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Home , Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, New Rome

Byzantine Timeline

• 285 AD– divides the Roman . • 312 AD – Constantine legalizes . • 527-565 AD– Justinian builds and codifies Roman . 850’s AD – Byzantine culture spreads to . • 1054 AD – Christian splits. The • 1204 AD – Crusaders pillage . The Greek word for Constantinople was “”, • 1453 AD – Constantinople thus this “New ” became the Byzantine Empire – falls to the . lasting for an additional 1,000 years in cultured prosperity, while Rome fell to Germanic invaders. The Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire The Eastern Portion of the

•Under pressure from attacks by Germanic tribes and , Diocletian divided the empire of Rome into an Eastern section and a Western section ruled from Rome in 285 AD.

Statue of Diocletian. Diocletian Divides the Roman Empire Constantine

Emperor Constantine •In 312 AD, Constantine legalized Christianity and moved the of the empire to Byzantium on the which became Constantinople, or the “ of Constantine,” and “.” Statue of Emperor Constantine. Byzantium - Constantinople

•At the crossroads of and , Constantinople was a major center for trade. and spices arrived from the East, furs from Russia, and grains, olives, and wines from the empire itself brought the empire great wealth. Rome vs. Byzantium

Rome - the Western Empire

•Spoke •Territory included , Gaul, Britain and . •Trade was disrupted. •Not wealthy as the East. Rome vs. Byzantium

Byzantium - the Eastern Empire or “New Rome” •The Empire was oriented towards the Greek culture. Greek was the language spoken, written and taught. •Wealthy empire that benefited from trade routes that connected Europe, Asia and . • - Eastern or “Greek” Orthodox Church. Interior of Hagia Justinian

Emperor Justinian

•Justinian tried to re-conquer the Western Empire of Rome. He oversaw the building of . •He is best remembered for his code of laws called Justinian’s Code. of Emperor Justinian. Justinian’s Code of Laws

Justinian set up a panel of 10 legal experts, who brought together over 400 years worth of Roman laws and traditions into one single, uniform book of laws and commentaries known as Justinian's Code. Justinian's Code contained 4 separate works –

•The Code - which contained 5,000 Roman laws the Byzantines still found relevant and useful. •The - which quoted and summarized the opinions of Rome's greatest legal minds. It served as a useful guide for judges deciding a case. •The Institutes - a textbook that taught students how to use the laws. •The Novella or New laws that were passed after 534 AD.

The Code discussed the Law for Individuals and the Natural Laws that a person is born with and entitled to. This idea of the Natural Laws of will be picked up again by political philosophers such as John Locke and Thomas Jefferson, who will argue for the natural laws or unalienable laws a man is born with, "that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Justinian – Hagia Sophia

•New roads, an imperial , fortresses, (circus), universities, market places, aqueducts, and monasteries were built under Justinian’s reign. His best known achievement was Hagia Sophia or the “ of Christ” church. Justinian – Hagia Sophia

• Hagia Sophia or the “Holy Wisdom of Christ” church was the largest church in the East. •Today, it is an imperial for who took the city in 1453. – and

Mosaic – on the left – of Justinian and his court and an of Christ on the right. Mosaics and Icons were two of the more popular styles of Byzantine art. Russia

Formation of Medieval Russia

•In the 800’s emerged as a blend of Slavic, and Rus (Varangian – Viking) cultures. They traded with Constantinople, bringing furs, timber, and honey. Slavic subjects were sold as slaves in Constantinople as well. A Viking Rus Formation of Russia

Russia formed near 3 of her great rivers –the , the Dnieper and the . Her first capital was in Novgorod then Kiev. Later, it was moved to Moscow. Rus settled among the and built forts along the rivers for trade. Russia

Formation of Medieval Russia

•Eastern Orthodox spread their Christian faith to these Slavic tribes – creating the Cyrillic alphabet for their Russian language. •The spread of Eastern brought Russia closer to Constantinople and the Byzantine culture and traditions. Cyrillic Alphabet Russia

Formation of Medieval Russia

•In 989 AD, Vladimir of Kiev converted to Byzantine Christianity and made all of his subjects convert too. •Russia was now linked to Constantinople via trade and religious traditions. Prince Vladimir of Kiev baptizing the Russian people. The Church Divides

•In 1054, a schism, or split occurred in the Roman . •The 1.Roman Catholic Church remained the only Christian church in the West, while in the Byzantine Empire, the 2.Eastern or “Greek” Orthodox Church became the state sponsored church. The Roman Catholic Church Divides

The in Rome (Pope Leo IX -Roman Catholic Church), stated he was the supreme leader of the Church; while the of Constantinople (Michele Cerulari) opposed this claim. Two Churches

The Roman Catholic Church

•Services were held in Latin. • had both secular and spiritual power. During this era, they were as powerful as kings. •Priests were not allowed to marry, and divorce was not permitted. Pope Leo IX Two Churches

The

•Services were held in Greek. •Patriarch was the church leader while the emperor was the political leader. •Priests were allowed to marry, and divorce was permitted.

Patriarch of Constantinople The Roman Catholic Church Divides

•Can you list differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church? The Byzantine Empire

Contributions of the Byzantines

•They kept the advanced learning, culture and traditions of the and Romans alive. •Justinian’s Code of Laws influenced many nations. •Eastern Orthodox church helped unify Slavic tribes, giving them a written language and the Cyrillic alphabet..

A Byzantine soldier and official. The Fall of the Byzantines

The Fall of the Byzantine Empire

•Constantinople was weakened by repeated attacks from the Seljuk Turks. •Christian crusaders pillaged Constantinople in 1204, and finally in 1453, Constantinople fell to the . Mehmet II who conquered Constantinople