Transcript Byzantine Empire - Levittown School District

Christian Civilizations in
Eastern Europe: Byzantium
& Orthodox Europe
Chapter 9
Byzantine Empire
•The Byzantine Empire with territory in the Balkans, the
Middle East, and the eastern Mediterranean, maintained very
high levels of political, economic, and cultural life between
500 and 1450 C.E.
•The Byzantine Empire, once part of the greater Roman
Empire continued flourishing from an eastern Mediterranean
base after Roman decline
•The empire continued many Roman patterns and spread its
Orthodox Christian civilization through most of eastern
Europe.
Emperor Constantine in the 4th c.
established capital at
Constantinople
Greek became the official
language after the 6th c.
The empire benefited from the
high level of civilization in the
former Hellenistic world
(Alexander the Great) and from
the region’s prosperous
commerce
Important New Center
Constantinople
– “Second Rome”
Located on a strait that
linked Mediterranean and
Black Seas
Key trading route linking
Europe, Africa and Asia
– Buffer between
Western Europe and
Asia
Hellenistic culture – After Alexander’s death, Greek art,
education, and culture merged with those in the Middle East
Byzantine Heritage
Built on the
Hellenistic culture
– Christian beliefs
– Greek science, art and
literature
– Roman engineering
Byzantine Empire-(Eastern Roman Empire)
The Age of Justinian 527-565
Byzantine empire
reached greatest size
Wanted to recover what
had been lost during the
fall of Rome
•Justinian rebuilt
Constantinople in classical
style; among the architectural
achievements was the huge
church of Hagia Sophia
•Body of Civil Law – Justinian’s codification of Roman law;
reconciled Roman edicts and decisions; made Roman law a
coherent basis for political and economic life; Justinian’s greatest
achievement
•The revived empire withstood the 7th c. advance of Arab
Muslims, although important regions were lost along the
eastern Mediterranean and the northern Middle East
•Hagia Sophia – Great domed church constructed during the
reign of Justinian
During Middle Ages
Dispute over use of icons (Holy Images)
contributed to split
Byzantine Emperor outlawed prayer to icons
Two branches of Christianity grew further
apart
1054 provoked a permanent split between
Byzantine, Eastern (Greek) Orthodox and
Roman Catholic Church
Iconoclasm – refers to policies or people who
oppose the religious use of images and
advocate the destruction of such images
CHRISTIANS DIVIDED!
Divisions in the Church
West - Rome
Pope in Rome
Latin Language
Most important holy
day = Christmas
East - Constantinople
Patriarch in the
Byzantine - rejected
Pope’s authority
Clergy could marry
Greek Language
Most important holy
day = Easter
West vs. East
•The final break between the two churches occurred in 1054 over
arguments about the type of bread used in the mass and the
celibacy of priests
•The long decline
began in 11th c.
•Muslim-Turkish
(Seljuk Turks)
invaders seized
almost all of the
empires of Asian
provinces, removing
the most important
sources of taxes and
food
•Crusaders took Constantinople in 1204 (4th Crusade)
•A smaller empire struggled to survive for another two centuries
•In 1453, the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople
What happened to the Byzantine?
Crusades
– Byzantine emperor called for help to fight the
Muslims headed for Jerusalem
Muslims took control of northern territories
– Muslims eventually took Constantinople
and renamed it Istanbul
Ural Mountains provide a
physical boundary
Wanted Moscow to be the “Third
Rome”
3 regions helped shape early
Russian life
– North - Lumber and hunting
– South - Fertile land for
farming
– Steppe - treeless grassland
Open to nomads from Asia
and Europe
Rise of Russia
“Steppe Areas”
Great “Highway”
Rivers linked
Byzantine to Russia
•Vladimir I – ruler of Kiev (9801015) converted kingdom to
orthodox Christianity
•Russian Orthodox – Russian
form of Christianity brought from
the Byzantine Empire
First Civilization
Kiev in Present day
Ukraine
Home of vital trading
networks
Would become the
center of the first
Russian state
Boyars – Russian
landholding aristocrats;
possessed less political
power than their
western European
•Kiev – Commercial city in
counterparts
Ukraine established by
Scandinavians in 9th c.; became
the center for a kingdom that
flourished until the 12th c.
Kiev and the Byzantine Empire
Trade helped Kiev enter the Byzantine empire
957 Princess Olga of Kiev converted to
Byzantine Christianity
– Grandson spread religion which gained strength
– Later Prince Vladimir married the Byzantine
emperor’s sister for political reasons, thus he
accepted Eastern Orthodox Christianity for himself
and his people
Russians started to adapt religious art, music,
and architecture
Onion Domes
Ttype of architectural dome that frequently
adorns Russian Orthodox Churches.
The domes are often brightly
painted; the colors symbolize
different aspects of religion.
– Green, blue, and gold domes represent
the Holy Trinity, the Spirit of God, and
Jesus, respectively.
Mongol “Influences”
Mongols - Nomadic people from central Asia;
United by Chinnghis Khan
Looted and burned city of Kiev
Russian princes had to pay money to rule
without Mongol interference
Mongol rule cut off Russian contacts with
Western Europe which were making
advances in art and science
Russian Orthodox grows stronger due to
religious toleration
Tatars – Mongols who conquered Russian
cities during the 13th c.; left Russian
church and aristocracy intact
Moscow Takes Lead
With their location near
trading rivers, Moscow
steadily increased their
power
Head of Russian Orthodox
church made Moscow capital
Moscow became political
and spiritual center of Russia
“Ivan the Great” - Ivan III
Recovered Russian
territories that were
lost to invaders
Tried to limit the
power of boyars
(landowning nobles)
Took on the title of
Czar (Russian for
Caesar)
“Ivan the Terrible” - Ivan IV
Grandson of Ivan III
Nobles granted land for
military service
Tied serfs to land
Introduced Russia to
extreme absolute power
in Eastern Europe
Recap
Byzantine:
Greek language
Claimed right to appoint
the head of the church
Did not accept Pope as
leader of the church
Taxes provided money to
run a government & army
Western Europe:
Latin language in
churches
Pope had power and
the people accepted
Trade, town life and
learning declined
after the fall of Rome
Shaping Eastern Europe
Geography makes the
area a “cultural
crossroad”
Crusades will bring in
Muslims to area
The Least You Need to Know
Byzantine Empire a crossroads of trade
and a center of cultural diffusion between
the East and the West
Byzantine missionaries spread Orthodox
Christianity to the Slavic and Germanic
tribes
Continued
The East Slavs migrated to Kiev to form
an independent city-state which was later
conquered by the Mongols
The principality of Moscow overthrew the
Mongols and maintained a strong tie with
Byzantine culture, identifying itself by
extension with the tradition of imperial
Rome