The Byzantine Empire
330-1453 AD
Rise of the Byzantine Empire
 Roman Emperor Constantine moves
the capital from Rome to eastern
city of Byzantium
 Western half of old Roman Empire
falls into “Dark Ages”
 Eastern half of Roman Empire
becomes Byzantine Empire
The New Roman Empire
 Still thought of themselves as the Roman Empire
 Official language would switch from Latin to
Greek
 Very rich and wealthy empire
Geography of Constantinople
 Water on three sides
 Located on a strait
connecting Black Sea
and Mediterranean
 Key trading location
between Europe,
Africa, and Asia
Byzantine Culture
 Cultural Tradition from
Greeks
 Religion Based Culture
 Christianity center of Byzantine
art, education, and life
Theodosian Walls
 Kept Constantinople safe
from Foreign Invasion
 Deterred Attila the Hun
from ever entering City
 Walls kept city from falling
for another 1000 years
after their construction
Theodosian Walls
Had three separate walls set up in layers to protect the city from invaders
The Golden Age of Byzantine
 527 AD Emperor
Justinian takes power
 Not popular at start of
his rule
 High taxes
 Cold, not very likeable
Empress Theodora
 Former Actress and
Prostitute
 Strong advocate for
woman’s rights.
Nika Riots of
532
 Blues vs Greens - factions
 Riots lead to arrests
 Justinian orders 1 green
and 1 blue to death
escape and protest begin
 Hippodrome
Nika Riots
 Rioters begin attacking Justinian’s
palace for 5 days and Senators
whom had opposed Justinian began
plotting with groups to unite and
overthrow Justinian
 Nika = Win
 Theodora convinced Justinian not to
flee city during Nika Rebellion
Those who have worn the crown should never survive its loss. Never will I see
the day when I am not saluted as empress." - Theodora
The Plan
 Use force
 Have groups meet at Hippodrome
 Pay off Blues
 Kill Greens
Golden Age Continued
 After Nika Rebellion Justinian starts
Construction projects
 Rebuilds City Infrastructure
 Builds the Hagia Sophia
The Hagia Sophia
Outside
Inside
Expansion by Justinian
 Starts expansive military campaign
 Temporarily regained control over much of the
old Roman Empire
 Would eventually be lost again over time
Byzantine Empire under Justinian
Control over these regions would not last long after Justinian's death
Justinian Code
 Formal Code of law that
Governed the Empire
 Legal code from Justinian era till end
of the Empire
 A improved version of Roman
Law
Significance
 ***Justinian’s Code would become the basis for
European law in the future***
Byzantine Religion
 Byzantine Empire brings drastic Change for
Christianity
 Rome no longer important city to the Byzantine
people and rulers
 Lack of Contact between Pope in Rome, and the
papacy in the East
 Breakdown in authority over the church
Byzantine Religion Continued
 Religion in East controlled by ruling emperor and
Patriarch
 Patriarch a term for Lead Bishop in the East
 Byzantine Emperors and Patriarchs often conflict
with Pope
Icons
 Icons used by
Christians in the east
to aid in worship
 Controversy over use
 Some saw it as idle
worship
 Leo III banned Icon use
in 730AD
Icon Controversy
 King Leo III’s ban on Icon led to period of
Iconoclasm (Icon smashing)
 Smash Icons to end improper worship
 Pope claimed a Emperor had no authority to deal
in issues of the Christian church
Emperor’s Response
 Claimed authority over religious decisions within
his empire
 Byzantines viewed Emperor as decisive voice in
Christian governance, and practice
Great Schism
 Issues continue between papacy in east and west
over issues such as:
 Pope’s authority over all matters of Christianity
 Church’s right to tax the citizens of the
Byzantine empire
 Priest’s right to get married
 Languages used in church services
Great Schism
 1054 AD the Christian Church Splits
 The patriarch and Pope excommunicate each
other
 Papacy in east forms the Eastern Orthodox
church
 Pope and western churches remain the Roman
catholic church
The two Churches
Roman Catholic
Eastern Orthodox
 Services Conducted in
 Services Conducted in
Latin
 Pope has authority over all
bishops
 Pope has authority over all
kings and emperors
 Priests can not marry
Greek
 Patriarch and other bishops
head the church
 Emperor has authority over
Patriarch
 Priests can marry
Spread of EOC Opening up trade
with Russia
 Eastern Orthodox
missionaries spread
EOC to Slavs
(Russians)
 St. Cyril and St.
Methodius most
successful
missionaries
Cyrillic Alphabet
 St. Cyril and St.
Methodius Designed
Cyrillic Alphabet
 Allowed Slavs to read
bible in native
language
Cyrillic Alphabet
Christianity now spread through Russian areas as the people could now read the Bible in their
own language
Byzantine and Roman Empires
Byzantine Empire
Roman Empire
 Capitol: Constantinople
 Capitol: Rome
 Spoke Greek
 Spoke Latin
 Education religion based
 Education science based
 Art emphasized holiness and
 Art emphasized beauty and
spirituality
 Eastern Orthodox Christian
 Fixed
physical appearance
 Roman Catholic
 Expansive
Decline of the Byzantine Empire
 Black plague hit Empire during Emperor
Justinian rein around 540 AD
 Killed large percentage of population
 From the Start of the Empire it was under
constant attack
 Over time Empire lost more and more
territory
Empire Under Justinian
Byzantine Empire At the End
The Crusades
 1204 AD the fourth crusade ends with Christians
sacking the city of Constantinople
 Attacks from Islamic and Russian armies shrunk
the empire
 Empire officially dies with the fall of
Constantinople to the Turks in 1453
Legacy of Byzantine Empire
 Preserved Culture of the Greeks and Romans
 Great Schism split Christianity into Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
Legacy Continued
 Justinian’s Code preserved Roman laws
 Be basis for creation of laws in future European
countries
 Cyrillic Alphabet allowed for spread of Eastern
Orthodox Christianity into Russia