1. Eastern Europe 600-1450 Byzantine Empire & Russia

2. Eastern Europe (Ch.9)

3. Map Exercise
The Byzantine Empire under Justinian

4. The Byzantine Empire,

6. Eastern Europe: Byzantium & Orthodox

7. Eastern Europe: Byzantium & Orthodox
Roman Emperor Constantine built Constantinople as capital in the 4th century
Capital of Byzantine Empire after the Roman Empire split around 324CE (Middle Ages)
After the fall of the western empire in 476 CE; the Eastern Roman Empire [Romania] lasted until 1453 by Ottoman
Culture: Hellenism
Greek eventually became the empire’s official language
Lacked Innovative literary forms
Large and wealthy merchant class, but it never gained significant political power because of the bureaucracy
Luxury products, such as silk, cloth and carpets

8. Eastern Europe: Byzantium & Orthodox
Justinian I ( ) Justinian Dynasty ( ) Contributions:
Re-conquered most of the old Western Roman Empire
Brilliant general Belisarius
Rebuilt Constantinople
Hagia Sophia
Codification the Roman legal code (His Greatest Historical Achievement)
Updated by later emperors,
helped spread its legal
principles to various parts
of Europe
Justinian successors were able to
hold off Arab & Bulgaria (Bulgars)
invaders, but the empire’s size
& strength was greatly reduced
Expansion during Justinian's reign

9. New Weapon : “Greek Fire”
Ancient “Napalm”:
Petroleum, Quicklime, and Sulfur mixture

10. Eastern Europe: Byzantium & Orthodox
Byzantine political system:
Emperor was held to be ordained by God
Head of the Church, Head of State
Women could serve as emperor
Empress Irene (r )
Zoe & Theodora ( CE)
Elaborate bureaucracy (Byzantine)
Organized the empire militarily, socially, and economically
Cultural life blended Hellenism
and Orthodox Christianity

11. Eastern Europe: Byzantium & Orthodox
The Bulgar-slayer
Sophisticated bureaucracy
Open to all classes
Provincial governors
Government Economic Control
Regulation of food prices & trade
Large peasant class – supplying goods
Large tax revenues
Trade networks
Asia, Russia, Scandinavia, Europe, & Africa
Silk production increased
Techniques & silkworms originally China
Large merchant class never gained power
Arts
Distinct Byzantine style rich colored icon mosaics of religious figures and leaders
Creativity in architecture Roman domed buildings
Basil II
Hellenism

12. Eastern Europe: Byzantium & Orthodox
Great Schism (East-West Schism)
In 1054, the Catholic church of the west and the Orthodox Church of the East agreed to split (Mutual excommunication):
List of disagreements:
Filioque Cause- Trinity
(Rome modified Nicene Creed without Eastern approval)
Pope Authority over all four Eastern patriarchs/ Jurisdiction
Differences Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy and Catholic Mass
(Unleavened bread, with or w/o yeast)
Celibacy among Western priests

13. Eastern Europe: Byzantium & Orthodox
400 years of decline following the Schism and the Battle of Manzikert:
Seljuk Turks –Took most of the Asian provinces:
1071, Battle of Manzikert, Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV was defeated by Great Seljuq Alp Arslan (Stepped on his neck!)
Slavic states emerge
Appeal to West brings crusaders
1204, Greedy Venetian crusaders
sack Constantinople instead of
Holy Land!
Ottoman Turks
1453, Constantinople taken
By 1461 the empire was gone
The Byzantine Empire

14. Spread of Civilization in Eastern Europe
The Emergence of Kievan Rus'
Started along the trade route between Scandinavia & Constantinople
Slavs from Asia migrated north along Dnieper River
Iron working, extended
Better than west until 11oos!
Agriculture, rich soils of the
Ukraine & Western Russia
Mix with earlier populations
Family tribes, villages
Folk music & oral legends
Regional Kingdoms
Animistic
6th & 7th centuries
Scandinavian merchants
Trade between Byzantines
and the North
East European Kingdoms and Slavic Expansion, c. 1000

15. Spread of Civilization in Eastern Europe
Influence conquest, conversion, & trade:
864, Saints Cyril & Methodius
Missionaries to Slavs
Invented Cyrillic script Slavic alphabet
Increased literacy in the Balkans
Allowed Slavs to use of their language/literature religiously
The East Central Borderlands
Competition from Catholics (Latin Alphabet/speech) and Orthodox Greeks
Czechs, Hungary, Poland
Catholics prevailed throughout
Regional monarchies prevail
Kingdoms in Poland, Bohemia, & Lithuania more territory than west…
Active area for trade & industry
Jews fleeing intolerance in western Europe
Stressed education & literacy

16. Spread of Civilization in Eastern Europe
855 CE Monarchy under Rurik (Legend)
Center at Kiev
Prosperous trading center
Vladimir I ( )
Converts to Orthodoxy around 1000 CE
Mass Baptisms & forced conversions
Controls church (Start of the Russian Orthodox Church)
Yaroslav issued unifying code of laws (Byzantine Example)
Known as Yaroslav the Wise ( )
Institutions and Culture in Kievan Rus‘ (Russian)
Orthodox influence
Built more ornate churches, Icons & incense , Monogamy, & Monasticism
Influenced by Byzantine patterns
Bureaucracy & Education not as developed
Art, literature dominated by religion & royalty
Used the Cyrillic alphabet,
Free farmers were predominant
But there was a aristocratic landlord class: Boyars,
Lords less powerful than in the West

17. Spread of Civilization in Eastern Europe
Kievan Decline
Decline from 12th century
Rival princes & governments
Succession struggles
Main trading partner also in decline …
Mongols (Tartars) 13th century, take territory & usher in new period
The End of an Era in Eastern Europe
Two centuries of rule:
Disrupted social structure
East and West further separated
Placed in a disadvantage politically, economically, & cultural sophistication,
Traditional culture survived
Continuity church & aristocratic class

18. Differences Between East West Europe
Produced different versions of Christianity
Orthodox Church
Roman Catholic Church
Culturally Different
Hellenism
Mixed until later Western Culture
Organizationally separate
Theocracy
Feudalism
Difference in the military organization
Byzantine recruited armies from the Middle East.
Western Roman empires home gown