Justinian and the Eastern Roman Empire 1

Watch and learn… 20Conflict% /chp2654_300k.asf 20Conflict% /chp2654_300k.asf 2

Split City Location: perfect located between the Aegean and Black Seas in what is now Turkey…Perfect location for…? Cultural Melting pot: east and west Wasn’t Rome! Lacked the problems of Rome West…so the transfer made sense. 3

Byzantium Originally a Greek fishing colony established in 660 BC… Gradually grew in prosperity due to its location and fertile trade routes. Their Greek influence will be evident in that they will combine some Greek features with some Roman to become more powerful.. 4

Byzantine Blend Roman Religious Roots Empirical/Government Practicality Warfare City Building and Planning Greek Language Philosophy Religion: Eastern Orthodoxy will be the synthesis of Greek Christians who separated from Rome 5

The Reign of Justinian The height of the first period of Byzantine history ( ) was the reign of Emperor Justinian (r ) and his wife Empress Theodora (d. 548) 6

Justinian Looks to the Past In 527 A.D. Justinian I began to plan ways to make the Byzantine Empire as great as the Roman Empire had been in the past. – With a strong army, he conquered: Many lands that Rome had lost Alexandria in Egypt Carthage in northern Africa Athens in Europe 7

Justinian’s Empire Byzantine Empire at its height in 565 AD. 8

Justinian Code What? It can also be referred to as The Corpus Juris Civilis, The Body of Civil Law Became the foundation of law in most western European Countries. When? In February 528, Emperor Justinian chose ten men to review 1,600 books full of Roman Law (Twelve Tables) and create a simpler legal code. The Code was in affect from 528 – 534 These men were able to create the Justinian Code with just over 4,000 laws. The laws were recorded in four books. Why? Made the law simple and organized so that all people could have an understanding of it Very successful at combining three types of law in order to form private law Without it, law making and law enforcement wouldn’t be as advanced as it is today Many of the laws in Justinian’s Code reflect the point of view of his wife, Theodora. 9

Agree or Disagree? 10

People in an ascendant-descendant relationship---father-daughter; aunt- nephew, etc. may not marry. Brothers and sisters may not marry, but first cousins could. (should first cousins be allowed to marry?) 11

A Christian cannot marry a Jew. 12

A widow/widower may not remarry less than a year after their spouce’s death. Severe financial penalties followed violation of this rule. 13

A girl who was less than 12 years old when she married is not really a lawful wife until she reaches that age although she can continue to live with her “husband” until then. 14

15 In the law of persons, then, the first division is into free men and slaves. (free men come before slaves)

Slaves are either born so, their mothers being slaves themselves, or they become so (If you are born to a slave, should a freeman or slave?)

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Empress Theodora Theodora encouraged her husband to make new laws that were fairer to women. – Laws allowing parents to leave property to daughters – Laws improving women’s rights – Innocent until proven guilty Theodora assisted her husband in choosing government leaders. She believed jobs should be given based on ability and not social class. 18

Empress Theodora--Poverty to Power Theodora’s early life was spent at the Hippodrome, or circus. Her father was a bear keeper and she was a circus performer, but left the circus in her 20s. Most empresses came from noble families. Theodora’s early life gave her a prospective of what life was like for ordinary citizens. Her husband also came from a poor family. Like Rome, a small number of citizens were wealthy, while most were working class or poor. 19

Hippodrome 20

Hippodrome 21

Hippodrome 22

Byzantine Economy Justinian worked to build a strong economy. Constantinople was a meeting place for merchants from Europe and Asia. New industries – Silk He ordered silkworm eggs smuggled from China, along with mulberry trees. This ended the monopoly China held on the world’s silk trade. 23

Trade and Chinese Silk The Chinese kept silk making a secret for about 3000 years. They didn’t want others to know how to make silk. If anyone told the secret, they would be put to death. They traded the silk along a route that was known as the Silk Road. The Silk Road connected China with lands in the west. Bandits and thieves often traveled the Silk Road. 24

Byzantine Economy Taxes collected from trade and industry were used for a building program to make Constantinople the New Rome. One example is the Church of Holy Wisdom, or Hagia Sophia. The dome of the church forms a circle of 40 windows. 25

Religious Dispute Justinian and Theodora were both Christians, but they disagreed about religious ways. Disputes concerning religious beliefs and traditions often caused conflicts in between the east and the west. One argument concerned the use of icons in religious worship and prayers. 26

Icons vs. Iconoclasts Images used to inspire Christians during worship Representative art Destroyer of Icons Why would someone want to destroy icons? 8th Century: Emperor Leo III did not want people worshiping the images themselves, rather than what they stood for. 27

Religious Dispute Orthodox Christians, (east) or those who held strict religious beliefs, thought the use of icons (pictures of Christ) was forbidden in the Ten Commandments. Orthodox Christians thought this was a form of worshipping idols. In the west where few people could read or write, church leaders believed the use of icons was a good way to teach about Christianity. 28

The Great Schism of 1054 In 1054 the Christian Church split because of disagreements over religious issues. Two branches of Christianity form: – Eastern Greek Orthodox Church – Roman Catholic Church 29

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The Great Schism of 1054 – Eastern Greek Orthodox Church Based in Constantinople Official language – Greek Church led by a Patriarch referred to as a Bishop Bishops couldn’t marry. Priests could marry. Scriptures were the final authority on all matters. Emperor or political ruler was above the Bishop. Rejected the use of icons. – Roman Catholic Church Based in Rome Official language – Latin Church led by a Pope referred to as Father. Church leaders could not marry. Only Pope and Bishops could interpret the scriptures. The Pope was the Supreme head of Church - above any political ruler. Religious icons accepted. 31

Decline Remember --The Emperor Justinian, brought prosperity to the empire, and expanded its borders. However, this success came at a great cost. – The treasuries of the Byzantines were emptied, and the economy of the empire was weakened. For the next 700 years after the death of Justinian, the empire would see a long slow period of decline 32

Attacks from outside By A.D the once mighty Byzantium Empire was nothing more than a city, surrounded by a few smaller villages. – The city of Constantinople was in serious decline. No longer a center of wealth, Constantinople was now home to legions of poor. – However, the city still held an important strategic location, which had allowed them to hold off Islamic invaders from reaching the Christian nations in the North. 33

The End… Finally, in their weakened state, the Byzantines were attacked by the Ottoman Turks. The Turks besieged the city of Constantinople for six weeks before finally breaking through the city walls, ending over a thousand years of Byzantine culture, and rule. 34