The Byzantine Empire
330-1453 AD
Rise of the Byzantine Empire
 Roman Emperor Constantine moves
the capital from Rome to eastern
city of Byzantium
 Western half of old Roman Empire
falls into “Dark Ages”
 Eastern half of Roman Empire
becomes Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Culture
 Cultural Tradition from
Greeks
 Christianity center of Byzantine
art, education, and life
The Golden Age of Byzantine
 527 AD Emperor
Justinian takes power
 Not popular at start of
his rule
 High taxes—due
Justinian Code
 Formal Code of law that
Governed the Empire
 A improved version of Roman
Law
Significance
 ***Justinian’s Code would become the basis for
European law in the future***
Byzantine Religion
 Byzantine Empire brings drastic Change for
Christianity
 Rome no longer important city to the Byzantine
people and rulers
 Breakdown in authority over the church
Byzantine Religion Continued
 Religion in East controlled by ruling emperor and
Patriarch
 Patriarch a term for Lead Bishop in the East
 Byzantine Emperors and Patriarchs often conflict
with Pope
Icons
 Icons used by
Christians in the east
to aid in worship
 Controversy over use
 Some saw it as idol
worship
 Leo III banned Icon use
in 730AD
Icon Controversy
 King Leo III’s ban on Icon led to period of
Iconoclasm (Icon smashing)
 Smash Icons to end improper worship
 Pope claimed an Emperor had no authority to
deal in issues of the Christian church
Emperor’s Response
 Claimed authority over religious decisions within
his empire
Great Schism
 1054 AD the Christian Church Splits
 The patriarch and Pope excommunicate each
other
 East forms the Eastern Orthodox church
 Pope and western churches remain the Roman
catholic church
The two Churches
Roman Catholic
Eastern Orthodox
 Services Conducted in
 Services Conducted in
Latin
 Pope has authority over all
bishops
 Pope has authority over all
kings and emperors
 Priests can not marry
Greek
 Patriarch and other bishops
head the church
 Emperor has authority over
Patriarch
 Priests can marry
Spread of EOC Opening up trade
with Russia
 Eastern Orthodox
missionaries spread
EOC to Slavs
(Russians)
 St. Cyril and St.
Methodius most
successful
missionaries
Cyrillic Alphabet
 St. Cyril and St.
Methodius Designed
Cyrillic Alphabet
 Allowed Slavs to read
bible in native
language
Decline of the Byzantine Empire
 Black plague hit Empire during Emperor
Justinian rein around 540 AD
 Killed large percentage of population
 From the Start of the Empire it was under
constant attack
 Over time Empire lost more and more
territory
Empire Under Justinian
Byzantine Empire At the End
The Crusades
 1204 AD the fourth crusade ends with Christians
sacking the city of Constantinople
 Attacks from Islamic and Russian armies shrunk
the empire
 Empire officially dies with the fall of
Constantinople to the Turks in 1453
Legacy of Byzantine Empire
 Preserved Culture of the Greeks and Romans
 Great Schism split Christianity into Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
Legacy Continued
 Justinian’s Code preserved Roman laws
 Be basis for creation of laws in future European
countries
 Cyrillic Alphabet allowed for spread of Eastern
Orthodox Christianity into Russia