Byzantine Empire

Location

• The eastern portion of the former Roman Empire

• Capital City – Constantinople (modern day Istanbul)• Excellent location for trade

Military defense

• Fought with the following for control of the area• Sassanids to the east (Persia)• Germanic invaders to the north

and west

• Defensive walls were built around Constantinople

Byzantine Government

• Centralized

• Imperial bureaucracy remained even during times of uncertainty

Justinian the Great (r. 527 – 565)

• Revitalization of Constantinople• Hagia Sophia

• Justinian’s Code - (Body of Civil Law)

• Expanded the size of the empire• Defeated the Sassanids in the east• Took control of Northern Africa, southern Spain, Sicily and Italy in

the west

• However due to expansion – Byzantine Empire was almost bankrupt by the time Justinian died in 565

After Justinian

• The empire contracted• Bulgars (Turkic people) took control of the Balkans• Germanic tribes took control of Italy• Arabs took over Syria Egypt, and the rest of North Africa

• Byzantines were unable to expand again until the 800s

Heraclius (r. 610 – 641)

• Spoke Greek

• Focused toward the east

• Resisted attacks from Islamic forces

• Reduced power and influence of the Sassanids in SW Asia

Leo III (r. 717 – 770)

• “The Syrian”

• Reclaimed lands, lost by previous ruler, in the Near East AND gained additional lands in Asia Minor

• Instituted iconoclasm – opposed the worship of religious images and icons (possible Islamic influence)

Basil II (r. 976 – 1025)

• Resumed successful Byzantine Expansion

• Defeated the Bulgars at the Battle of Kleidion

• Conquered territory in eastern Asia Minor

Religion

• Theocracy – no separation of church and state

• Christianity (Eastern Orthodox) was practiced

• Emperor appointed the patriarch (head of the church)

• Monastaries and religious communities common – provided aid to people in times of natural disasters

• Most nuns and monks opposed Leo III’s policy of iconoclasm

Christian Missions

• Hope to convert nonbelievers (Bulgars and Moravians) to Christianity

• Cyril – successful missionary• Created an alphabet

adopted by Russians and other Slavic peoples

Conflict with Rome

• Conflict between western and eastern branches of the Christian church

• Points of conflict in the Christian Church• Head of the church – Pope vs. Patriarch• Iconoclastic policy of Leo III

• Great Schism 1054 –• Roman Catholic Church in the West• Eastern Orthodox Church in Southeastern Europe and Russia

Trade and Prosperity

• Strong economy for almost 1000 years! • Location of Constantinople played a huge part

• Silk weaving industry

• Government intervention in economy

• Strong agricultural sector• Serf/peasant labor (most not free)• Theme system – offered freedom to peasants in exchange for

military service• Limits to amount of land one landlord could own

Free Peasant Revolts

• Contracted with landowners – paid rent for the land they worked

• Landowners tried to force ‘free’ peasants into peasant status to increase their power

• Revolts by free peasants resulted• Basil the Copper Hand (928 – 932) • Ivaylo (1277 – 1280)

Byzantine Culture

• The Arts• Christian themes in art and

literature

• Education• Dominated by religion• University of Constantinople (f. 850)

• Government training• Copying classical writings from

Ancient Greece and Rome

• City life• Large lavish homes• Churches• Palaces• Hippodrome - stadium

Decline and Fall of the Byzantine Empire

• Civil Unrest• Expenses of conflict along eastern and western borders• Reluctance of the wealthy to pay taxes• Unrest by commoners

Decline and Fall (Cont.)

• Military defeats• 1071 – Battle of Manzikert (Seljuk Turks d. Byzantine forces) – lost

territory in Asia Minor• 1071 – lost lands in southern Italy and Sicily to the Normans from

France• 1095 – Emperor Alexus I asked the Pope for help fighting the Turks –

resulting in the Crusades

• 1453 – Ottoman Turks (who had replaced the Suljuk Turks) – conquered Constantinople – marking the end of the Byzantine Empire (Constantinople is renamed Istanbul)

Kievan Rus

Forming the Kievan Rus

• East Slavic people and Vikings (Rus – Viking ruler)

• Settled along the Dnieper River

• Early 900s under Oleg a settlement was formed and called Kievan Rus• Collection of city-states that paid

tribute to the Grand Prince of Kiev

• Boyars (nobles) rulers

Kievan Religion

• Converted to Christianity (Byzantine influence)

• Prince Vladimir I formally brought the KR to Christianity when he married the sister of the Byzantine emperor

• Religion linked KR to Byzantines culturally and politically

Golden Age of Kievan Rus

• 10th and 11th centuries

• Strong government and cohesive society

• Rule of Vladimir I

• Expansion to the west

• Promotion of education under Yaroslav I

• Codified laws – Russian Justice

Decline of Kiev

• Dependence on Byzantine Empire

• 1169 and 1204 Byzatines attacked Kiev

• 1240 Kiev was invaded and occupied by the Mongols

Novgorod

• Large city-state in northern Kiev

• Wide mix of occupants – German merchants, Finns, Swedes, and Slavs

• Prospered through trade

• Model of the growth of cities between 800 and 1300

• Absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 15th Century