Transcript The Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire
World History I
Heritage High School
Mr. Irwin
The Byzantine Empire – 565 C.E.
The New Eastern Empire
• When the Western Roman Empire fell
in 476, the eastern empire still survived
as the Byzantine Empire
• Lasted for 1000 years after fall of
Rome
• Capital city – Constantinople
– Center of trade
– Easily fortified site on a peninsula
bordering natural harbor
Constantinople - Center of Trade
Byzantine Empire became wealthy due to being center of trade
Justinian (ruled 527 – 565)
• Byzantine emperors
enjoyed absolute power
• Expanded empire
• Beautified
Constantinople
• Created Justinian Code
of Law
• Relied heavily on wife,
Theodora, to help run
empire
Justinian Conquers (Again)
• Justinian reconquered lands lost by the
Eastern Empire
• Lands included parts of Italy, Africa, and
Spain
Rebuilt Constantinople
• Justinian began rebuilding the capital,
Constantinople, after being damaged in
a revolt
• Rebuilt city walls
• Built schools, hospitals, courts,
churches
• Most famous church and great
architectural achievement was the
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Byzantine Art
• Greatly inspired by Christianity
and imperial power
• Icons – religious images
• Mosaics - the art of creating
images using small pieces of
colored glass, stone, or other
material
Icons
Mosaics
Influence of Roman Law –
Justinian Code
• Justinian was highly influenced by Roman law
– Had 10 scholars look through thousands of
Roman laws to develop own code of law
• Developed Justinian Code – uniform code of law
based on Roman law
– Included laws on marriage, slavery, property,
women’s rights, and crime
– Laws were strict but fair
– Gave same rights to everyone – rich or poor
• Highly influential – laws became model for
lawmakers in Europe and our own laws
Influence of Roman and Greek Culture
• Byzantines spoke Greek
• Studied Latin, Greek, Roman
literature and history
Tension between Eastern and
Western Christian Churches
• Division of the Roman empire affected the
Christian Church
• In the east – emperor had control over head of
church
– Caused by different cultural practices
– Limited contact between areas
– Religious practices developed differently
• In the west – lack of emperor gave pope more
responsibilities
• Western pope claimed control over all Christian
churches in east and west
• Eastern church rejected authority of pope
The Church Divides
• Christian Church split in 1054
– Known as “The Great Schism”
– Roman Catholic Church in the west
• Catholic – “universal”
• Latin – official language
– Eastern Orthodox Church in the east
• Orthodox – “holding established
beliefs”
• Greek – official language
• Split led to creation of two separate
European civilizations
The Western Church (Roman
Catholic)
VS
the Eastern Church (Orthodox)
(Write these down!)
• The Western Church (Roman
Catholic)
– Services conducted in Latin
– The Pope had authority over
all other bishops
– The Pope claims authority
over all kings and emperors
– Priests may not marry; this is
called celibacy
– Divorce is not permitted
– Church is centered in Rome; it
is far from the capital of
Constantinople
• The Eastern Church (Eastern
Orthodox)
– Services conducted in Greek and
local languages
– The Patriarch and other bishops
share power over the church
– The emperors claim authority over
the patriarch and the bishops
– Priests may be married
– Divorce is allowed under certain
circumstances
– Church is centered in
Constantinople
Quick Review
• Which church seemed to allows for greater
diversity among its members? Why?
• Who would have more political power: the
pope or the patriarch?
• When you have answered these two
questions, turn to a neighbor and discuss
your answers
Eastern Orthodox Church
Roman Catholic Church
Influence on Russia
• The Byzantine Empire greatly influenced
Russia
• Trade routes between Black Sea and Baltic Sea
• Byzantine missionaries established Orthodox
Churches in Russia
– Russia and most of Eastern Europe adopted
Orthodox Christianity as main religion
• Byzantine missionaries even created an
alphabet, the Cyrillic alphabet, to write the
Bible in Russian.
What is the Cyrillic alphabet and
where did it come from?
• The Cyrillic alphabet
was created by Saint
Cyril and was used
by many Slavic
languages (like
Russian).
• Try writing your
name in Cyrillic!
Russian Orthodox Church
Byzantine Empire Collapses
• New Arabian religion of Islam began in 600s
– Muslims armies attacked Constantinople
• Civil wars, attacks by Ottoman Turks, Serbs,
and Europeans hurt Byzantine Empire
• Only small section of empire remained by
1350
• Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in
1453
– This officially ended the Byzantine Empire