CH 9 CIVILIZATION IN
EASTERN EUROPE
BYZANTIUM AND
ORTHODOX EUROPE
“TWO ROMES” EAST AND WEST
THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE ALLOWS
ROMAN IDEAS TO STAY ALIVE
IT BECOME MORE GREEK THAN
LATIN OVER TIME
BYZANTIUM WAS MORE THAN ‘PART’
OF ROME
IT LATER SURPASSED ROME IN THE
4TH CENTURY
IT’S UNIQUE CULTURAL IDENTITY
SPREAD
GREATLY INFLUENCED RUSSIA
PROBLEMS,… INVASIONS
BECAUSE OF IT’S SEPARATION, THEY
SURVIVED THE NOMADIC INVASIONS
THAT TORE WESTERN ROME APART
EASTERN EMPERORS RULED FROM
THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN TO
NORTH AFRICA
DEVELOPED A HIGHLY CENTRALIZED
GOVERNMENT THAT EMPHASIZED
BEAUROCRACY OVER MILITARY
POWER
THE CULTURE SHIFTED TO GREEKAWAY FROM ROMAN IDEAS
JUSTINIAN AND THEODORA
EMPEROR JUSTINIAN
MARRIED TO THEODORA, HIS
PARTNER IN RULING
TRIED TO REVIVE A UNIFIED ROMAN
EMPIRE
REBUILT CONSTANTINOPLE
ALSO BUILT HAGIA SOPHIA
LAW- RESPONSIBLE FOR
JUSTINIAN CODE- COLLECTION OF
LEGAL PRINCIPLES FOR THE
EMPIRE
RECONQUERED LOST
TERRITORIES IN ITALY AND
NORTH AFRICA
HIS VICTORIES WERE SHORT
LIVED- SOON FELL APART
IN 540 A PANDEMIC STRUCK-
THE PLAGUE
THIS DISEASE WOULD
REAPPEAR FOR CENTURIES,
DEVASTATING EUROPE
AFTER THE PLAGUE
JUSTINIAN AND HIS WIFE
SURVIVED, HE WITHDREW TO
HIS PALACE
THE DISEASE WOULD
REAPPEAR IN THE 14TH
CENTURY IN EUROPE
IT WAS RECORDED THAT FOR
A WHILE UP TO 10,000 A DAY
DIED
THERE WERE SO MANY
BODIES NO ONE COULD BURY
THE DEAD
TOTAL DEATH TOLL?
~100 MILLION *PANATI PAGES 222-226
AFTER JUSTINIAN
MOSTLY TRIED TO HOLD ONTO THE
EASTERN PARTS
ISLAM WAS PRESSURING THEM AT
EVERY TURN
CONSTANTINOPLE WAS ATTACKED
OVER AND OVER
CONSTANIOPLE UNDER SEIGE
FOR MANY YEARS MUSLIM ARMIES
TRIED TO TAKE THE CITY
STRONG DEFENSES ALLOWED THE TO
HOLD OUT
THEY ALSO USED TECHNOLOGY- ‘GREEK
FIRE’
FROM 700’S TILL 1453 THEY HELD OFF
INVADERS
CONSTANT WAR LED TO HIGHER
TAXES, WEAKENING SMALL
FARMERS
OTHERS ALSO FOUGHT BYZANTINE
CONTROL- BULGARS BROKE AWAY
THEY TOOK THE TITLE “TSAR”CEASAR…CZAR…TSAR…
BY 1014 THEY WERE DEFEATED
BYZANTINE POLITICS AND SOCIETY
VERY ORGANIZED GOVERNMENTSIMILAR TO CHINA
EMPEROR WAS THE HEAD OF
STATE AND OF THE CHURCH
AS IN CHINA- LARGE
BUREAUCRACY
ARISTOCRATS HAD MOST OF THE
POWER, BUT THERE WAS ROOM TO
ADVANCE IN SOCIETY
GOVENORS WERE APPPOINTED
FROM CONSTANIOPLE
LOTS OF GOVT SPIES
MILITARY SERVICE WAS
HEREDITARY- FAIRLY SUCESSFUL
CONSTANTINOPLE
THE CAPITAL WAS THE CENTER OF
EVERYTHING, THIS MADE OTHER
CITIES IN THE EMPIRE WEAK
CONSTANTINOPLE REGULATED ALL
TRADE, IF IT FALLS SO DOES TRADE
A TRADE HUB
CONSTANTINOPLE LINKED ASIA, THE
MIDDLE EAST AND NORTHERN
EUROPE IN A TRADING NETWORK
LUXURY GOODS SOUGHT
MERCHANTS GREW WEALTHY, BUT
HAD LITTLE POWER
THE GREAT SPLIT- EAST/WEST
CHRISTANITY SPLITS
BEFORE THIS THERE HAD BEEN
ONLY ONE DOMINANT CHRISTIAN
CHURCH
AS THE EMPIRE GREW APART SO
DID CHRISTIANITY
TWO GROUPS- CATHOLICS AND THE
ORTHODOX CHURCH
SEVERAL ISSUES DIVIDED THEM:
THE SUPREMACY OF THE POPE IN
ROME
DIFFERING RITUALS USED IN
WORSHIP SERVICES
THE USE OF RELIGIOUS ICONS
CHARLEMAGNE BEING CROWNED
“ROMAN EMPEROR”
WHETHER PRIESTS COULD MARRY
THEY COULD NOT IN THE WEST,
COULD IN THE EAST
FINALLY THE POPE EXCOMMUNICATED
THE EASTERN CHURCHHE WAS IGNORED IN THE EAST
SOME SAY IT WAS THE REAL END OF
THE “ROMAN” EMPIRE
AFTER THIS EACH AREA THEY
WOULD MOVE FATHER AND FARTHER
APART IN IDEAS AND VALUES
BOTH STILL RECOGNIZED THE
OTHER AS FELLOW CHRISTIANS
THE DECLINE OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE
AFTER THE SPLIT THE EMPIRE
WENT INTO A LONG SLIDE
MORE INVASIONS - THE SELJUK
TURKS
THIS LED TO THE CALL FOR HELP
THAT BECAME THE CRUSADES
EVEN AFTER THE SPLIT, ROME STILL
RECOGNIZD CONSTANTINOPLE AS A
CHRISTIAN CITY
THE DEFEAT AT MANZIKERT SPELLED
DOOM FOR THE EMPIRE
THE NEED FOR HELP SHIFTED
POWER BACK TO THE WEST
THE CRUSADES
THERE WERE MANY, MANY
CRUSADES
FIRST WAS THE MOST
SUCESSFUL
THE GOAL WAS TO LIBERATE
THE HOLY LAND
THE FIRST CRUSADE WAS THE
MOST SUCESSFUL
CRUSADERS ARE SUPPOSED TO
DEFEND CHRISTIANITY, RETAKE
THE HOLY LAND
4TH CRUSADE STOPS IN
CONSTANINOPLE- WRECKS THE
CITY, NEVER GETS ANY FARTHER
BYZANTINE EMPIRE BY 1400
THE FINAL FALL
1453 MEHMED II CAPTURES
CONSTANTINOPLE
BY 1461 THE EMPIRE IS UNDER
MUSLIM CONTROL FOR GOOD
MEHMED II
CONSTANTINE XI THE LAST EMPEROR
THE FALL OF THE BYZANTINE
EMPIRE ENDED CHRISTAIN
DOMINANCE IN THE AREA
THEY HAD MAINTAINED TRADE
NETWORKS, AND CLASSICAL
MEDITERRANEAN LEARNING
NOW THE OTTOMANS WOULD
BE SUPREME IN THE AREA
NOT THESE OTTOMANS…
THESE OTTOMANS
THE SPREAD OF CIVILIZATION TO
EASTERN EUROPE
MISSIONARIES BROUGHT THE
NEW CHRISTAN FAITH
TRADE BROUGHT IDEAS ABOUT
SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENT,
INVENTIONS ETC…
THE CYRILLIC ALPHABET
NAMED AFTER TWO MONKS,
CYRIL AND METHODUS
DONE SO THAT THEY COULD
HELP PEOPLE READ THE BIBLE
IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE
CYRIL AND METHODIUS
THE BORDER AREAS WERE STILL
UNDER LOOSE CONTROL BY
LOCAL PRINCES
JEWS WHO WERE FLEEING
WESTERN EUROPE SETTLED IN
MANY AREAS, BECAME ACTIVE IN
LOCAL TRADE
KIEVAN RUS’
VIKING DESCENDANTS BEGAN TO TAKE
CONTROL AROUND THE CITY OF KIEV
THIS WAS A TRADE ROUTE
VLADIMIR CONVERTED THE WHOLE
COUNTRY TO CHRISTIANITY
IT’S SAID HE CHOSE CHRISTIANITY AS IT
HAD THE FEWEST RESTRICTIONS ON
FOOD AND DRINKING
VLADIMIR
Grandson of Saint Olga. Christianity
had made some progress in Kiev,
but Vladimir remained pagan, had
seven wives, established temples,
and participated in idolatrous rites,
possibly involving human sacrifice.
Around 987, Byzantine Emperor
Basil II (976-1025) sought military
aid from Vladimir. The two reached
a pact for aid that involved Basil's
sister Anne in marriage, and
Vladimir becoming a Christian. He
was baptized and then ordered the
Christian conversion of Kiev and
Novgorod.
THEY WERE ALSO SAID TO BE AWED BY
THE SPLENDOR OF THE BYZANTINE
CHURCHES
ORTHODOX CHURCH LEADERS WERE
BROUGH IN, BUT THE KING WAS THE
HEAD OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX
CHURCH
YAROSLAV CODIFIED RUSSIAN LAW
YAROSLAV THE WISE
THEY COPIED A LOT FROM BYZANTIUM.
THEIR ART FOCUSED ON RELIGIOUS
FIGURES, DOMES STRUCTURES ECHOED
BYZANTIUM
PEASANTS WERE MOSTLY FREE, UNDER
LOCAL CONTROL.
RUSSIAN ARISTOCRATS (BOYARS )HAD
SOME POWERS, THE LOCAL PRINCES
HAD THE REST- A BALANCE OF POWER
KIEVAN DECLINE
SUCESSION DISPUTES
CONFLICT WITH LOCAL PRINCES
BYZANTIUMS FALL CUT OFF TRADE TIES
INVASION FROM THE MONGOLS
(TATARS)- ITS OK, THE MONGOLS TOOK
OVER LOTS OF PLACES AT THIS TIME…
CATHEDRAL OF ST DIMITRI IN KIEV
THE MONGOLS
FOR 200 YEARS CONTROLLED MUCH OF
PRESENT DAY RUSSIA
CONQUERED THEM IN THE WINTERTHE ONLY PEOPLE TO EVER DO THAT
THIS CUT OFF THE NORTH-SOUTH
TRADE AXIS, CUT THEM OFF
CULTURALLY AS WELL
HAD LITTLE IMPACT ON ORTHODOX
RELIGION
G
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THE LOCAL RULERS STILL EXISTED, JUST
HAD TO BOW DOWN TO THE MONGOLS,
PAY TAXES ETC…
WHEN THE MONGOLS WERE KICKED OUT
IN 15TH CENTURY, THE LOCAL RULERS,
(BOYARS) REEMERGED TO TAKE
CONTROL
THE THIRD ROME
RUSSIAN LEADERS REMEMBERED THE
GLORIES OF CONSTANTINOPLE
THEY FELT THE BURDEN OF CARRYING
ON TRADITIONS HAD FALLEN TO
RUSSIA
THEY CALLED THEMSELVES –
“ THE THIRD ROME”
THE END OF AN ERA
EASTERN EUROPE FELL ON HARD
TIMES FOR MANY YEARS
WESTERN EUROPE DEVELOPED
WITHOUT OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE
UNLIKE ROME, OR CHINA,
BYZANTINE INFLUENCE
DISAPPEARED