The Byzantine Empire

Background Information Rome had fallen on hard times - spread too thin, problems with government, etc. The Empire slowly fell apart and was divided into two empires: the Eastern/Byzantine Empire and the Western Empire. The empire began around 327 AD and lasted until 1453 AD. (4th to 15th centuries)

Background Information The capital of the Eastern Roman Empire was Constantinople. Constantinople is now Istanbul which is in modern day Turkey.

Justinian In 527, Justinian became the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire He set out to re-conquer areas of the Western Empire which had been overrun by invaders He temporarily recaptured a vast majority of the old empire

Justinian Set about rebuilding Constantinople including: schools, courts, hospitals and the Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia “Holy Wisdom” Church in Constantinople. Architectural and engineering wonder. Six years to build. Huge dome sits on top of the church. and is 180 ft high

Empress Theodora Wife to Justinian Held a strong influence over her husband Helped convince him to stay during a rebellion - saved his rule Established more rights for women Most influential woman of the empire

Empress Theodora As Justinian’s wife and adviser she helped to change the laws regarding the status women. Divorce laws gave greater benefit to women Christian women were able to own property equal to their dowry

Justinian’s Code A uniform code of laws for the Byzantine Empire called Justinian’s Code Lasted over 900 years A combination of edited old Roman laws and laws that were based on custom

Justinian’s Code Divided into 4 parts: ◦ Code- useful Roman Laws ◦ Digest- summarized Roman legal opinion ◦ Institutes- a guide for law students ◦ Novellae - laws passed after 534A.D. Preserved the idea that people should be ruled by laws, not on the whims of leaders

Byzantine’s Impact on Russia

The effect of Byzantine culture on Kiev Kiev was the first major city in Russia Located on a river with access to the Black Sea-made trade possible with Byzantine Empire Kiev became the center of Russian Byzantine Christianity The Mongols invade and sack Kiev in 1240

Impact Byzantium had on Moscow A new settlement emerged to the north (Moscow) The church moved its headquarters to Moscow, making it the center of Russian trade and religion. The Orthodox Church became identical to the church in Constantinople.

Impact Byzantium had on Moscow For years Moscow’s rulers paid tribute to the Mongols who allowed them to keep their religious practices, but they were able to break away under the empire. Byzantine Empire = extensions of Rome Russia = extension of Byzantine

Tsar Ivan III Came to power in the 1400s Refused to pay taxes to the Mongols The Mongols had slowly lost their power and refused to fight Ivan - 1480 Ivan expanded his territories and took the title of Tsar (Czar). Married the niece of a Byzantine emperor for religious reasons.

Why Is the Byzantine Empire Important??? Ultimately, the Byzantine Empire had a lasting impact on culture and religion in the region (Eastern Orthodox - which we will talk about later). The Byzantine Empire also helped preserve Roman and Greek culture.

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The Great Schism of 1054

How did we get here? Christianity began as one church around 33 AD with the followers/apostles of Christ. Today there are three main branches of Christianity: Roman Catholic Eastern Orthodox Protestant

So What was the Big Deal? There was already tension between the Byzantine and old Roman Empire. The Eastern priests could marry before they became priests. Rome didn’t agree. The Roman church used unleavened bread in their mass. The east thought this was too “Jewish”. The Eastern church had mass in Greek. The Roman Church used Latin.

So Many Issues - Big and Small For Example: The priests of the two churches dressed differently. It was believed the Eastern church worshipped icons that represented religious figures. The west saw this as idol worship.

The Two Major Issues The Eastern churches did not like how the Pope of Rome claimed himself to be the head of the Christian church. The Eastern church believed the patriarch (bishop) of Constantinople, if anyone, should be the head. In 1054, the final straw came when the Western Church added the filioque to their creed which made the “Holy Spirit” proceed the Father and the Son.

Childish Solution In 1054, Pope Leo IX of Rome and the Patriarch/Bishop of Constantinople decided to excommunicate each other. Excommunication is the worst punishment a member of the church can receive. They are not allowed to receive sacraments and have no hope of entering heaven, according to these beliefs.

Creation of a New Church The result of the 1054 Schism is the division between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church. The word Orthodox means dedication to the traditional faith. The Eastern church believed that they followed traditional Christian beliefs unlike the Roman church with they viewed as greedy and too close to Judaism. They do not recognize the supremacy of the Pope.

The two churches have never gotten back together but did reconcile their differences in the 1900s.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EASTERN CHURCH AND WESTERN CHURCH Roman Catholic Eastern Church Eastern Orthodox Centered in Rome Pope has authority over Bishops Centered in Constantinople Patriarch and other bishops share authority Farther away from the seat of power once Constantinople became capital Close to the seat of power once Constantinople became the capital Latin is spoken in the Liturgy (church services) Greek is spoken in the liturgy (church services) Pope has authority over Kings and emperors Emperor has authority over Patriarch and bishops Priests can’t marry Divorce is not permitted Priests can marry Divorce is allowed under certain conditions

Stop Here for 5 W’s and chart creation

What two Christian churches were there at the end of the Great Schism of 1054? What language was used in each church during their services? Which church did not recognize the Pope as supreme?

The Mongol Empire and Marco Polo

Genghis Khan “universal ruler” - he was organized & a good strategist Genghis united the nomadic Mongol clans into one force Invaded northern China and western parts of Asia Mongols invaded & conquered Russia, but cities like Moscow became powerful & wealthy Used violence, often destroying entire towns, to spread fear among his enemies Genghis Khan (1162-1227)

Pax Mongolica Pax Mongolica: created a time of stability & law, guaranteed safe travels on the Silk Road where religion, ideas, & culture spread Mongols didn’t treat all people humanely, adopted foreign cultures, & unified largest land empire ever

The Mongol Empire After Genghis’s death his empire was divided among his sons and grandsons, who expanded Mongol territory The Mongols tended to allow the people they conquered to keep their cultural and religious beliefs The Mongols opened up trade throughout Asia and eastern Europe

Mongol rule in China Kublai Khan (Genghis’ grandson) invaded China and became the new emperor He united China and opened it up to foreign trade Mongols and Chinese tended not to intermingle except for the purpose of government and trade

Mongol rule in China Moved the capital from Mongolia to China Saw his power slipping b/c: Many defeats in attempted expansion Overtaxed the Chinese – spent too much money in the treasury Empire was too large for one man to rule

Marco Polo Traveled to China in 1275 and served as a representative of Kublai Khan for 17 years Later wrote a book, The Travels of Marco Polo, about his travels in China-described the use of coal for heat, which was unknown to most Europeans Many Europeans thought that his stories were made up

How did the Byzantine Empire End?

The Ottoman Empire’s role in the decline of Byzantium Around 1300 the Ottomans began to build an empire on the edge of the Byzantine Empire (were one of the first groups to use muskets and cannons) The Ottomans expanded into the Byzantine Empire: they treated their conquered subjects with respect allowing trade and religious freedom

Ottoman Empire By the 1400s the Empire had grown strong and decided to attack the last stronghold of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople In 1453 the Ottomans used cannons to subdue and capture the city: they rebuilt it and changed the name to Istanbul