The Byzantine Empire
One God, One Empire, One Religion
Byzantine Empire
• Founded shortly before the beginning of the Christian Eraproud of their Christian and Roman heritage
• Founded on the European side of the Bosporus, midway
between the Mediterranean and Black Seas
• A natural transit point between Europe and Anatolia (Asia
Minor)
• Referred to as the “new Rome” by Constantine
Melting-Pot
• The Byzantine Empire’s fortunes were intimately entwined
with those of Europe and Asia
• Byzantines believed civilization ended with the boundaries of
their world
• However, barbarians (outsiders) would be welcomed if they
accepted Baptism and pledged loyalty to the emperor
• Many traders and visitors
• The result- a melting-pot society
The Reign of Justinian
• The height of the first period of Byzantine history (324-632) was the
reign of Emperor Justinian (r. 537-565) and his wife Empress
Theodora (d. 548)
Justinian’s Reign
Rebuilding
• Justinian was determined to rebuild the city on an even
grander scale than ever before
• His public works included new bridges, public baths,
aqueducts, parks, roads, and hospitals
Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s greatest monument was the magnificent domed
church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), which was
constructed in just five years (53237).
Reclaiming Territory
Justinian Code
• Single, uniform code of laws
• Decided legal questions that regulated whole areas of
Byzantine life
• Consisted of 4 works:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Code
Digest
Institutes
Novellae
Religion in the Byzantine
Empire
Christianity was more than a religion- it was the foundation of
the empire
The Byzantine church became known as the Eastern Orthodox
Church
(Orthodox = “in agreement with right belief”)
Eastern Orthodox Church
• Religion and government more closely linked in the Byzantine
Empire than in the west
• Emperor as head of government and the living representative
of God and Jesus Christ
• Church and state were combined into one all-powerful body
• State religion united people in a common belief and played a
central role in daily life
• Most people attended church regularly
• Religious sacraments for all stages of life
• Monasteries and convents
Church Hierarchy
•
•
•
•
Emperor
Patriarch
Bishop
Priest
Conflict Between East and
West
East
•
•
•
•
Many cities
Much trade
Great wealth
Culture largely shaped by
Greek heritage
• Spoke Greek
• Emperors and patriarchs
had religious authority
West
• Mostly rural and
agricultural
• Not as wealthy
• Culture influenced by
Frankish and Germanic
cultures
• Spoke Latin
• Pope had religious
authority
Conflict- Iconoclasm
• Leo III banned use of
religious images
• Iconoclasm = “icon
smashing”
• This policy leads to
the destruction of
much religious art
• Pope Gregory III
excommunicated the
emperor
Conflict- Holy Roman Emperor
Conflict- Schism
• Cerularius closed all
churches that
worshiped with
western rites
• Cardinal Humbert is
sent to
Constantinople
• Excommunications all
‘round!
The Fourth Crusade
• Crusades- military
campaigns
sanctioned by the
Catholic Church in
the Middle Ages
• Muslim power
growing in the East,
control of Jerusalem
• Crusaders allied with
deposed Byzantine
prince
The Turks Sack Constantinople
• Michael VIII Palaeologos recaptured Constantinople from the
Latins
• Rebirth of the Byzantine Empire
• Ottoman Turks sack Constantinople in 1453
• Turkish culture will take over and the Byzantine Empire ends
The Fall of Constantinople
Contribution to Western Civilization
• Throughout the early Middle Ages, the Byzantine Empire remained a
protective barrier between western Europe and hostile Persian, Arab, and
Turkish armies.
• The Byzantines were also a major conduit of classical learning and science
into the West down to the Renaissance. While western Europeans were
fumbling to create a culture of their own, the cities of the Byzantine Empire
provided them a model of a civilized society.