1. The Byzantine Empire
Based on the Roman setup of years before, the capital city of Constantinople remained strong in the East
Byzantine Empire will last until 1453
Constantinople was the largest ity in Europe at the time (hundreds of thousands)
The siege of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire and one of the most heavily fortified cities in the world, took place in Sultan Mehmed II, ruler of the Ottoman Turks, led the assault. The city was defended by, at most, 10,000 men. The Turks had between 100,000 and 150,000 men on their side. The siege lasted for fifty days. The Turks employed various important war tactics in taking over the city. They used huge cannon to destroy the walls, warships were used to the cut the city's sea defense. They also used an extensive infantry to engulf the city.

2. Constantinople was the center of trade for various civilizations
East vs. West
Producst came from China and Asia (silk, spices, jewelry, ivory, etc.) and furs from Russia, honey from the Balkans…..many arrived in Constantinople and were then shipped to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe….
Constantinople was the center of trade for various civilizations

3. Life here was based on Greek and Christian practices
Eastern Orthodox Church
As I like to do from time to time, today I want to drop back a bit into history and take note of something that helped to shape the world we know today. It was on this date in 1453 that Constantinople, which had been the headquarters for Eastern Christianity since 324, was conquered by the Turks, who renamed it Istanbul and it became capital of the Ottoman Empire.
Read more here:
Life here was based on Greek and Christian practices
Greek and Latin are the official languages

4. Justinian I, sometimes known as Justinian the Great, was a Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the historical Roman Empire
He builds the Hagia Sophia…..known for its huge dome and windows
Justinian will be a famous emperor here who actually tried to “regrow” the size of the Eastern Empire
Came to power in 527…..by 552, he had taken Italy, part of Spain, North Africa, and what he previously had…he tried to recreate the old Roman Empire
Emperors choose the “patriarch” or head of the Eastern Orthodox Church
But 3 years after he dies in 565, the growth is undone by other conquerors (Lombards), Bulgarians in the West, etc.
Too much to hold on to
Elaborate ceremonies….absolute power
Emperor, church officials, and state officials were all bound together in service to try and help preserve the true Christian Faith
There was always an emperor who was seen as being chosen by God and having power of the Church
Justinian is among the most famous

5. Hagia Sophia Eastern Orthodox Basilica built by Justinian in the 530’s
Hagia Sophia, the most beautiful Christian Church in the World from Byzantine Times. Today Hagia Sophia is a museum, honoring both the Christian and Muslim religions.
The Hagia Sophia was constructed in five years, from 532 to 537, at the orders of Emperor Justinian I and designed by Isidore of Miletus.
Immediately after the Turks conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, the Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque. In 1935, the first Turkish President and founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, transformed the building into a museum. The carpets were removed and the marble floor decorations appeared for the first time in centuries, while the white plaster which covered the mosaics were peeled off with the long and careful work of experts.

6. The empire is doomed by problems though:
Eastern Orthodox doesn’t see the pope’s claim that he is the sole head of the Christian faith….
Pope Leo IX and patriarch Micael Cerularius excommunicate each other
The empire is doomed by problems though:
1. A schism in faith (that lasts to this day):
Roman Catholic Church of the West
Eastern Orthodox Church

7. 2. United Arab Muslims are attacking its borders and eventually, the empire will have to seek help from the West
Seljuk Turks
Islamic forces defeated an army of the Eastern Roman Empire in 636….so the Byzantine empire lost Syria and Palestine….
As the Turks continued to conquer more and more Muslim territory, they eventually began rivaling the Byzantine Empire in the East
Emperor Alexius I
Because the Muslim and European world feared and disliked each other, many Europeans agreed, beginning a series of crusades in 1096
Sel·juk
/sɛlˈdʒuk/ Show Spelled [sel-jook] Show IPA
adjective 1. noting or pertaining to any of several Turkish dynasties that ruled over large parts of Asia from the 11th to the 13th centuries.
noun 2. a member of a Seljuk dynasty or of a tribe ruled by them.
The Seljuk Turks
were a nomadic
people from
central Asia who
were brought in
by the Abbasids
as hired soldiers
But as the Abbasids grew weaker, they grew stronger….took over land in the East eventually (Iran and Armenia)
So took land from the Muslims
Eventually they took over Baghdad and established a Turksish sultan for leadership (1055)
Abbasids had officially lost power at that time (though still there)
The Byzantine
emperor asked the
Christian states
of Europe for
help against these
Turks