Transcript The Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire
The Rise, Achievements, Decline,
and Demise of The Byzantine
Empire
A New Rome in a New Setting
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Western Roman Empire crumbled in 5th century
– Overrun by invading Germanic tribes
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_________________________
– Fearing a threat to the empire, Emperor Constantine rebuilds the
old port city of _______________________________
• _______________________________________
• _______________________________________
– Renamed the city Constantinople and made it capital of empire
• It was to be the “___________”
– As a result, an eastern empire gradually came into being
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East and West officially divide in AD 395
– Despite this, eastern successors see themselves as “Roman
Emperors”
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_________
– High ranking Byzantine nobleman succeeds his uncle to the
throne
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Justinian cont…
– Court historian Procopius describes Justinian in two lights…
• First description
– _________
– Even-tempered
– _________________________
• Second description (from “Secret History”)
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Deceitful
Devious
_____
Hypocritical
__________
- Two-faced
- ______
- Skilled in dissembling his thought
- Never moved to tears by joy or pain
– 533, Justinian sends best general ___________ to recover North
Africa from the Vandals
• Achieved this in a few months
– Two years later, ______________________and seizes it from
the Ostrogoths
• In the next 16 years, Rome changes hands _________
– Justinian’s armies win _____________________________
• His territorial power allowed Justinian to give himself the title of new
Ceaser
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Byzantine emperors ruled with _______________
– Headed the __________________
– Politics were brutal, not spiritual
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Lived under constant risk of ________________
– 88 Byzantine emperors
• 29 die violently
• 13 abandon throne and live in monastery
Building the ____________
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The Eastern Roman empire had its own character
– Few spoke Latin, most spoke __________
– Belonged to the ____________________________
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Justinian and panel of ten legal experts combine 400
years of Roman law and legal opinions to form…
________________
– Made up of four works
Justinian Code
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_________- contained nearly 5000 Roman laws
_________- quoted and summarized Rome’s greatest legal thinkers
____________- textbook that told law students how to use laws
____________(New Laws) - presented legislation passed after 534
– This code served the Byzantine empire for over 900 years
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Creating the Imperial Capital
– Justinian launches most ambitious building program ever seen in
the Roman empire
• Rebuilt the massive fortifications surrounding the city (pg 355)
– __________________was Justinian’s greatest passion
• _____________(_____________)
– Most splendid church in the Christian world
– Rich mosaics in the light of thousands of candles and lamps
– Beauty helped convince Russians that their country should adopt
Byzantine Christianity
– Other parts of the building program
• Enlarged palace, baths, aqueducts, law courts, schools, hospitals
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Constantinople’s hectic pace
– Main street through Constantinople called ________________”
• Merchant stalls lined main street
• Shoppers could buy products from England, France, Spain, Africa,
Russia, India, China
• offerings include tin, wine, cork, ivory, gold, fur, honey, timber,
spices, silk, food stands
• Musicians and acrobats performed
– _____________ (60,000 spectators)
• Wild chariot races and circus acts
• Fans of different teams formed
______________________________________________
– 532, Blues and Greens spark _________________
– Belisarius slaughters 30,000 rebels
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Empress ___________
– Justinian’s steely advisor; ___________________________;
major political influence
• 525 they married; she was the ____________________________
• Met with foreign envoys, wrote foreign leaders, passed laws, built
churches