CHAPTER 12 – THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE AND WESTERN EUROPE TO
1000
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

What caused the prolonged separation of western European civilization from its Classical
past? What were the consequences of this separation for western Europe?

Which other society most resembled that of western Europe during this period? Why?

While western Europe struggled to regain order, unity, and contact with its Classical past,
what was happening in the other great civilizations of the world?
CHAPTER 12 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The End of the Western Roman Empire
How did the Byzantine Empire continue the legacy of the Roman Empire?

Discuss the situation in Europe at the end of the Roman Empire and explain why the
barbarian military victories did not result in a great defeat of Roman culture

Describe the trajectory of the Byzantine Empire between 324 and 1453

Describe the reign of Justinian and explain why the pinnacle of the Byzantine Empire was
during this period

Explain why Justinian ordered a collation and revision of Roman law and discuss the
significance of the Corpus Juris Civilis that was the result of Justinian’s command

Explain why Justinian was unable to retrieve the western imperial lands conquered and
occupied by barbarians in Italy, North Africa, and Spain

Discuss the religious diversity of Christendom during the Byzantine Empire and explain
how religious belief and controversy alternately served and undermined imperial political
unity
The Impact of Islam on East and West
How did the Islamic world influence medieval Western civilization?

Explain why Islam was a rival far more dangerous to the West than the Germans

Discuss Muslim treatment of and relations with Christians and Jews in territories they
conquered

Explain why Christian Europe developed a lasting fear and suspicion of Muslims

Detail the Western debt to Islam
The Developing Roman Church
What was the doctrine of papal primacy?

Explain why the one Western institution that remained firmly entrenched and even gained
strength in the period of Germanic invasions and imperial decline was the Christian
church

Discuss how the church remained a potent civilizing force in the West

Describe the origins and nature of monastic culture

Explain the origins and significance of the doctrine of papal primacy

Explain the causes and consequences of the division of Christendom into Eastern and
Western churches
The Kingdom of the Franks
Why did Charlemagne’s empire break up after his death?

Describe the founding of the kingdom of the Franks and the rise of the Carolingian
dynasty to power

Discuss the role that the church played in the Frankish government and explain why the
papacy allied itself with the Frankish rulers and they with it

Explain the importance of Charlemagne and his new empire to the history of western
Europe

Discuss the Carolingian revival of learning and its significance to Western culture

Discuss developments in European society during this period, including the institutions of
the manor and serfdom

Explain the breakup of the Carolingian kingdom and the role that new waves of invasions
into western Europe played in the breakup
Feudal Society
What is feudal society?

Define the term feudal society and explain why it developed in western Europe during the
Middle Ages

Define the terms vassalage and fief and discuss how these institutions functioned in the
Middle Ages

Discuss the relationship between vassalage and the problems of fragmentation and
divided loyalty in the Middle Ages
KEY POINTS AND VITAL CONCEPTS
1. Papal Primacy: The bishops of Rome never accepted the institution of “Caesaropapism,” the state
control of the church that even involved imposing solutions concerning doctrinal quarrels. In the
fifth and sixth centuries, they developed the concept of “papal primacy”: The Roman pontiff was
supreme in the church when it came to defining church doctrine. This idea was radically different
from the continuing Caesaropapism of the East. It was destined to cause repeated conflicts between
church and state throughout the Middle Ages. The doctrine of papal primacy was also conceived to
combat the competitive claims of the patriarchs of the Eastern church. Pointing to Jesus’ words to
Peter in the Gospel of St. Matthew (16:18), the pope claimed to be in direct succession from Peter
as the “rock on which the church was built.” This doctrine would cause much controversy and ill
feeling between the Western and Eastern churches and contributed to the break in 1054.
2. Byzantine Chronology: Byzantine history can be divided up into three distinct periods:
324–650:
From the creation of Constantinople to the rise of Islam
650–1070:
To the conquest of Asia Minor by the Turks (some would extend
this period to 1204 and the fall of Constantinople to the Crusades)
1070 (1204)–1453: To the destruction of Constantinople by the Turks (in terms of
political power and culture, the first period is the greatest)
3. The Franks and the Church: It is significant to note that the Franks were not converted to
Christianity until the reign of Clovis (ca. 496). The conversion is controversial but their
relationship symbiotic. The Franks, as converts to Nicene Christianity (as opposed to Arian),
provided protection for the church and in turn received sanction in their victories over other tribes
and appropriation of desired territory. By the time of Charlemagne, the church was totally
dependent upon the protection of the Franks against the Eastern emperor and the Lombards. The
coronation of Charlemagne by Pope Leo III in 800 has been viewed as an attempt by the pope to
gain stature and assert leverage over the king. It was no victory for the pope, however, as
Charlemagne was unrestrained in his Caesaropapism.
4. Feudalism vs. Manorialism: As strictly defined, feudalism refers to the military and legal
relationship between lord and vassal; manorialism concerns the relationship between lord and serf
and other facets of the working of a manor. The term feudal society combines both of these
concepts.
5. The Early Middle Ages in Global Perspective: Beginning in the fifth century, the barbarian
invasions separated western Europe culturally from its classical age, a separation unknown in other
cultures. Although some important things survived from antiquity in the West (due largely to the
Christian church), Western civilization underwent a process of recovering its classical past through
a series of “renaissances” that stretched into the sixteenth century. Early medieval China was far
more cosmopolitan and politically unified than western Europe and centuries ahead in technology.
In Japan, the Yamato court struggled to unify and control the countryside, as did the Merovingians,
and achieved an identity born of struggle and accommodation. Japan, like western Europe,
remained a fragmented land during this period and there arose also a system of lordship and
vassalage based around local mounted warriors called samurai. Islam’s “classical period” of
strength and cultural vibrancy overlapped the Carolingian heyday with cultural exchanges as well
as conflict between the two societies. Finally, during this period, India was enjoying the high point
of its civilization with the Gupta Age (320–1000). The world’s great civilizations were reaching a
peak during this period with western Europe lagging behind because of foreign invasions and
disruptions that were never experienced in the same magnitude by other world civilizations.
PRIMARY SOURCE: DOCUMENTS IN WORLD HISTORY DVD-ROM
Text Sources

Excerpts from the Hildebrandslied

Prologue of the Corpus Juris Civilis

Pope Leo I on Bishop Hilary of Arles

St. Benedict’s Rules for Monks

Liutprand of Cremona, excerpt from Report of his Mission to Constantinople

Eusebius of Caesarea, selections from Life of Constantine

Einhard, Preface to The Life of Charlemagne

Ibn Fadlan’s Account of the Rus
Visual Sources

The Gelati Tondo of St. Mamai

The interior of Hagia Sophia

The baptism of Clovis

Norse ship

Jvari Monastery, Georgia

Illustrated Byzantine manuscript showing Byzantines fighting the Bulgarians

T-O Map from Isidore of Seville
INTERNET RESOURCES

Byzantine Empire: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/byzantium/ contains links to
primary sources, images, and visual and even audio resources.

Germanic peoples: http://www.friesian.com/germania.htm is an incredibly useful
site for making sense of the bewildering array of Germanic peoples who overwhelmed
the Western Roman Empire.

Byzantium: http://byzantium.seashell.net.nz/ contains images, timelines, articles, and a
wealth of other information about the Byzantine world.

SUGGESTED FILMS

Civilization 1: The Frozen World. Time-Life. 52 min.

Christianity in World History – to 1000 C.E. Coronet. 14 min.

The Christians: The Battle of Europe (410–1054). McGraw-Hill. 39
min.

In Defence of Rome. McGraw-Hill. 16 min.

The Byzantine Empire. Coronet. 14 min.

Vanished Vikings. Journal Films, Inc. 30 min.

English History: Earliest Times to 1066. Coronet. 11 min.

Charlemagne and His Empire. Coronet. 14 min.

Charlemagne: Holy Barbarian. Lutheran Church in America. 27 min.

The Meaning of Feudalism. Coronet. 11 min.

Byzantium: From Splendor to Ruin (43 minutes). FHS.

The End of Rome, the Birth of Europe (52 minutes). FHS.

Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire (31 minutes). FHS.

Peasants, Serfs, and Servitude (53 minutes). FHS. This video concerns
medieval Europe.