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Home , Seljuk Empire

Unit 1: The Byzantine The Turkish Rise in The Ottomans Build a Vast Empire Justinian Seljuks Ghazi Justinian Code Ottoman Hagia Sophia Patriarch the Lame Icon Mehmed II Excommunication Suleyman the Lawgiver Cyrillic alphabet Devshirme Janissary

I. The Byzantine Empire After Rome split, the Eastern Empire, knows as Byzantium, flourished for a thousand years. Byzantine culture deeply influenced Orthodox , a major branch of modern Christianity.

A New Rome in a New Setting The Eastern Roman Empire officially divides into East and West in 395 Eastern Empire flourishes; becomes known as Byzantium Justinian becomes emperor of Byzantium in 527 His armies reconquer much of former Roman territory Byzantine emperors head state and church; use brutal politics

Map Study: The Byzantine Empire Under Justinian, 527–565

Under the rule of Justinian, the Byzantine Empire recaptured much of the glory and greatness of the old Roman Empire. When he succeeded to the throne in 527, Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium, was crumbling from the lack of repairs. He ordered a massive construction program, repairing or building new churches, , schools, and the massive walls and towers that protected the city from attack. In addition, Constantinople, located on the western side of the narrow strait called the Bosporus, became a vibrant commercial center once again. It bustled with traders, travelers, and street entertainers from across Europe, northern Africa, and Asia. Justinian also reconquered regions of the that had fallen to Germanic tribes. After 16 years of fighting, Justinian’s troops had reclaimed significant lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea that had been part of ancient Rome.

1. What two bodies of water does the Bosporus connect?

2. What two bodies of water does the Dardanelles connect?

3. On what type of geographic landform is Constantinople located?

4. List at least five countries, empires, or regions with which Constantinople traded.

5. Identify the lands reconquered by Justinian.

6. Make a list of the commercial and military advantages and disadvantages of the location of Constantinople.

Life in the New Rome New Laws for the Empire Justinian seeks to revise and update laws for governing the empire Justinian Code-new set of laws consisting of four main parts Code regulates much of Byzantine life; lasts for 900 years Creating the Imperial Capital Justinian launches program to beautify capital, Constantinople Constructs new buildings; builds magnificent church, Hagia Sophia Byzantines preserve Greco-Roman culture and learning Constantinople’s Hectic Pace City becomes trading hub with major marketplace Giant Hippodrome offers chariot races and other entertainment Racing fans start riots in 532; government restores order violently Empress Theodora-powerful wife and advisor to Justinian

Comparing Seven Empires Throughout history, people in Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Americas have spread their influence over vast regions and built powerful empires. Often they have included millions of people from diverse ethnic, religious, and national groups within their borders. This visual combines three bar graphs to show the length, territory, and population of seven empires that students either have already studied or will encounter in the next five chapters.

1. Which of these empires lasted less than two hundred years? Which lasted over a thousand years? Which empire represents the oldest civilization? Which is the youngest?

2. How do the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire compare in length and in the extent of territories and population?

3. Compare the extent of the two empires that are closest in age.

4. Compare the statistics about the with the Egyptian Empire. What do these figures suggest?

The Empire Falls Years of Turmoil Justinian dies in 565; empire faces many crises after his death The Plague of Justinian Bubonic plague repeatedly sweeps empire; kills many residents Attacks from East and West Byzantium faces attacks from many different groups Empire survives through bribery, diplomacy, and military power Constantinople falls in 1453; brings an end to Byzantine Empire

The Church Divides A Religious Split Christianity develops differently in Eastern and Western Roman Empires Two churches disagree over many issues, including use of icons Icons are religious images used to aid in prayer Leading bishop of Eastern Christianity known as patriarch In the West, pope excommunicated emperor-banished him from the Church Pope and patriarch excommunicate each other over religious doctrines Eastern and Western churches officially split in 1054 West-Roman Catholic Church; East-Orthodox Church

Byzantine Missionaries Convert the Slavs Eastern Orthodox missionaries seek to convert northern peoples, Slavs Missionaries create Cyrillic alphabet-basis of many Slavic languages Alphabet enables many groups to read the Bible

Roman Catholic Similarities Eastern Orthodox

II. Turkish Empires Rise in Anatolia converted to and founded new empires that would renew Muslim civilization. In the 20th century, the collapse of the Turkish empire left ethnic and religious hostilities that still affect the world.

The Rise of the Turks Decline of the Abbasids Powerful Abbasid Empire faces many attacks during 700s and 800s. conquer Abbasid capital, , in 945 The Conquering Seljuks Turks are a nomadic group living along western border of Group led by Turkish family-the Seljuks-seizes Baghdad in 1055 In 1071 crush Byzantine Empire at Seljuks take most of Anatolia; bring Turks close to Constantinople

Baghdad During Its Golden Age, 765–950

In 762, the leader of the Abbasids, Caliph al-Mansur, chose a site on the west bank of the Tigris River upon which to build a new city. This new city, now known as Baghdad, would serve as the capital of the empire. Besides choosing a location near trade routes, al-Mansur had personal reasons for choosing the site that he did. Fearing attacks on his life by his rivals, he wanted a that was easy to defend in a city large enough to house several thousand soldiers ready to protect him at all times. The caliph was able to take up residence in Baghdad in 765. According to legend, al-Mansur predicted that Baghdad would become “the crossroads of the universe.” It quickly did. Merchants from northern Africa, Europe, and many parts of Asia traveled in and out of the city. By 900, Baghdad had a population of nearly one million people, far surpassing the size of any city in Europe. Baghdad developed into one of the greatest centers of learning in the world, home to leading scholars in literature, science, medicine, philosophy, and religion.

1. Describe the obstacles invaders would have to cross to reach the palace in the center of Baghdad.

2. How many gates led into the center of Baghdad?

3. Approximately what was the distance across the living space for officers and loyal followers of the caliph?

4. Identify the buildings placed at the center of Baghdad and explain their significance.

5. Explain why al-Mansur may have wanted a wall separating the shops region from the area where his palace was located.

The Turks Secure Persian Support Turks seek support of Persians and embrace Persian culture Give Persians key posts, including that of vizier, or prime minister Adopt and religion-Islam Malik Shah was one of the most famous Seljuk rulers, or shahs He and other shahs support Persian artists; build

Seljuks Confront Crusaders and Malik Shah Dies In 1092 Malik Shah dies; no capable shah replaces him disintegrates into loose collection of minor kingdoms The Seljuks and the Crusaders begin in 1095-Christians drive Turks out of Anatolia In 1099, Crusaders capture ; massacre Muslims and Jews Fragment of Seljuk Empire fights back, Muslims recover Jerusalem Captain allows Western pilgrims access to Christian holy places Seljuks Face the Mongols Mongol armies under the leader Hulagu capture Baghdad in 1258 Hulagu, Genghis ’s grandson, burns palace, kills Abbasid caliph Ends Turkish rule with much bloodshed

III. The Ottomans Build a Vast Empire The Ottomans established a Muslim empire that combined many cultures and lasted for more than 600 years. Many modern societies, from Algeria to , had their origins under Ottoman rule.

Turks Move into Byzantium Turkish Warriors Many Turks live in Anatolia, on edge of Byzantine Empire Many see themselves as ghazis-warriors who fight for Islam Osman Establishes a State From 1300 to 1326, Osman, successful ghazi, builds state in Anatolia Europeans call him Othman and follower Ottomans Ottomans win battles because they use muskets and cannons Successors expand state through alliances and land buying Orhan, Osman’s son, declares himself sultan-overlord In 1361, Turks conquer Adrianople Ottomans rule fairly over conquered peoples Timur the Lame Halts Expansion Timur the Lame-Tamerlane-rises to power in Timur defeats Ottomans in 1402, burning Baghdad

Powerful Sultans Spur Dramatic Expansion Murad II Murad II begins expansion Mehmed II Conquers Constantinople Murad’s son, Mehmed II, conquers Constantinople in 1453 Opens city to Jews, Christians, and Muslims and rebuilds Ottomans Take Islam’s Holy Cities In 1512, Selim the Grim, Mehmed’s grandson, comes to power He defeats Persian Safavids and pushes into Conquers Mecca, Medina, and : important Muslim cities

The , 1453

In April 1453, when the forces of Mehmet II attacked Constantinople’s 13 miles of protective walls, the Byzantine city was past its prime. Its population, once over 1 million, was now only 50,000. Still, its location was strategically important. Whoever controlled the city could choke off traffic between Ottoman territories in Asia and Europe. At first, the defenders of Constantinople fought off the land and sea attacks of the Ottomans’ 100,000 soldiers and 125 ships. To prevent those ships from bombarding Constantinople from the north, Emperor Constantine XI’s forces strung a huge chain across the waterway that connected Constantinople with Pera. The Ottomans, though, got around the chain by dragging ships overland on greased runners. Cannon fire soon hit Constantinople from three sides, but the weakened city did not surrender. Then five weeks later came the crushing blow. The Kerkoporta gate, a small opening where two walls came together, was mistakenly left open one night. Turkish soldiers noticed the opening and quickly poured through it. The smaller Wall of Constantine was no deterrent. Constantine XI died in the fighting as the city was conquered. Soon the mosaics of the Hagia Sophia were painted over, the cathedral became a , and Constantinople was renamed Istanbul.

1. On which continent was Constantinople located?

2. From what bodies of water was Constantinople vulnerable to cannon fire after the Turks dragged their ships behind Pera?

3. About how far across land did the Ottomans drag their ships to get into the Golden Horn?

4. Describe the location of the Kerkoporta gate.

5. Have students use this map and the account of the battle in their textbook to write a diary of the attack as it might have been viewed by an Ottoman soldier. Students should describe the key events of the attack and how the soldier might have felt about each one.

Suleyman the Lawgiver A Great Ruler Suleyman the Lawgiver, Selim’s son, rules from 1520 to 1566 The Empire Reaches Its Limits Suleyman conquers Belgrade (1521) and Rhodes (1522) Ottomans control eastern Mediterranean Turks take North African coastline, control inland trade routes Suleyman’s forces advance to Vienna By 1526, is the largest in the world Highly Structured Social Organization Suleyman creates law code, reduces bureaucracy, simplifies taxation Army uses devshirme-drafts boys from conquered lands Trains 30,000 elite soldiers-janissaries-loyal only to the sultan Jews and Christians allowed to practice own religion Cultural Flowering Suleyman’s broad interests lead to flourishing of arts, learning Sinan, brilliant architect, designs magnificent Mosque of Suleyman

The Empire Declines Slowly Gradual Fall Suleyman kills one son and exiles another Third son inherits throne but rules weakly Later sultans kill their brothers and leave their sons uneducated Long line of weak sultans leads to empire’s eventual fall

Visual Summary After the fall of the western half of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine and Islamic empires came to dominate much of the Mediterranean world. The Byzantine Empire preserved the heritage of Rome. However, the Eastern Christian Church, centered in the empire’s capital, Constantinople, gradually grew apart from the Western Roman Catholic Church. A split occurred in 1054, dividing Christianity between the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Orthodox Church in the East. In the meantime, Byzantine culture spread east to . Around 1070, an Islamic people known as the Seljuk Turks conquered the eastern part of the Byzantine Empire, and the two groups shared power in the region.

1. What event took place in Byzantium 17 years before the Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantines at Manzikert?

2. Identify the dates on the time lines that show interaction between two of these groups.

3. What event occurred in the Seljuk Empire at almost the same time that the Christian Church divided in Byzantium?