1. The Byzantine Empire and The Crusades
Topic 1

2. The Reign of Justinian
5th century, Germanic tribes move into the western Roman Empire.
Eastern Roman Empire continued to exist. Justinian became emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire in 527.
Capital is Constantinople.

3. Roman Empire

4. He restored the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean to include
Italy
part of Spain
North Africa
Asia Minor
Palestine Syria.
His most important contribution was his codification of Roman law in The Body of Civil Law. It was the basis of the European legal system.

5. From Eastern Roman Empire to Byzantine Empire
Justinian’s conquest left the Eastern Roman Empire with serious problems:
Too much territory to protect far from Constantinople
Empty treasury
Population decline due to a plague
Frontier threats.
Most serious challenge was Islam
Unified Arab forces that invaded the Eastern Roman Empire.
By 8th Century empire lost Syria and Palestine
Now consisted of Eastern Balkans and Asia Minor, known as the Byzantine Empire.

6. Byzantine Empire

7. Byzantine Empire was both a Greek and Christian state, built on Christian faith.
Greek replaced Latin as the official language.
Christian church of the Byzantine Empire came to be known as the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Byzantines believed Emperor was chosen by God. The emperor appointed the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, known as the patriarch. As a result, the emperor had control over the church and the state.

8. Life in Constantinople
Justinian rebuilt Constantinople.
Constantinople was the largest city in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Greatest center of commerce, chief center of trade between west and east
Silk
Spices
Ivory
Wheat

9. Justinian built an immense palace, hundreds of churches.
Hippodrome: arena held races, fights
extensive public works, including immense underground reservoirs for the city’s water supply.
Hagia Sophia- was the greatest building built—Church of the Holy wisdom.

10. Church of Hagia Sophia
[Holy Wisdom]

11. Interior of the Church of Hagia Sophia

12. New Heights & New Problems
Byzantine’s Macedonian Dynasty helped expand Empire and fostered a burst of economic prosperity.
Byzantine Empire troubled by split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in the West.
The issue was regarding who should be the head of the church.

13. Head of Christian faith for the Orthodox Church was the patriarch.
Head of the Catholic Church was the pope.
The Orthodox Church would not accept the pope as the head of the Christian faith.
In 1054 Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael Cerularius excommunicated each other.
This began schism, or split, between the two great branches of Christianity.

14. The Crusades
From 11th – 13th century, European Christians went on as series of military campaigns to regain the Holy Land from the Muslims, who were regarded as infidels (nonbelievers) by the Christians
These military expeditions are known as Crusades.
Push for the Crusades came when the Byzantine emperor Alexius I asked the Europeans to help against the Sljuk Turks who were Muslims.
At the Council of Clermont in 1095, Pope Urban II urged Christians to take up arms in a holy war.

15. First Crusades
The First Crusades began as three organized bands of warriors, most of them French, made their way east. reached Jerusalem in They took the city and massacred thousand of inhabitants.
Muslims began to strike back. The fall of one of the Latin kingdoms led to calls for another crusade.

16. Second Crusade The Second Crusade led by:
King Luis VII of France
Conrad III of Germany
Crusade was a failure.
In 1187, Jerusalem fell to the Muslims under Saladin.

17. Third Crusade Lead by Frederick drowned in a local river
Frederick Barbarossa from Germany
Richard I of England
Phillip II Augusts from France
Frederick drowned in a local river
Philip went home
Richard negotiated an agreement with Saladin allowing Christian pilgrim’s access to Jerusalem.

18. Fourth Crusade
Six years, after the death of Saladin, Pope Innocent III started Fourth Crusade.
Crusaders sacked Constantinople in 1204.
It was a chance to eliminate the main trade competitor (the Byzantine Empire).
The Byzantine Empire would eventually be conquered by the Ottoman Turks.

19. Children’s Crusade Two “children crusades,” occurred in 1212.
Many were sent home
Some drowned
Some were sold into slavery

20. Effects of the Crusades
Unfortunate effect of the Crusades was that it began the first widespread attacks on Jews.
Many Christians believed that the Jews were the “murders of Christ.” The massacre of Jews became part of medieval European life.
Greatest impact of the Crusades was political. They eventually helped to break down feudalism.

21. Nobles lose power, kings became stronger and wealthier.
Kings levied taxes and raised armies, nobles joining the Crusades sold their lands and freed their serfs.
Nobles lose power, kings became stronger and wealthier.
Led to the development of nation-states.
Mid-1400’s four strong states emerge
Portugal
Spain
England
France