1. The Byzantine Empire

2. Setting the stage: Roman Empire in Decline
Economy declines
Military Upheaval
Germanic Invasions
Diocletian's reforms

4. Diocletian Reforms Restored order in the empire and increased strength
Doubled the size of the army
Attempted to control inflation by setting fixed prices
Limited personal freedom
Persecuted Christians
Divided Empire:
-Greek-speaking East
-Latin-speaking West
Takes eastern half for himself and appoints a co-ruler for the west
Orderly succession fails resulting in civil war
Diocletian secured Rome’s boundaries, stabilized economy, however to do this, he governed as an absolute ruler and
limited personal freedom, Farmers were ordered to stay on their land and other workers were forced to stay in their jobs for life
persecuted Christians- Diocletian claimed descent from Roman Gods and viewed Christians as a threat
his plans for orderly succession failed resulting in civil war

6. Constantine gains control of Western Empire , and later seized control of the East

7. Byzantium becomes the “New Rome”
In 330, Constantine moved the capital from Rome to the Greek city, Byzantium
Renames city Constantinople
Constantine rises up as leader during the civil war, saw golden cross claims divine help to win power
Why does he move the capital to Byzantium?
The eastern half of the Roman empire becomes the Byzantine Empire is now under one ruler
As the cities of the western Roman empire crumbled, Constantinople prospered

8. Constantinople
With its high walls and golden domes, it stood as the proud capital of the Byzantine Empire
By creating a smaller area that was easier to defend, Constantine was able to preserve the empire
Constantinople flourished for over 1000 years

9. Strategically located on the Bosporus Strait
Trade in Constantinople was prosperous because it was located on the crossroads between Europe and Asia
Bosporus Strait- good for trade and defense
Located far away from invading Germanic Tribes
Peninsula- natural protection, linked Mediterranean and Black seas
Constantinople trade was prosperous because it was located on the crossroads between Europe and Asia
The eastern provinces began to develop independently of the declining West- The eastern Byzantine empire gradually comes into being
Strategically located on the Bosporus Strait
Trade in Constantinople was prosperous because it was located on the crossroads between Europe and Aisa

10. Justinian Builds a New Rome
Succeeds the throne from his uncle in 527 as Emperor of the Eastern Empire until 565.
Justinian sent his best general, Belisarius, to expand his new empire
In the next 16 years Justinian would rule almost all the territory the Roman empire had ever ruled.
Aspired to be emperor of all Roman Emp.
Ruled with absolute power

11. Justinian’s Codes It was created by 10 legal experts
Reviewed and compiled 400 years of Roman Law
Established one uniform rule of law for the Byzantine Empire, or “New Rome”
Served the empire for 900 years
Ethnically the empire was extremely diverse, Justinian need a set of codes to help
Regulate a complex society

12. Justinian’s Codes The code consisted of 4 works
The Code- contained 5,000 Roman laws
The Digest- opinions of Rome’s greatest legal thinkers about the laws
The Institutes- a textbook explaining how to use the law
The Novellae- “New Law” presented legislation after 534
How did the Byzantine Empire Preserve Roman Culture: These codes preserved Roman Culture.

13. Creating an Imperial Capital
Rebuilt stone “sea wall”- 14 miles long, 25 ft. wide, 70 feet tall.
Church building was he greatest passion.
Hagia Sophia- “Holy Wisdom” in Greek.
Justinian’s code unite the empire, Next Justinian launched ambitious public building plans to rebuild Constantinople
Elaborate church building shows the connection between church and state
He was deemed as Christ’s co-ruler on Earth and had power over the Church
Justinian had power over church and combined spiritual authority with political power
Hagia Sophia (Holy Sophia) - The Church of Divine Wisdom, Constantinople, 6th c., as it appeared before it was turned into a mosque in1453. Hagia Sophia remained a symbol of once flourishing Roman Christian Empire and the Orthodox Church worldwide. The glorious Cathedral was a scene of most brilliant Christian services and imperial coronations the world has ever seen. The church is now a museum and still treasures traces of the most beautiful Byzantine mosaics and architecture.

14. This city was unmatched by any other of it’s time
Justinian divided the groups working on the construction of Hagia Sophia into two separate crews who competed to finish first
Completed in 6 yrs
Still survives today

15. Empress Theodora The most powerful woman in Byzantine history.
Major political influence- She met with foreign leaders, passed laws and built churches
Recognized the rights of women by establishing laws to protect women and gave then greater benefits in divorces.
She came from poverty. Her father was a bar-keeper and she was an actress
How do you think the marriage of Emperor Justinian to the common Theodora was accepted in society?
She was her husbands adviser and had immense political power
After her death in 548, Justinian was so depressed that he passed no major laws for the rest of his reign- a major sign of her political influence.

16. The Hippodrome
The Hippodrome was the entertainment, social and sports center of Byzantine life
The word hippodrome came from the greek word meaning “horse” “racecourse”

17. Could hold up to 60,000 spectators
Captivating chariot races prompted people to place large bets

18. Nika Riots
Fans of the different chariot-racing teams formed rowdy gangs named for the colors (blue/green) worn by their heroes
Rivalry between teams was often accompanied by political differences and resulted in city-wide violence
In 532 the largest of these riots occurred, essentially producing a civil war
Nika- “Victory”
Differenced between “blue” and “green” sparked a city wide riot
Mobs cried “Nika” or victory

19. Theodora saves the day
“My opinion is that now is a poor time for flight, even though it bring safety. For any man who has seen the light of day will also die, but one who has been an emperor cannot endure to be a fugitive. If now you wish to go, Emperor, nothing prevents you. There is the sea, there are the steps to the boats. But take care that after you are safe, you do not find that you would gladly exchange that safety for death.”
-Empress Theodora ( )

20. CONSTANTINOPLE’S STRONG MILITARY DEFENSE & TECHNOLOGY
After Justinian’s death the empire suffered many setbacks
Plague
Enemy from west, north, and east side
However, attacks on Constantinople by Persians, Slavs, Vikings, Arabs and other groups were largely unsuccessful …
CONSTANTINOPLE’S STRONG MILITARY DEFENSE & TECHNOLOGY
SAVE THE DAY
On two occasions, from 674 to 677, and again in , Arab armies besieged Constantinople by land and sea. Superior military organization, the city’s high walls and its strategic location, and the timely invention of one of history's most decisive weapons, a medieval form of napalm dubbed "Greek fire“ used by the Byzantine naval fleet enabled the Byzantines to weather the storm. The cost to both sides was high. By 800 A.D., Byzantium had lost most of her territory south of the Taurus Mountains and much of the remainder of the empire lay devastated. The Arabs lost untold thousands of men through futile attacks against Constantinople's defenses.
In centuries after Justinian, the empire rose and fell
Plague hits the empire, killing thousands and leaving the empire venerable to enemies
Justinian dies of plague, If emperor dies of plague, what does that tell you about the rest of society?
Different groups of enemies attack the Byzantine empire from all sides

21. Back in the West
The western half of the Byzantine empire finds itself less prepared to defend against attacks
Pope asks Charlemagne, king of the Frankish (France) empire, for help
In return for Charlemagne's protection the Pope names him Holy Roman Emperor in the West
While the eastern half succeeded in pushing back enemy attacks, the western half of the byzantine empire succumbed to attacks and began to fall apart.
Far away from the help of Constantinople the Pope in Rome petitions support from Charlem. For support and in return he makes Char. Holy Roman Emperor of the West
What problem does this create?
--division of east and west

22. Differences Emerge Constantinople (East) Rome (West) Authority:
Different cultural practices and limited contact between east and west resulted in the development of different religious practices.
Constantinople (East)
Rome (West)
Authority
emperor claims authority over the patriarch and all other bishops
Language
Greek
Church policies
Priests can marry
Divorce allowed under certain conditions
Authority:
pope claims authority over all kings and emperors
Language
Latin
Church policies
Priests could not marry
Divorce was never allowed
Didn’t happen all of a sudden
Distant geographically and socially
Speak different language
Different major holy days
Over time their differences are exacerbated and culminate in the Great Schism
Pope crowns emperor
Byzantine emperor controlled Church affairs
He appoints a patriarch (bishop)-the highest Church official but remains obedient to emperor
*Byzantine Christians reject the popes claim to authority of all Christians

23. An important difference
In 730, Emperor Leo III banned the use of icons, or religious images.
Supporters of Leo III, called iconoclasts, broke into churches to destroy images. Others revolted and the clergy rebelled
In the west, the pope supports the use of icons
He thought the use of icons amounted to idol worship
This ban set off violent battles within the empire
Do you think icons serve as useful aids for religious devotion or are they a form of idol worship?

24. The Great Schism
The permanent split between the Byzantine Easter Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church
In 1054 the Roman Catholic Pope and the East Orthodox Patriarch excommunicated each other in a dispute over religious doctrine
Excommunicate- “kick out” to declare someone is an outcast from the church. This means you can’t receive sacraments which means you can’t earn salvation Religion is what they have to look forward to
The religious doctrine in dispute concerned the power of the pope
The schism didn’t happen overnight. Rather, it is the result of a gradual process caused by lack of communication, long-festering anger and bad feelings. Not necessarily by a rival in theology.
Do you think differences between Eastern and Western churches could have been reconciled before the final split?
This is the time when the Christian church separates. Up until now, it was just christian. Now there are two distinct sects

25. Crisis and Collapse
At the time of the Schism the Byzantine empire was declining
Struggles over succession and constant invasions from the north undermined the empire’s strength
Emperor Heraclius reorganized empire into themes, or military districts. Each district fell into the hands of individual generals .
As the empire faltered, its enemies advanced

26. The Crusades
The Turks take over the Muslim world and advance across Asia Minor making their way towards Anatolia.
Crusading Christians from western Europe pillage Constantinople
For a 200 year period, Western European Christians fought in 9 Crusades total as they attempted to retake the “Holy Land” (Jerusalem) from the Muslim Empire.
In the 11th century the coming in from east Turks took over the Muslim world and fought their way slowly toward the Byzantine Emp.
They adopt islam

27. The weakened Constantinople could not defend itself from the rising new power in the region-the Ottoman Turks- who, by the 1300s-had completely encircled the old eastern capital.