The Byzantine Empire
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Refer to Chapter 11 – Section 1 in your
textbook, pages 301-306
Know these words: schism, Justinian,
Justinian Code, Hagia Sophia, icon,
excommunication, patriarch
Byzantine – adjective
Byzantium - noun
The Byzantine Empire – what
should I know?
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Byzantium begins as the eastern half of
the Roman Empire, but is expanded by
the Emperor Justinian.
The eastern half of the Roman empire
is more wealthy than the western half
of the Roman empire – and it survives
for much longer.
The Byzantine Empire –
important information
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Justinian became Emperor of the Eastern
Empire (Byzantium) in 527 A.D.
In approximately 16 years, Justinian
managed to get back most of the territory
Rome had ever ruled including Spain and
Italy.
All Byzantine Emperors ruled with absolute
power – this included power over the state
(think “empire” or Byzantium) and church.
The Byzantine Empire –
important information
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Byzantine Emperors headed the church
and state so they could dismiss bishops
at will. Bishops had a lot of power –
and they wanted to keep it. It was
dangerous politics – and dangerous to
be an emperor – many were
assassinated!
Byzantine Empire – more!
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Justinian Code was comprised of four
parts.
Code – 5,000 Roman laws
Digest – opinions of Rome’s greatest
legal thinkers about the laws.
Institutes – textbook which taught law
students how to use the laws.
Novellae (New Laws) – after 534 AD
Byzantine Empire – more!
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2.
3.
Justinian’s accomplishments were
important. They included:
The Justinian Code (see last slide)
Public Building Program (talk about
amazing engineering!)
Church Building – take a look at the
Hagia Sophia!
Byzantine Empire – continued
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It was exciting to live in Constantinople
(the capital of the Byzantine Empire)
because Justinian made it exciting –
baths, aqueducts, law courts, the
infusion of culture into all aspects of life
– the revitalization of Greco-Roman
learning, ideas and culture!
Hippodrome
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Kinda like what place you know?
Free entertainment
Nika Rebellion (can’t please everyone – as
evidenced by 30,000 slaughtered that day.)
Theodora – a strong female figure in a maledominated world.
Be sure you understand the primary source
on page 303 – what is Theodora telling
Justinian?
The Justinian Plague
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The Bubonic plague kills a huge percentage
of the Byzantine population.
Probably came from India on ships infested
with rats.
542 A.D. – 10,000 people were dying every
day.
Justinian could have taken the western
empire again if it had not had been for this
plague. There was no more $ or men to
fight.
The Justinian Plague
The bubonic plague, which struck in A.D. 540, is justifiably the
worst recorded pandemic to ever afflict humanity. Any hopes of
reestablishing the Roman Empire were dashed. Records regarding the
dimensions of the devastation and the untold suffering and death were
carefully kept by Justinian's chief archivist and secretary, the celebrated
court historian, Procopius.
The humbling of the medical profession because of its impotence to
control the plague of the 6th Century, essentially halted the
advancement of medical knowledge for centuries. Medicine regressed,
and disease in general was equated with vice and sin, rather than with
filth, poor hygiene, and natural causes.
The Justinian Plague
Ancient professions, such as law, engineering, and the natural sciences
(not to mention the liberal arts of the Greeks and Romans), were largely
erased from the collective memory of humanity. All areas of human
endeavor were doomed to intellectual dormancy. Progress stopped.
The turning wheels of Western culture and civilization had ground
to a shrilling halt as humanity became fully immersed in the Dark
Ages. New hordes of barbarians were marauding and ravaging the West,
while the plague was humbling the East.(2)
What is the bubonic plague?
Bubonic plague is a potentially fatal bacterial infection called "Yersina
pestis." Symptoms of infection include:
•swollen, tender lymph nodes (called "buboes")
•high fever
•chills
•headache
•hemorrhages under the skin, causing blackish discoloration of
the skin
•Spread by fleas and rats
•Caused pneumonia – when you coughed or sneezed you gave it
to someone else!
What is the Bubonic Plague?
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Bubonic plague
infection causes tiny
blood vessels in the
hands and fingers to
clog up and cut off
circulation. Without
blood, the flesh dies
and turns black (called
"gangrene"). This is why
in the Middle Ages
bubonic plague was
called "the Black
Death."
Christianity undergoes big
change
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There is a schism (split) in the church
and it splits into two: Roman
Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy
(let’s look at pg. 305 for the details.)
Knowing the words “icon,”
“excommunication” and “patriarch” will
help you to understand this material.
Timeline information
www.hyperhistory.com
 Make your own timeline for the section. Year
and Event only. Use these dates in A.D.:
330, 357, 398-404, 395, 527, 532, 533, 542,
565, 626, 674, 700, 717, 730, 843
860-1043
Symbols – Choose 5 only.
Enrichment: Add events from the same time
period – different geographic location.
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Map of Byzantine Empire at
time of Justinian’s death
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