods & culture traveled along
the river systems
 Other geographic features
 steppe –
 taiga -
Steppe in southern Russia
influenced by both
Byzantines [south] and
Scandinavians
(Vikings/Swedes/
“Varangians”) [north]
Kievan Rus
•language/nationality: Slavic
•Gov’t from Varangians?
•Principalities - area ruled by a prince
•Boyars - nobles (large landowners)
•farming & hunting main livelihood
Important Developments
during the Kievan Rus
all influenced by the Byzantines
 Alphabet
 religion
 law code
 Art/architecture
 9th century: Cyrillic Alphabet
 alphabet for the Slavic languages
 Named for St. Cyril, a Greek monk who,
with Methodius, created a writing system to
western slavic Christian converts in the midninth century (c.860)
 The Cyrillic alphabet is closely based on the
Greek alphabet - with about a dozen
additional letters invented to represent Slavic
sounds not found in Greek.
Hello, I am called Ivan
Selvia. Today I will
study/learn the Russian
language. Will you also
study/learn?
12th century Cyrillic script
Vladimir I
11th century
 Investigated various religions
 adopted Eastern Orthodox Christianity
(because of Hagia Sophia’s magnificence
 mass baptism for his subjects
 married Byzantine princess
 brought Byzantine culture to Kiev
 Metropolitan (chief bishop) appointed
Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Novgorod
Yaroslav the wise (I):
Vladimir’s son
 Established first
• school
• library
• law code (Russkaia Pravda)
•but Kiev declined after his
death - became part of
Mongol Empire
Russian Icon
Byzantine influence
 alphabet adapted from
Greek (Cyrillic)
 Religion (Eastern Orthodox)
 Law code - ish
 art (icons) and architecture
After Yaroslav
 Disorder & disunity
 ca. 1250 - Conquered by the
Mongols… for 240 years!
 Little contact with central and
western Europe