The Byzantine Empire
Location
330 ad Constantine moved the
capital of the Roman Empire from
Rome to Byzantium & renamed it
Constantinople
 Connects Asia & Europe
 Strategically located along the
Bosporus Strait, a water way
connecting the Black Sea & the
Mediterranean Sea
 City was surrounded on 3 sides by
water and thick walls, making it
almost invulnerable to attacks
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Government
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Byzantium was ruled by a series of
powerful emperors with a strong
centralized administration and a single
set of laws
Byzantine central government taxed
merchants and peasants to support a
large standing army
Emperor Justinian consolidated Roman
laws into a single legal code, which served
as a guide on most legal questions. It
greatly influenced later Western legal
systems
Emperor Justinian
 Codification of Roman law
 Reconquest of former Roman territories
 Expansion of trade
Religion
Hagia Sophia: The Church of Holy Wisdom
(built by Justinian)
– Shows the close connection
between the church and state
– Most splendid Church in the
Christian world
Icons: religious images of Jesus & Saint
Eastern Orthodox:
- Services are conducted in Greek or local
languages
-Patriarch/bishops head of church
-Emperor claims authority over
Patriarch/bishops
- Priest may be married
- Divorce is allowed
Roman Catholic:
- Services conducted in Latin
- Pope has authority over all bishops
- Pope claims authority over kings/emperors
- Priests may NOT marry
- Divorce is not permitted
Schism:
• In 1054, the Pope and the Patriarch
excommunicated each other in a
dispute over religious doctrine.
• After the schism (split), Christianity
was permanently divided between the
Roman Catholic Church in the West
and the Orthodox Church in the East
The Byzantine Empire
Culture
Decline
The Byzantines preserved the rich cultural
heritage of classical civilization, including
Greek philosophy and science and Roman
engineering. Copies of ancient texts were
saved despite destruction in the West
Plagues: bubonic plague spread through the
city during Justinian’s reign. Plague broke
every 8-12 years.
-Smaller population left empire exposed to its
enemies
Byzantines were renowed for their mosaics,
painted icons, gold jewelry, & skills.
Attacks: Enemies pressed on all sides.
-Slavs, Avars, Bulgars, Persians, Arabs,
Russians, Turks
- Crusades brought armies into the city who
pillaged Constantinople
Byzantium benefited from a rich infusion of
Greek, Roman, Christian and Middle Eastern
cultures
Decline: Byzantines used bribes, diplomacy,
political marriages to help prop up shaky
empire
- Province (military districts) were set up and
run by a general who reported back to the
emperor
- Shrank under impact of attacks
- Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in
1453
Influences
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Early Russian cities carry on a brisk
trade with the Byzantine Empire.
Orthodox Christianity
Cyrillic alphabet developed by Saint
Methodius and Saint Cyril
Byzantine crafts & products
Converted Slavic peoples & Bulgars to
Christianity