1. Chapter 10 The Byzantine Empire and Russia Section 1: The Byzantine Empire

2. The Story Continues
The “fall” of the Roman Empire was really only half a fall. Although Germanic tribes defeated the Western Roman Empire in the A.D. 400s and 500s, the Eastern Roman Empire successfully fought off the invaders. Also called the Byzantine Empire, it included Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and other areas. Through the Byzantines the glory of the Roman Empire lived on.

3. I. The Growth of the Byzantine Empire
The emperor Justinian ruled the Byzantine
Empire from A.D. 527 to 565
Digital painting © Byzantium 1200
This picture is based on a mosaic of Justinian at San Vitale in Ravenna.

4. I. The Growth of the Byzantine Empire
One of his contributions was collecting and
preserving Roman law – the Justinian Code
Emperor Justinian Promulgates his Law Code

5. I. The Growth of the Byzantine Empire
The Code was the basis of Byzantine law and
provided the framework for many European
legal systems
The Corpus Juris Civilis (Body of Civil Law)

6. I. The Growth of the Byzantine Empire
His wife, Theodora, urged Justinian to change
Byzantine law to improve the status of women
Emperor Justinian ( ) and Empress Theodora (d. 548)

7. I. The Growth of the Byzantine Empire
Justinian chose Belisarius to lead his army,
and the Byzantine Empire expanded to its
greatest size

8. II. Strengths of the Empire
The emperor and strong central government
ruled the empire and the military protected the
borders

9. II. Strengths of the Empire
Ships carried a chemical called “Greek fire”
that burst into flames when sprayed onto
enemy ships

10. II. Strengths of the Empire
Constantinople, located where Europe meets
Asia, controlled the Bosporus Strait and grew
wealthy from trade

11. III. The Christian Church
The Christian church was important, but
differences between the West and East
divided the church

12. III. The Christian Church
The Byzantines did not recognize the pope’s
authority - the patriarch of Constantinople
headed the Eastern church

13. III. The Christian Church
A major disagreement concerned the role of
icons, which led to the Iconoclastic
Controversy

14. III. The Christian Church
The Byzantine Emperor ordered icons
destroyed, but the church in Rome decided
that abolishing icons was a heresy
“Augustine of Hippo Refuting Heretic” Illuminated manuscript,13th century

15. III. The Christian Church
In 1054, the Christian church split into the
Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
churches

16. IV. Byzantine Culture While western Europe was entering the Dark
Ages, Byzantine civilization thrived

17. IV. Byzantine Culture Christian missionaries, such as the brothers
Cyril and Methodius, carried Byzantine culture
to new lands
Icon of Cyril and Methodius

18. IV. Byzantine Culture The brothers taught the Bible to the Slavs and
created a Slavic alphabet, known as Cyrillic

19. IV. Byzantine Culture Art included murals, mosaics, icons; religious
architecture included the Hagia Sophia in
Constantinople

20. V. The Decline of the Empire
After Justinian, the Byzantine Empire lost
land to the Persians, Lombards, Slavs, and
Muslims
The yellow areas were lost in the 11th century, the green areas in the 12th and 13th centuries, and the purple areas in the 14th century. The remaining bits and pieces (black) were taken by the Ottoman Turks, culminating with the capture of Constantinople in 1453.

21. V. The Decline of the Empire
During the A.D. 1000s, the Seljuq Turks
captured Asia Minor, a source of food and
soldiers for the empire

22. V. The Decline of the Empire
When the emperor asked for help, in 1204
the West turned against the Byzantines and
seized Constantinople
The capture of Constantinople in 1204 by the Crusaders during the Fourth Crusade was one of the darkest hours in history. Eventually, the Crusaders too, would suffer from this event...

23. V. The Decline of the Empire
The Byzantines regained Constantinople, but
were conquered in 1453 by the Ottoman
Turks