Byzantine Empire McFarland

Europe During Post-Classical Period Following fall of Roman Empire, 2 Christian societies emerged in Europe Western Europe: Roman Catholicism Eastern Europe: Orthodox Christianity The religion and culture of Eastern Europe was largely shaped by the Byzantine Empire.

Map of Byzantine Empire http://guide-martine

Origins of the Byzantine Empire Late in the Classical Period, Rome established an eastern capital at Constantinople (formerly Byzantium) Attempt to keep empire from collapsing Roman Empire eventually split into eastern and western halves East began to thrive, west experienced decline

Byzantine Empire Both empires were hit hard by foreign invasion and disease in the late-classical period. BUT, Byzantine Empire survived, the Roman Empire did not Why was the Byzantine Empire stronger than that of Rome???? Thrived on trade Trade with Rome in decline Military derived from Middle Eastern provinces Rome hired foreign mercenaries Strong political and religious leadership in form of the Byzantine Emperor Roman Emperor and Pope competed for power

Emperor Justinian Byzantine Empire flourished under Justinian’s rule Art, architecture, construction projects Hagia Sophia- church with world’s largest dome (at the time) Engineering marvel Created standardized system of law codes (Justinian Law Code) Maintain stability, unity, consistency Under Justinian, the Byzantine Empire extended its influence 533: Emperor Justinian attempted to reunite eastern and western halves of the old Roman Empire Failed Gained territory in N. Africa and Italy However, the Muslim empires will later conquer about half of the territory once controlled by the Byzantine Empire

Mosaic of Emperor Justinian http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Meister_von_San_Vitale_in_Ravenna_004.jpg

Byzantine Society Emperor was ordained by God to be head of Church and state Patriarchal rule, but some women were able to hold throne temporarily In early days, women enjoyed some freedom, but became more restricted as time passed Practiced veiling and confinement of women Muslims later adopt these practices

Religion in Byzantine Empire Initially, the Byzantines were under the authority of the Pope Over time, conflict arose between the Pope in Rome and the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople Began to develop differences in religious practices 1054: Great Schism Official split in Church Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox

Government Under Byzantine Empire Complex centralized bureaucracy Mostly aristocrats in power positions Possible for other social classes to hold office Bureaucrats had to be well educated Most positions that were closest to the Emperor were held by eunuchs Provincial governors and spy network to maintain order Close tie between church and state

Government Under the Byzantine Empire Focus on military Recruited local troops Exchanged military service for land that could by passed on to children Military helped fend off foreign invasions Regulation of the economy Controlled food prices Adopted silk making from China, allowing them to compete in luxury markets Government Sponsored trade with Europe, Asia, Arab Muslims, India Role of merchant class was diminished due to govt. involvement in trade

Art and Architecture Strong Hellenistic Influence Domed buildings (adopted from Rome) Mosaics: use of small, colored pieces of glass, tile, stone to create an image Icon Painting: paintings of religious figures Often used rich colors such as blue and gold to signify the purity and brilliance of heaven

Hagia Sophia

Mosaic of Christ from Hagia Sophia

Decline of Byzantine Empire Long decline Muslim Invasions Turkish Troops seized territory in Asia Slavic peoples rebelled and created independent kingdoms in Balkan Peninsula Crusaders 1453: Turkish Sultan and his army attacked Constantinople and seized the city Established the Ottoman Empire under Muslim control