1. The Byzantine Empire
8.1

2. The Fall Empire was too large Political system too fragmented
Increasing pressure from invading Germanic tribes
2nd half of 4th century:
Huns from Asia pushing Germanic tribes who…
Pushed into the Western Roman Empire
Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Angles/Saxons, Franks
Vandals
The Empire could not withstand OR recover
Empire was too large
Couldn’t protect it all
Political system too fragmented
Economically
Weakened due to plague and war
Tax Base
Not enough to cover expenses
“pay soldiers and ignore everyone else”-Septimus Severus

3. As the Western Roman Empire collapsed into Germanic tribal rule, the Eastern Empire thrived…

4. The Reign of Justinian Importance of Justinian
Instinct for judging others’ abilities
Expanded the empire (p. 189)
Justinian’s Code
Collection of Roman laws
Omitted repetitions, inconsistencies, and statures that dealt with Roman religion
Used as a basis for many European legal systems and today

5. Influence of Empress Theodora
Encouraged her husband to improve status of women
Husbands couldn’t beat wives
Women could sue for divorce
Women could own property (equal to their dowry)
Widows could raise own children (rather than handing over to male relative)
Nika Revolt—to Justinian, “Only here am I an Empress, I’m not leaving.”

6. Iconoclastic Controversy
Great Schism—A.D.1054
Icons— holy pictures of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the saints.
Some Christians revered icons feeling they helped them in their worship.
Iconoclasts—people who felt even the presence of icons constituted idol worship
Iconoclastic Controversy
Western Church
Believed icons were necessary for their uneducated people
Heresy to oppose icons
Roman Catholic Church
Eastern Church
Full of iconoclasts
Presence of icons could lead to excommunication
Eastern Orthodox Church

7. Church Tree

8. Constantinople
As the Western Roman Empire was invaded, many of the texts, art, and any other item of worth/value was moved from Rome to Constantinople for safety.
Preserved and passed on classical learning of Ancient Greece, Rome and the East.
Law— Justinian Code
Religion— Hagia Sophia (dome over rectangle)
Arts— inspire reverence, not and imitations of reality (mosaics)