The Commonwealth of Byzantium Chapter 13 The Commonwealth of Byzantium

Empire At Beginning and End of Justinian’s Reign Compare this Map with Map 11.2 showing the Roman empire at its height. How did the territories of the Byzantine empire differ from those of the classical Roman Empire

The Early Byzantine Empire Byzantine Empire had great geographic location Defensible Peninsula Magnificent harbor known as Golden Horn Trade routes linked Byzantium to ports throughout the Mediterranean basin. Because of its strategic value the Roman emperor Constantine designated Byzantine an imperial capital Renamed it after himself (Constantinople) Built in this location for its wealth and to keep a close watch on the Sasanid empire in Persia The city kept its name Constantinople until it fell to the Ottoman Turks, renamed it Istanbul

The Later Roman Empire and Byzantium Byzantine Empire inherits Roman Empire after fall of western Rome in 5th c. CE Much of Eastern Rome remained intact: complete roads and functioning imperial institutions Principal Challenges that confronted the early Byzantine empire: Consolidation of the Sasanid Empire in Persia Germanic invasions 5th century = imperial authorities built massive walls to shield Constantinople

Caesaropapism Once the Empire was protected Constantine built a centralized rule w/concentrated power. Constantine set a precedent by being a secular ruler. Claimed himself Christian protector and even baptized himself (aura of divinity) Could not claim divine status by intervening in all religious disputes Authority absolute After the 6th century Roman law stated emperors stood above the law: political, military, financial, religious, etc

Constanople under Emperor Constantine

Etiquette reinforces authority of Emperor Royal purple Prostration Mechanical devices designed to inspire awe

Justinian (527-565 CE) The “sleepless emperor” Wife Theodora as advisor Background: circus performer & strip tease Uses army to contain tax riots, ambitious construction program Hagia Sophia Law Code definitive for centuries Justinian law; “Body of Civil Law”

Justinian’s Empire at its Height

The Hagia Sophia

Church of Hagia Sophia [Holy Wisdom]

Interior of the Church of Hagia Sophia

Byzantine Conquests General Belisarius recaptures much of western Roman Empire under Justinian Unable to consolidate control of territories due to lack of resources Ravenna- Capital city in Western Mediterranean Withdrew to defend empire from Sasanids, Slavs

The Byzantine Empire and its neighbors 527-554 C.E.

Islamic Conquests and Byzantine Revival 7th century Arab Muslim expansion Besieged Byzantium 674-678, 717-718 Defense made possible through use of “Greek fire”

Imperial Organization Themes (provinces) under control of generals Military administration Control from central imperial government Soldiers from peasant class, rewarded with land grants

Tensions with Western Europe Church Christian Church of Constantinople conducted its affairs in Greek and bowed to the emperor Christian Church of Rome conducted its affairs in Latin and rejected involvement of emperors Conflicts over hierarchical control began Imperial authorities watched Germanic peoples establish successor states w/support by the Pope Roman pope crowns Charlemagne in 800, a challenge to Byzantine authority What did Otto of Saxony do?

Byzantine Economy and Society Constantinople largest city in Europe, 5th-13th c. Population about 1 million; large sources of grain Dependent on small landholders, free peasants Ability to produce abundant agricultural surpluses Earlier large landholdings destroyed by invasions in 6th-7th centuries Theme system rewards soldiers with land grants

Decline of the Free Peasantry Large landholdings on the increase; these individuals supervised the peasantry as a dependent class. Sharecropping supervised by lords Rarely did peasants gain enough wealth for independence Reduces tax revenues, recruits to military 6th 8th 10th authorities limited accumulation of land by wealthy classes

Manufacturing and Trade Despite of social and economic problems, Byzantium remained a wealthy land Constantinople was a center of trade Trade routes bring key technologies, e.g. silk industry Advantage of location causes crafts and industry to expand after 6th century Tax revenues from silk route Silk production very important; government supervised Monopolies prevented- only one activity practiced Banking services develop

Urban Life Heart of the city; imperial palace Pg. 329 Sources from the Past Aristocrats: palaces; artisans: apartments; working poor: communal living spaces Hippodrome Chariot races, “greens vs. blues” Politically inspired rioting

“Whether or not a woman should give an example of courage to men, is neither here nor there.. At a moment of desperate danger, one must do what one can…If flight were the only means of safety, still I would not flee. Those who have worn the corwn should never survive its loss…Emperor, if you wish to flee, well and good, you have the money, the ships are ready, the sea is clear. But I shall stay. I accept the ancient proverb; Royal purple is the best burial sheet.” - Theodora, AD 532

Hippodrome

Orthodox Christianity Legacy of Classical Greece Greek replaces Latin after 6th c. CE; language of New Testament Byzantine education sponsors development of large literate class for state bureaucracy Training in classical canon

The Byzantine Church Church and state closely aligned Council of Nicea (325) condemns Arian movement as heresy Human/divine nature of Jesus Constantine favors Arians, but supports Nicean condemnation Byzantine Emperors appoint Patriarchs Caesaropapism creates dissent in church

Iconoclasm Emperor Leo III (r. 717-741 CE) Destruction of icons after 726 Popular protest, rioting Policy abandoned 843

Greek Philosophy and Byzantine Theology Attempt to reconcile Greek philosophy with Judeo-Christianity Constantine establishes school to apply philosophical methods to religious questions

Ascetism Hermit-like existence Celibacy Fasting Prayer St. Simeon Stylite Lived atop pillar for years

Byzantine Monasticism and St. Basil (329-379 CE) Patriarch of Constantinople reforms monasteries Communal living Hierarchical structure Mt. Athos No women, female animals allowed

Mt. Athos: Currently a World Heritage Site, is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox Monasteries

Tensions between Eastern and Western Christianity Ritual disputes Beards on clergy Leavened bread for Mass Theological disputes Iconoclasm Nature of the Trinity

Schism Arguments over hierarchy, jurisdiction Autonomy of Patriarchs, or Primacy of Rome? 1054 Patriarch of Constantinople and Pope of Rome excommunicate each other East: Orthodox Church West: Roman Catholic

Social Problems in the Byzantine Empire Generals of themes become allied with local aristocrats Intermarry, create class of elite Occasional rebellions vs. Imperial Rule

Challenges from the West Western European economic development Normans from Scandinavia press on Byzantine territories Crusades of 12th-13th centuries rampage through Byzantine territory Constantinople sacked, 1204

Challenges from the East Muslim Saljuqs invade Anatolia Threatens grain supply Defeat Byzantine army in 1071 battle of Manzikert, creates civil conflict Period of steady decline until Ottoman Turks capture Constantinople in 1453 Renamed Istanbul

The Byzantine empire and its neighbors about 1100 C.E.

Influence on Slavic Cultures Relations from 6th c. CE Bulgaria influenced culturally, politically Saints Cyril and Methodius Create Cyrillic alphabet Slavic lands develop orientation to Byzantium

Kievan Rus’ Conversion of Prince Vladimir, 989 Byzantine culture influences development of Slavic cultures Distinctively Slavic Orthodox church develops Eventual heir to Byzantium

St. Basil’s Cathedral and Spasskaya Tower of Kremlin, Red Square, Moscow