Heirs to Rome: The
Byzantine Empire
World History: Libertyville
HS
Where Was the ERE?
•
Capitol, Constantinople,
located at narrowest
point between Europe,
Asia (Hellespont)
Major trade routes to
North / South
•
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–
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North, to Rus / Vikings
South, to Anatolia / ME
Major trade routes West
/ East
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West, to Europe
East, to India / China
Bosphorus Straits, location of
Constantinople (Istanbul)
Why Constantinople?
•
•
•
•
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Great location for a city (trade, easily
defended)
Control the Black Sea assured
Legacy of the Greeks, Romans
City first built as a fortress (walls, location)
Riches of East allowed for tribute to pay off
invaders
Who Were They?
•
•
To inhabitants, they
were simply the
Roman Empire
Emperors continued
in unbroken
succession from
Caesar to Diocletian
and beyond
Statue of Augustus
When did Byzantine Empire Begin?
• When Diocletian divided
empire?
• When Constantine moved
capitol from Rome to Const?
• When Theodosius made
divisions of Empire permanent?
• Or Fall of Western Empire in
476 AD?
• Or when Heraclius (ca. 620)
made Greek the official
language of the East & its
conflicts focused in that
direction?
Hmm . . . So when did it begin?
Justinian I (527-565)
•
•
Introduced Law Code, a revision of old Roman
laws, in Greek
Great general, Belisarius, helped recapture
much of traditional Roman Empire (Italy,
Africa, part of Spain)
Expansion of Byzantine Empire from start of Justinian’s rule to his death
Justinian I
Construction of the Hagia Sophia, the greatest
church built east of Rome, completed
Justinian I
•
But with death of
Justinian, territory gained
in West was quickly lost
Empire almost fell in late
500s
•
–
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Persians reached Nile
River & Bosphorus
Slavs overran the Balkans
in Europe and laid siege to
Constantinople itself
Byzantine Empire, 600-1025
•
Savior of Empire =
Heraklius (610-640)
–
•
Emperor who
considered abandoning
Constantinople
Reforms
–
–
–
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Gave soldiers land in
frontier
Soldiers paid no taxes
Sons of soldiers =
soldiers themselves
Reorganized provinces
into themes, under
control of General
Byzantine Themes, ca 620 AD
(yellow) and 900 AD (in pink)
Heraklius
• Successes
– Longest period of Byz.
Empire success, creativity
– Re-established Byz. Empire
in Balkans
– By 629 AD, recaptured
most of ME (Jerusalem)
• Rise of Islam put Byz,
Empire on the defense
– Lost Mesopotamia, Syria,
Egypt, Africa by 700 AD
Byzantine Empire, 600-1025
• Spread of Orthodox
Christianity
– Two monks, Cyril and
Methodius, spread Orthodox
faith into Balkans and Slavic
lands (Poland, Russia, etc)
– Cyrillic Alphabet, to Russians
• Greek orthodox spread
throughout Eastern
Europe
– Monks, scholars, artists
followed, giving culture
distinct Byzantine flavor
Cyril and Methodius
Decline of the Byzantine Empire
•
•
Death of Basil II in
1025 led to conflict
between military
themes, civilian
nobility in capital
By 1081, Byzantine
Empire had been
reduced to Greece
due to civil war,
pressure from Turks
Byzantine Empire, 1081
Decline of Byzantine Empire
• 1100s were a
“Renaissance” of the
Empire
– Economy
flourished, revival
in art, re-captured
SE Europe
– Helped by Western
Crusaders, starting
in 1097
Fall of the Byzantine Empire
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Weak ruler took throne
in 1185 (emptied
treasury for gifts,
churches - not defense)
1204 – Fourth Crusade
and the sack of
Constantinople by
Crusaders / Venetians
Led to fragmentation of
empire & successor
states trying to control
area
Sack of Constantinople
in 1453 by Ottomans:
85k v. 7k defenders
Crusaders enter Constantinople
Legacy of Byzantine Empire
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Most (only!) stable state during
European Middle Ages
Expert military, diplomacy saved
Europe from Muslim invasion
Trade center brought many peoples into
contact with one another
Transmission of classical knowledge
from Islamic world to West, helping
bring about European Renaissance