The Byzantine Empire
What was the Byzantine Empire?
• The predominantly Greek-speaking continuation of
the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.
• Initially the eastern half of the Roman Empire, it
survived the collapse of the Western Roman Empire
and continued to thrive
• Its capital city was Constantinople, originally known
as Byzantium.
• Existed for an additional thousand years until it fell to
the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
• During most of its existence, the empire was the
most powerful economic, cultural, and military force
in Europe.
Justinian
• Crowned Emperor of the Byzantine
Empire in 527 A.D
• Hoped to reunite the Eastern &
Western Roman Empires
• Made the Eastern Orthodox Church
the Official Church of the Byzantine
Empire
• Justinian’s Code
• Justinian put Roman laws into a
book called “The Body Of Civil
Laws”
• Able advisers
•
Theodora – Justinian's wife
• Convinced him to change laws:
• Divorce laws for more legal power for women
• Allowed a woman to own property in the same amount as dowry
•
Belisarius – leader of the army
• Crushed Nika revolt
• Won back lands from Germania
Strengths of the Empire
• Leaders were clever diplomats
• Military
•
•
Well trained
Greek fire on naval ships
• Strong, centralized government
• Constantinople was a center of trade
•
Large tax revenues
The Christian Church
• Iconoclastic Controversy
•
•
•
•
Some Byzantines kept icons (pictures or statues of
Jesus, Mary, etc.)
Iconoclasts - believed keeping icons was wrong
Emperor Leo III ordered all relics be destroyed
The Pope called a meeting of church officials
• Declared icons to be ok
• Contributed to the Great Schism (split in the church)
• Roman Catholic Church in Rome
• Eastern Orthodox in Constantinople
Byzantine Culture
• Cyril and Methodius were Christians
that helped spread the gospel
•
Created an alphabet for the Slavs
• Cyrillic language
• Art
•
Mosaic – picture or design made from
small pieces of enamel or glass
• Architecture
•
Hagia Sophia – “holy wisdom”
The Decline of the Empire
• Conflicts with outside powers
•
•
Persians, Slavs, Turks, Muslims, Germans
Even disagreements with Western Empire
caused conflicts
• Seljuq Turks captured Asia Minor
•
Sunni dynasty in Persia, preceded Safavids
• Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople
Legacy:
• Impacted Russia
•
•
•
Religion: Eastern
Orthodox
Language
Art/Architecture
Achievements:
• Built the Hagia Sofia
• Spread Christianity
• Justinian’s Code of
Laws
• Continued Roman
culture and ideals
after the fall of the
Western Roman
Empire