An Empire in Decline; The Serbs and Ottomans

Adronikos 2

• Byzantine power after Michael 8, hard to maintain

• Policy fault?

• Lots of defeats for empire

• Son Michael 9 as co-emperor

• Land tax to fund military

• No religious unity with Rome, Arsenites dispute

• Expanding church authority

• Prosperity and influence for Mount Athos monasteries

• Foreign policy centered around Latins

• Serbia issues

• Alliance with Genoa

• Asia Minor Turkic control, allies to resist

• People like Catalans had opportunities to conquer empire areas

Civil War

• Andronikos 3 as co-emperor, excluded from succession

• Aristocrats took revolt opportunity

• Another civil war with slavic involvement

• Andronikos 3 got more popular and rose to power

Andronikos 3

• John K with foreign policy against Serbs and Ottomans

• Alliance with Bulgaria against Serbia

• Asia Minor falling to Ottomans

Renewed Civil War

• Young John 4

• Regency vs Grand Domestikos

• John 5 K supporting John 4, controversy

Hesychasm and Social Unrest

• Hesychia: tranquility for monks, communion

• Theologians against this

• Council: defended Hesychasm until Andronikos 3’s death

• Regency: aristocrat and urban poor support

• Thessaloniki zealot party against aristocrats

• John 6 K with Serbia for military

• Triumph of hesychasm

Stephan Dusan and Ascendancy of Serbia

• Macedonia control, greek

• Joint empire with Byzantines?

• Increased territory

• Imperial family: province control

• John 6 trying for independence from Genoese

• Principality civil war, struggle with John 5

• John 5 alone on the throne

• John 6 became a monk and wrote

Economy

• Well-being until mid 1300s

• Monastery wealth

• Peasants working productively

• Asia Minor weakening, Black Death

Culture in the 1300s

• Individualism and secularism

• Western connection

• More sophisticated thought

• Realism in mosaics, architecture

John 5, Ottomans

• Ottomans in Thrace

• Union with pope? Did not get help with Ottomans

• Ottoman expansion in Balkans, defeated Serbs

• Byzantine and Ottoman aristocracies together

• Battle of Kosovo isolated Constantinople

Manuel 2

• Talented, John 7 as regent

• Ottomans vs Byzantines and other Christians

• Crusade of Nikopolis

• Ottoman Bayezid siege of Constantinople

• But then went to invade Anatolia with Mongol Timur

• Treaty with Ottomans, some areas back

• Ottoman weakness helped Byzantines

• Turkic power, Manuel tried to solidify control

• Siege of Constantinople again, led empire to ay tribute to sultan…no more opportunity for recovery

Coronation of Manuel 2

• Patriarch crowns unlike before

• Very religious, Latin influence

John 6 Plan for Division

• Principalities under emperor

• Dividing imperial territory among family

Hexabiblos of Harmenopoulous

• Supplant to Basilica

• Witnesses

Oath of General Judge

• Eclesiastic

• Removing corruption

Senate at Ceremonial Banquets

• Powerless

• Role in advising and ceremonies

Grand Domestic

• Army commander

• Duty description

Navy Commanders

• Titles

• Mostly the same as at height of empire

Imperial Privileges over Church

• John 5 and Manuel 2

• With Patriarch

Patriarch Defends Emperor Authority

• Anthony to prince of Moscow

• Image of authority vs current problems

Imperial Oath for Orthodox

• Before coronation

• Consistent through centuries

Investiture of Patriarch

• Magnificent ceremony

• Consistent through centuries

Confession of Gregory Palamas

• Hesychast

• Theology views: official for eastern church

 Importance of Eucharist

• Mysticism

• Nicholas Cavasilas, influential for monks

Barlaam: Ecumenical Council

• Reasons for ultimate failure of Lyons

• Address to pope

Objections to Kissing Foot of Pope

• Union? Council of Florence

• Filoque and azyma

Behind the Scenes at Council of Florence

• 1.5 years of arguments

• Mental turmoil for Greek clergy

Greek Disputes over Union

• Unionists: “Latinizers”

• After union had been agreed on

Zealot Revolt

• Several classes

• Republic created

Philanthropeia and the Soul

• Forgiveness of sins

• Symeon of Thessaloniki

Mournful Evens as Turks Advance

• Effects of early Seljuks

• Anatolia

Palamas Among Ottoman Turks

• Account of Turkish religion

• Differences between Christianity and Islam

Murad’s Siege of Constantinople

• First

• John Cananus account, large force

Threnody for Constantinople

• Epistle

• Writer’s feelings and literary use

Andronicus 3

• Empire in chaos

• 2 marriages: German Irene, Anne

• Son John 5

• Continued father’s disastrous policy

• Did not do well in Balkans or Asia

• Ottomans: very substantial force

• John 6 as chief advisor, ambitious

• Affair with Anne?

John 5

• “Poor John” — luck, land, $

• Another civil war

• Serbian apogee under Dushan

• Anne as regent…Italian, catholic

• Not well-liked

• Challenged by John 6 → war

• Division when unity was needed

• John 6 got Orkhan (Ottoman sultan) to support

  • Marriage alliance with John 6’s daughter

• Orkhan as co-emperor, military force

• 1st time Ottomans got to Europe

• Overthrowing Anne and John 5

John 6

• John 5 had to marry daughter Helena

• Orkhan wouldn’t leave, to Gilipelie

• John 5 overthrew John 6

  • Became monk

John 5: Enter the Ottomans

• Asia Minor takeover

• Ending Serbian resistence

  • Battle of Kosovo Polje

• Saltan Bayezid: very strong

• Bulgaria fell to them

John 5: Overtures to the West

• Carrot of Union

• Sent appeal to Innocent 6 for military aid in return for Catholic conversion

• Would send son Manuel to west

• If failure, would give son throne with Pope as regent

• Hard to convince — no support

John 5: Stephen Dushan

• Height of Serbian empire

• Seized Macedonia and Mount Athos

• Dushan: very ambitious, made navy

• Serbian and Roman empire

• Got close to getting Constantinople

• Large empire

• Power disappeared after death → Ottomans

John 5: End of Reign? Foreign Interaction

• Alliance with Hungary?

• 1st Byzantine emperor to enter foreign territory not militarily

• John 5 had to become catholic

• Left, kidnapped by Bulgarians

• Left Andronicus 4 as regent

• Rescued by Italian cousin, to Rome

• Papal legot

• John 5 converted, no union

• Supposed to get military help and crusade

• Went to Venice, Andronicus 4 supposed to give island

• Emperor trapped in Italy, poor

• Rescued by son Manuel

• Accomplished nothing

John 5: Revolts

• Andronicus 4 rebelled → blinded?

• But eventually came back

  • Deposed father, got power

• John 5 and Manuel in prison

• Eventually got throne back

• Manuel 2 as heir

• Grandson John 7 rebelled

• Manuel 2 restored father

John 5: A Reign of Decline

• Manuel 2’s inheritance

• Byzantium drastically reduced

• Ottomans everywhere

• Serbians defeated, Bulgarians defeated

• Byzantines: last force vs Ottomans

John 5: Manuel 2

• Sons John 8 and Constantine 11

• Wife Helena (serbian)

• Last dynasty was a large mixture of ethnicities

  • United by Orthodox faith

• Constantine and Helena eventually return

• Manuel 2: well-educated

• Military in Asia Minor, humiliating

  • Ottomans had destroyed

• Cordial with Ottomans? No

• Negotiating with Venetians

• Ottomans blocked off Constantinople

  • Didn’t get much help

• Papacy promised crusade

John 5: Crusade and Failure

• King of Hungary

• To defend Constantinople

• Smashed by Ottomans

• Bayezid then sieged Constantinople

• Manuel 2 appealed for aid to western Europe and Kiev

• Some aid from pope

• French king sent 1200 men to Constantinople…accomplished nothing

• Emperor deciding to go directly to England and France for aid

Serbs: Background

• Slavic, Byzantines knew them

• Settled southeast of Croats

• Accepted Byzantium, mostly independent

• Christian conversion under Basil 1

  • Former followers of Methodius

  • Old Church Slavonic

• Zupee states/territories

• Zupans, grand Zupan

• Revolts → independent state in 1200s

Serbs: Stephen Nemanja

• 1st dynasty

• Under Byzantines

• Manuel’s death → rebelled

• Son Stephen married Eudokia

• Powerful independent state

• Full unity as Grand Zupan

• Consolidating administration

• From state Zeta

• Byzantines recognized

• New territory

• Orthodox, Byzantine sphere

  • Monasteries

• Serbian Church → Byzantine diffusion

Serbs: Stephen the 1st Crowned

• Eudokia

• Eventually accepted by brother

• Pope Honorious 3rd crowned

  • Made promises for this?

• Sent monk brother to get leader in Nicaea

• Patriarch of Nicaea gave right for Serbian church (self-governing)

  • 1st archbishop: Sava

• Went to establish monasteries

• Wealth of Serbian church

• Foundation of Orthodox Christian kingdom

Serbs: Uros 1

• Succession issues

• Mining → economic benefits

  • Silver, copper

• Rogousa revenues

Serbs: Uros 2

• Becoming Balkans power

• Successful vs Byzantines

• Andronicus 2 and Simonis

Serbs: Uros 3

• Founded monastery

• Sided with Andronicus 2 in civil wars

• Victory over Bulgarians

• Deposd, killed

Serbs: Stephen Dushan

• Greatest ruler, apogee

• Married Bulgarian

• Took Okrid

• Settlement with Andronicus 3

• Byzantine weakness: opportunity to take areas

• Cut off Thesalonikki

• Said he was emperor of Serbs and Romans → Basileus

• Had his own patriarch

• Wanting to take Constantinople

  • One

• Byzantines couldn’t see him as leader

• Venetian alliance? No

• Lacking navy, died before

• Taking Epirus, etc

• Dynasty ended after his death

Ottomans: Origins

• Founders: “glorious”

• Hard to trust previous historians and sources

• Byzantines: all Turks = Scithians

• Imperial weakening -. turks in Asia Minor

• Seljuks: weakened

• Asia Minor in small states → turkification

Ottomans: Osman/Othoman

• Emirate, near Constantinople

• Legendary hero

• People were Ottomans

• Wanted wealth, extending Islam

• But had Christian → Islamic soldiers

Ottomans: Orkhan

• Took Brussa → Ottoman center

• Took Nicaea and Nicomedia

• Took from other princes

• Greeks, Armenians, Slavs

• Building administration for new empire → Byzantine and Muslim administrators

• John 6 alliance…daughter

• Black death

• Expanded in Southeastern Europe -. Gilipilie first

Ottomans: Murad 1

• Goal: extending territory

• Took Adrianople

• Moving Balkans to Asia Minor → population transfer

• Under Pope: Crusaders vs Ottomans

• Sultan

• Encircling Constantinople with land

• Hard for Europe and Serbs to defeat them

• Taking cities in Bulgaria, Serbia, Thessaloniki

Ottomans: Southeastern Europe

• Returned

• Battle of Kosovo Polije

• Murad died

• Back and forth

• New Sultan

• Defeat for Serbs…important

• Bayezid 1 next sultan

• Serbians would do anything for faith

Ottomans: Bayezid 1

• Precedent of brother/son murder

• Bulgarian patriarchy ended

• Hungarians and Milakia

• Powerful, threat to central Europe

• Crusading army

  • Violent

  • Bayezid defeated

• 7 year siege of Constantinople

Ottomans: Timur

• Bayezid imprisoned

• Lucky for Byzantium

Ottomans: A Setback

• Civil war

• Sons struggle for control

• Manuel 2 improving Byzantium

• Mohammad 1st

Ottomans: Spread Overall

• Quickly

• Byzantines didn’t pay attention

• Weakening Byzantines