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BYZANTINE EMPIRE SOL WHI.8

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Constantinople

• Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire.– “New Rome”

• Constantinople was formerly known as Byzantium.

• Constantinople was founded by Rome’s first Christian emperor, Constantine.

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Constantinople

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Location • Constantinople was located between the Black Sea and

the Sea of Marmora.• This location helped protect the city.

– protected by sea and land walls that made it tough for invaders to get into the city.

• This positioning also allowed for favorable trade routes linking Europe and Asia– spices from India– gold from Africa, – honey, timber, and fur from Russia– silk from China.

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Sea and Land Walls

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Justinian: Leader of the Byzantine empire

• Justinian ruled the Byzantine Empire from ruled the Byzantine Empire from 527-565527-565

• Biggest accomplishment was Justinian’s Justinian’s Code Code - codifying (putting in to order) the - codifying (putting in to order) the laws of the Roman Empire.laws of the Roman Empire.– serve as the basis for the development of serve as the basis for the development of Civil Civil

Law (property and family issues)Law (property and family issues) in Western in Western EuropeEurope K

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Justinian

Other Accomplishments of Justinian

• Responsible for fortifying Constantinople– He was the one who had the sea and land

walls built.– Allowed Constantinople to withstand 900

years of attack

• Building of the Hagia Sophia (video – Justinian 9 minutes to 14 minutes)

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Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

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Hagia Sophia

• The Hagia Sophia was known as a domed Basilica (church) and was the first of its kind ever built.

• Construction lasted for 5 years (532-537) and was completed on December 27, 537.

• The Hagia Sophia is one of the most popular images associated with the Byzantine Empire.

• It has served as a Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and Islamic Mosque

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These towers, called minarets, were built after the Hagia Sophia became a mosque.

Mosque officials, called muezzins, call Muslims to prayer from the minarets

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• Another goal of Justinian’s was to reacquire lands lost at the end of the Roman Empire.

• Those lands included lands in North Africa, Italy (including Rome), and Southern Spain.

• Justinian sent his top general, Belisarius to take back these lands.– Was successful but stretched the empire too thin.

Justinian Conquers Land

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Theodora

• Justinian was married to a woman named Theodora

• His wife, Theodora, was an ambitious politician who had many of her own policies

• Sometimes would challenge her husband• Theodora became powerful and helped

Justinian rule the empire

Nika Riots (video 4 min to 9 min)

“Emperor, if you wish to flee, well and good; you have the money, the ships are ready, the sea is clear. But I shall stay. I accept

the ancient proverb: Royal purple is the best burial sheet” – Empress Theodora

What does Theodora mean by this quote?

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Theodora (music video)

Blending of Cultures

• Preserved (maintain) classical Greco-Roman culture.– Blended Greek, Roman, and Christianity

• Examples of Preservation– Code of Justinian – Roman 12 Tables– Choose Greek language over Latin Language

• Wanted to separate from Roman Empire

– Split of Christianity – East becomes Greek Orthodox

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Split in Christianity to Roman Split in Christianity to Roman Catholics and Greek OrthodoxCatholics and Greek Orthodox

• The emperor in Constantinople refused to accept the supremacy of the Pope in Rome.

• Differences in beliefs led to the split in Christianity between Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox.– Icons were opposed in Byzantium and

supported in Rome.– Language, celibacy, and texts were also

differences.

Icons

religious work of art, most commonly a painting

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Second Commandment

You shall not make for yourself any graven image, or any likeness of what is in heaven

above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship

them or serve them [i.e., the graven images]; for I, Yahweh your God, am a

jealous God.

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Iconoclastic Controversy (video)

• Emperor Leo III of the Byzantine Empire outlawed all images of Christ in human form– Occurred between the mid 8th and mid 9th

century– Almost destroyed Byzantine Art since a lot of

the Byzantine art dealt with Christ

• After the Iconoclastic Period art was revived

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Emperor Leo III

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Differences Between the RCC & Differences Between the RCC & the Greek Orthodox Churchthe Greek Orthodox Church

• RCCRCC – spoke Latin, Pope was the head of the Church, Vatican City in Rome was the capital of the Church, Priests are not allowed to marry.

• Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church – spoke the vernacular (language of the people – usually Greek), Byzantine Emperor was the head of the Church, Constantinople was the capital of the G/O Church, Priests were allowed to marry

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Byzantine Influence• Byzantine Empire influenced Russia and Russia and

Eastern European CountriesEastern European Countries

• Slavic/Russian people converted to Christianity by St. Cyril.– adapted the Greek alphabet to create a Slavic

language (Cyrillic Alphabet)• Still used in Russia, and other parts of Eastern Europe• Conversion of Slavs & Russians to Christianity brought

people into contact with Byzantine culture.

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Cyrillic Alphabet

Byzantine Art & Architecture

• The people of Byzantium were influenced by Muslim neighbors.– Mosaics were used to decorate public places

and religious structures.– Mosaics are ceramic tiles arranged to form a

picture.• Made out of clay and glass

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Mosaic

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Mosaic

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Mosaic

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Mosaic

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Mosaic

Byzantine Art & Architecture

• Domed structures were built.• The most influential building of the Byzantine

Empire was the Hagia Sophia.– Was built and used as a Greek Orthodox Church

in Constantinople. – Today it serves as an Islamic Mosque in Istanbul.

• Russian used the dome structure in their architecture

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Kremlin in Russia is an example of cultural Kremlin in Russia is an example of cultural diffusion from the Byzantinesdiffusion from the Byzantines

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St. Basil’s Basilica

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Hagia Sophia

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Hagios Georgios

Hippodrome

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Fall of Constantinople(VIDEO)

• By 1453 Constantinople was still standing under Byzantine rule even though the Byzantine Empire was all but over.

• However, in 1453 the Ottoman Empire led by Mehmet II overtook the city and renamed it Istanbul officially ending the Byzantine Empire.

The Eastern Slavs

• After fall in 1453, leadership of Eastern Orthodox world passed from Byzantines to the Slavs.

• Slavs found in Eastern Europe. Today found in the countries of Ukraine, Russia, and Balkan Peninsula.

• Slavs borrowed from the Byzantines and Asian culture. Russia never became completely European or Asian.

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