The Byzantine Empire
and Russia
The Byzantine Empire
► Objectives
 Identify the factors that contributed to the
growth & strength of the Byzantine Empire
 Explain how the Christian church came to be
divided
 Analyze the cultural contributions made by the
Byzantines
 Explain the factors that contributed to the down
fall of the Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire
► Justinian
Code was a
collection of Roman laws
 Code- contained useful
Roman laws
 Digest- summarized Roman
legal opinions
 Institutes- guide for law
students
 Novellae- laws passed after
AD 534
Byzantine Empire
►
Justinian Code
 Formed basis of Byzantine law
 Provided framework for many European legal systems
 Preserved Roman idea that people should be ruled by
laws, not by leaders whims
►
Able Advisors
 Theodora- encouraged Justinian to increase women's
rights
►Altered divorce laws, allowed Christian women to
own property equal to a dowry
 Belisarius- General of the army, ended Nika revolt
Strengths of the Empire
Strong and Centralized Government
► Officials were skilled, efficient, well paid
► Created alliances through marriages
► Military forces well trained,
weapons/armor well designed
 Greek Fire- chemical weapon of
the Navy, liquid that burst into
flames
► Eastern Roman Empire
 Constantinople was source of
strength, location allowed control of
sea trade routes between Europe
and Asia
►
The Christian Church
► Icon-
holy picture of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, or the
Saints
► Iconoclasts-
believed having icons was the same
as worshipping idols
► Iconoclastic
Controversy was a battle about the
use of icons in the Christian Church
The Christian Church
Roman Catholic
Eastern Orthodox
No Married Priests
Married Priest allowed
Icons
No icons allowed
Icons rejected at first
then later accepted
Leadership
Roman Pope was
supreme church
authority
Patriarch of
Constantinople
Clergy
Trinity
Believed God the Father
Accepted Holy Trinity was more important than
the Son or Holy Spirit
Byzantine Culture
►
►
Cyril and Methodius created
the Cyrillic alphabet to teach
the Bible to Slavs
Art
 Religion was the main
subject
 Murals, Paintings, icons, and
mosaics
 Location of image important
 Helped people look toward
the afterlife
Byzantine Culture
►
Architecture
 Built the Hagia Sophia…a church
 Byzantines were the 1st to solve the issue of putting a
dome over a rectangular building
The Decline
►
After Justinian died the empire was weakened and taken
over by various groups from different locations
 The Seljuiq Turks capture of Asia Minor affected the
empire because it was a source for food and soldiers.
 Western Roman Empire helped regain Constantinople
but later captured the city
►
The Byzantine Empire was conquered by the Ottoman
Turks
The Rise of Russia
► Objectives
 Explain why different peoples settled in Eastern
Europe
 Describe how Kievan Russia differed from the
Byzantine Empire
The Setting and People
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Ural Mountains serve as a border
between Europe and Asia
The steppe covers the southern part of
the great plains of Russia
Rivers crisscross the plain to provide
transportation
Eastern Europe primarily populated by
the Slavs
Vikings moved into Eastern Europe to
build trade routes
Kievan Russia
►
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Cities of Kiev and
Novgorod lie along the
Viking trade route
Rurik- leader of the Rus
people
Kiev prospered bc of
location as trade route
between Constantinople
and the Baltic Sea
Kiev served as the capital
for 300 years
Kievan Government
►
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►
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Governed by princes and a
council of nobles called boyars
Held town meetings (veche) to
and discuss important
matters…war and disputes
between princes
Yaroslav the wise introduced
the Pravda Russkia, a code of
laws
“Russian Justice” was a
combination of fines and
vengeance
Kievan Religion
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Traders and Greek missionaries brought
Christianity to the area
Vladimir I- 1st Russian ruler to convert
to Christianity in order to marry
Byzantine emperor daughter
Ordered Kievan Russia to become
Christian
Many worshipped the spirits of their
ancestors or gods of nature
Religious writings, singing, and art
dominated the culture
Kievan Economy
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►
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2 agricultural regions, the steppe and taiga
Traded agricultural products and provided slaves to the
Byzantines
Trade helped develop Kievan into a strong, wealthy power
Kievan Class Society
 Local Princes and family
 Boyars
 Town Artisans and merchants devoted to trade
 Peasants, produced all crops that fed Russia
 Clergy- performed religious ceremonies and ran the
hospitals and charities
Russia and the Mongols
► Objectives
 Identify the ways in which Mongol rule affected
Kievan Russia.
 Describe the effects of Moscow’s growing power
and independence.
Attacks on Kiev
►
Reasons for decline
 Declined due to infighting among Kievan rulers sons
 Turkish Polovtsy controlled trade south of Kiev
 Competition with Italian city-states that developed new
trade routes
 The sacking of Kiev
 Mongol Invasion
Kievan under the Mongols
►
Ruled from 1240 to about 1500
►
Gained wealth by taxing heavily
►
Used peasants for as labor for projects
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Mongol influence
 Built roads to improve transportation
 Improved communication
 Customs, traditions, behavior, and some language
entered Russian Society
Kievan Russia & its neighbor
►
Lithuania and Poland established hostile kingdom to the
eastern Slavs
►
Poland converted to Catholicism (Western Christianity)
►
Other Slavs kept the eastern Orthodox religion
►
Slavs become suspicious of Western Europeans
Rise of Moscow
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Prince Ivan I was known as the Great
Prince by the Mongols
Head of the Orthodox Church moved to
Moscow
Ivan the Great
 Took control and power away from
the Mongols
 Established independent state of
Russia
 Began absolute monarchy in Russia
Ivan IV…the Terrible
►
Became heir to throne at age of 3
►
Took the title of czar
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Developed modern legal system and code
►
Renewed trade with Western Europe
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Formed the oprichniki to arrest boyars
►
Laid foundation for new Russian state that stretched from
Siberia to the Caspian Sea
Church Growth
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Grew richly by acquiring land and donations
►
Became the center of the Orthodox Church after the fall of
Constantinople
►
Called Moscow the “Third Rome”
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Elaborate dome churches
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Thought churches would inspire people & make Russia the
spiritual light to the whole world.