Transcript The Byzantine Empire and Russia

Global 9
THE BYZANTINE
EMPIRE AND RUSSIA
ORIGINS
The Eastern half of the Roman Empire
 Emperor Constantine built Constantinople on
site of Greek city of Byzantium
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GEOGRAPHY
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Constantinople was the center of the Byzantine
Empire
On a peninsula
Overlooking the Bosporus (strait connecting Black Sea
to the Mediterranean)
Good harbor
LOCATION
Constantinople controlled
key trade routes because of its
central location.
 This area blended Greek,
Roman, and Christian influences
and spread them to other regions
of the world.
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THE AGE OF JUSTINIAN
Justinian- Emperor
527-565 determined to
revive ancient Rome by
recovering lost provinces
 Recovered North Africa,
Italy, Southern Spain
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JUSTINIAN CODE
Emperor Justinian set up a
commission to collect, revise,
and organize all the laws of
Ancient Rome
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Created the Corpus Juris Civilis
“Body of Civil Law” (Justininan’s Code)
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By 1100 these laws had reached Western Europe
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Catholic church and Medieval monarchs modeled their laws on
these principles
HAGIA SOPHIA
Justinian wanted to restore Roman glory in
architecture as well.
 Greatest accomplishment- the Church of Hagia
Sophia
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ABSOLUTE POWER
Justinian rule with
absolute power (Autocrat)
 Power over churchChrist’s co-ruler
 Unlike feudal monarchs
he combined political
power and spiritual
authority
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AFTER JUSTINIAN
Attacks by Persians, Slavs, Vikings, Mongols, and Turks
unsuccessful
 Served as a buffer to Western Europe
 Strong central government,
and prosperous economy
 Peasants were backbone
of empire- worked the land,
paid taxed, served in military
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BYZANTINE CHURCH
Events leading to Schism (permanent split) between
Byzantine (Greek Orthodox) and Roman Catholic Churches
Western Europe
Eastern (Byzantine)
•Pope head of spiritual matters
•Used Latin as language
•Priests can not get married
•Christmas was the chief holy day
•Icons (holy images)- Christ, Virgin Mary,
saints
•Pope excommunicated emperor
•Emperor controlled church affairs
•Use Greek as language
•Clergy had right to marry
•Easter was the chief holy day
• outlawed honoring of icons
•Great resentment against the pope
CRISIS AND COLLAPSE
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By the time of the schism the Byzantine empire was in decline
Local lords gained power
Normans conquered southern Italy
Seljuk Turks advanced across Asia Minor
THE CRUSADES
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1090’s Byzantine emperor called for help to fight the Turks
The result- The First Crusade
Problems between Byzantine Empire and Venice arose
Venetian merchants persuaded knights to attack
Constantinople in 1204
CONSTANTINOPLE FALLS
1453 Ottoman forces surrounded
Constantinople lead by Mohammad II
 Capital became known as Istanbul- a center of
Muslim culture
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BYZANTINE HERITAGE
For almost 1000 years
the Byzantine empire
continued Hellenistic
culture
 Blended Christian religious
beliefs with Greek science,
philosophy, arts, and literature
 Extended Roman
achievement in engineering
and law
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BYZANTINE ARTS
Great contributions
especially in religious
art and architecture
 Famous mosaics
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WORLD OF LEARNING
Scholars preserved classic
works of ancient Greece
 Famous historians- Anna
Comnena first famous female
historian wrote- the Alexiad
analyzing reign of her father
Emperor Alexius I
 Work of Greek scholars
contributed to growth of
knowledge known as the
Renaissance
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