The Horridness of Byzantine

Crumble

Location

• Located on the Bosporus strait.

• Has 7 hills, water on 3 sides, and walls for protection.

• The Bosporus strait controls the Black Sea, Strait of Marmara, and Aegean Sea for trade.

• The Bosporus strait is the bridge from one continent to the next.

• Byzantine covered most of Rome’s old territory

Similarities to Rome

• 7 Hills

• Building palaces from Roman styles

• Narrow streets, crowded apartments

• Sporting events in oval arena

• Political and social life from Rome

• Army from Roman custom

UNLIKE Rome, always Christian City

Constantine

• Moved capital to Constantinople, shifting the power to the east and giving rise to Byzantine

Theodosius

Emperor that created Edict of Thessalonica. Made Christianity the official religion. (EDIT MORE)

Justinian

• Greatest Byzantine emperor

• Created the Justinian’s Code by creating a panel to compile, edit, and revise the old Roman laws.

  • Justinian Code lasted for over 900 years after his death

• Built many buildings and construction projects, liked building churches the most

• Rebuilt the Hagia Sophia

• Conquered a lot of land for Byzantine and expanded the land a lot

• Was hated by Procopius

Theodora

• Wife Of Justinian, Empress of Byzantine

• Convinced Justinian to stay and fight during the Nika Rebellion when he would’ve given up

• Started programs to give young girls housing, money, food, and clothing

• Early in life was an actress, before fleeing to the Monophysites, and converting to Christianity

Belisarius

• Justinian’s top general

• Conquered a lot of land for Byzantine

• Was hated by Procopius because Belisarius supported Justinian

Tribonian

• Head Person in creating the Justinian Code

• Justinian Code was a single uniform code regarding all laws and legal matters

Great Schism 1054 CE

• The splitting of the Western and Eastern parts of the Christian Church

• The Western part became the Roman Catholic Church while the Eastern part became the Eastern Orthodox Church

Cyril and Methodius brothers

• Two missionaries who tried to convert people to the Eastern Orthodox Christianity

• Were sent in the 800s by Byzantine emperors to Central and Eastern Europe

• Created the Cyrillic Alphabet (Cyril)

Charlemagne

• Was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III

Pope Leo III

• The one who crowned Charlemagne the Holy Roman Emperor in 800 AD

Procopius

• Greatly praised Justinian in the book he published, Histories

• Planned to later release Secret History denouncing Justinian’s actions because he secretly hated both Justinian and Belisarius

• Died before he could release Secret History

Icons

Religious images used by Western Christians. Roman Catholic supported icons so followers didn’t need to read. Eastern Orthodox was was against icons because patriarchs would lose power.

Nika Rebellin

• The two chariot gangs, Blue and Green, packed the Hippodrome and demanded Justinian be overthrown.

• They were upset about the severity of the punishment previous rioters had gotten when they rioted.

• Justianian considered fleeing, but Theodora convinced him to stay.

• Justinian sent Belisarius to storm the Hippodrome and slaughter 30,000 rebels.

Crusades - 1st and 4th

First Crusade (1096-1099)

• Launched by Pope Urban II, who called European Christians to reclaim Holy Land from Muslim rule

• Emperor Alexios I Komnenos gave Crusader leaders military support and supplies in exchange for their allegiance and return of any Byzantine territories they conquered

• They were able to control many important cities, but it led to tensions between Byzantines and Crusaders

Fourth Crusade (1202-1204)

• Originally was supposed to recapture Jerusalem, but turned into an attack on Constantinople

• The reasons largely stem from political and economic tensions between Byzantine and the Crusaders

• It was a devastating blow to Byzantine, which was looted and burned; Crusaders temporarily made a Latin empire

• Marked the beginning of the decline of Byzantine Empire

Downfall - Interior Problems

• Lack of legal successors to throne

  • Murders, revolutions, and fights for the throne

• Religious Differences

• Empire economy was bad

  • Peasants were over taxed and rebelled

  • Warfare and trade is costly

Downfall - Exterior Problems

• Threats from Persians and early Muslims in 600s

• Feuds with Christians in 800s (Franks and Russians)

• Seljuk Turks threatened in late 1000s, gained Asia Minor Parts (Battle of Manzikent, 1071)

• First Crusade starts after Alexios I seeks helps from Western Christians (1096-1099)

• Christians in Western Europe attack Constantinople (Fourth Crusade 1202-1204)

• Ottoman Turks invade and conquer Constantinople (1453)

Iconoclastic Controversy

• Pope Gregory excommunicated Emperor Leo III (731-741 AD)

• Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor (800 AD)

• More tension in West and East

• Byzantine Emperors sent Cyril and Methodius to Central and Eastern Europe

• Christian Church split into two when Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael I Cerularius excommunicated each other.

Differences In Churches

Roman Catholic

• Practiced in the West

• Approved of icons, so followers didn’t need to know how to read

• The pope has authority over other bishops

• Pope > Emperor

• Priests can’t marry

• Language was Latin

• No divorcing

Eastern Orthodox

• Practiced in East

• Disapproved of icons because religious officials would lose power

• The patriarch and other bishops head the Church as a group

• Emperor > Patriarchs + Bishops

• Priests can marry

• Language was Greek

• Divorcing is allowed

Justinian’s Accomplishments

• Made the Justinian Code, compilation of Roman laws

• Conquered and reclaimed most of the Roman territory for Byzantine

• Rebuilt Hagia Sophia

• Built many buildings, primarily churches

• Killed 30,000 people during Nika Rebellion

Did Justinian revive the Roman empire or create a new empire?

• Justinian created a new empire because Byzantine is greatly distinct from Rome

• Byzantine’s laws may have been inspired from Rome, but they’re clearly different because Justinian intentionally made a panel to revise old Roman laws.

  • Justinian Code was based off of Roman laws, but it was changed enough so it can be distinct from the Roman laws themselves.

• Justinian rebuilt the Hagia Sophia, a Christian Church.

  • If Justinian aimed to revive the Roman empire, he would not rebuild a church, a place of worship for Christians.

• Justinian conquered only most of the old Roman lands.

  • Justinian was unable to conquer ALL of the Roman lands, which makes his territory not truely Roman.