Chapter 9 Civilization in Eastern Europe

Byzantium and Orthodox Europe

Constantinople Originally Byzantion, a market town/fishing

village on the Bosporus Strait Constantine named it Constantinople and

made it the capital of the E. Roman Empire City kept its name from 340 CE – 1453 CE

Crossroads – access to Anatolia, SW Asia, SE Europe, etc.

The Byzantine Court Caesaropapism – emperor rules not only as

a secular lord, but also plays prominent role in ecclesiastical affairs

Heavily jeweled crowns, silk robes of dark, rich purple (the color reserved for imperial use)

Latin = language of the court; Greek = language of the people

Justinian (527-565 CE) “the sleepless emperor” Theodora Construction project thoroughly remade

the city Hagia Sophia – one of world’s greatest

examples of Christian architecture Gold, silver, gems, precious stones, and

healing pwrs Justinian Code

Systematic review and improvement of Roman law

Makes Greek official language Unsuccessfully tries to expand the empire

Hagia Sophia

Belisarius General employed by Justinian to recapture

the Roman Empire Gains N Africa and parts of Italy

Want N Africa b/c of its grain production Can’t maintain Rome against Germanics Ravenna – home of gorgeous Christian mosaics Will lose what they gained pretty quickly

New external pressures Focus on defending the eastern empire What group is about to debut?

They attack 717-718 CE and the Byzantines have a secret weapon…

So cool… When Muslims tried to invade Byzantium, the Byzantine

forces used a weapon called “Greek fire” – basically ancient napalm – against the fleets and ground forces

Greek fire even burns as it floats on water – very hazardous to wooden ships

Managing the Empire

Byzantine empire loses some landholdings, but still maintains Anatolia, Greece, and Balkans

“Theme” system – imperial province (theme) under jurisdiction of a general

Assumes responsibility for military defense and civil admin.

Enabled quick mobilization Byzantine empire expands as

each theme’s military can gradually spread outward

Basil the Bulgar Slayer – blinded 15,000

The blind leading the blind….ha ha….

Supposed sight of the massacre causes the Bulgarian king’s death

Helps gain control of the fiesty Bulgarian kingdom

Trade Crossroads for Eurasia Commercial links between manufacturers and merchants between

central Asia, Russia, Scandinavia, northern Europe, and lands of the Black Sea and Mediterranean basin

Bezant – Byzantine gold coin Very wealthy from control of trade and levying of custom duties

China India Persia Western Europe Russia and Scandinavia – timber, furs, honey, amber, and slaves

Banks, business partnerships, loans for business ventures Pool resources and limit risks

Iconoclasm Icons – particularly popular in Byzantine churches

Inspired the popular imagination and encouraged reverence for holy personages

Emperor Leo believed veneration of religious images was sinful

726 orders iconoclasm – breaking of icons Also disagree over

Sacrament of communion Whether priests should be allowed to marry Use of local languages in church

1054 – Great Schism

Thesis Practice On your own paper respond to the following

prompt: Compare and contrast the rise and roles of

Constantinople and Mecca Compare and contrast the split in the

Christian Church and Islam

Effects of the Crusades During 4th Crusade

Constantinople is attacked Plundered and burned Ruled for 50 years Empire never quite

recovers, Venetian merchants gain upperhand

Istanbul v. Constantinople 1453 – Ottoman forces

take over Ancient Christian city is

overturned Istanbul becomes capital

of Ottoman Empire Hagia Sophia is turned

into a mosque and turets are added

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv-KcF3Rkv8&feature=related

Arts Mosaics Icons Greek, Roman, Persian, and other Middle

Eastern styles blend together

The Rise of Russia HUGE Borders both Europe and China, touches the

Baltic Sea and the Pacific Ocean Is Russia part of Europe or Asia? Northern forests – poor soil, cold, snowy climate South – band of fertile land, attracted farmers

(modern day Ukraine) Southern steppe – open, treeless grassland,

nomadic people, herds and horses Dnieper and Volga River – major trade routes

Kievan Rus’ Slavs expand into southern Russia Varangians (Russian word for Vikings) – trade

with Slavs, Kiev becomes a midpoint between Scandinavia and Constantinople

Cyril and Methodius Missionaries from Constantinople, adapt Greek alphabet

to Slavic language – develops Cyrillic (still used in Ukraine and Russia)

Byzantine Christianity Onion domes from Byzantium

Kievan Rus’ First ruler – prince Rurik Russia is coined by the Scandinavians,

could be from Greek word for “red” Vladimir I (r. 980-1015)– converts to

Christianity on behalf of all his people Organizes mass baptisms for his subjects, forced

conversions Russian Orthodox Church soon develops

Yaroslav the Wise 1019 – 1054 Improved code of

law Arranged marriages

between his kids and the royal families of Western Europe

Eastern Europe Roman Catholicism and Latin

alphabet reach Czech and Hungarian areas Magyars (Turkic people) take

over Hungary 9th c. 1334 Casimir III the Great – openly

welcomes the Jewish population to move to Poland

Mongol Conquest A young leader

united the nomadic Mongols of central Asia

Overrun lands from China to Eastern Europe – dubs himself “Genghis Khan” – “world emperor”

The Golden Horde 1236-1241 – Batu, Genghiz’s grandson leads

Mongol armies into Russia “Golden Horde” because of the color of their tents Also called Tatars in the Russian tradition Loot and burn Kiev and many other Russian towns “no eye remained to weep for the dead” Rule from a capital on the Volga for the next 240

years ***This is Russia’s dormant/stagnant period***

240 Years of Mongol Rule Women become especially subservient to their

husbands. (Husbands can even sell their wives into slavery to pay family debts)

Absolute power Mongols have will serve as an inspiration for Russian rulers later on

Mongols severed Russian ties to Western Europe at a time when Europeans were making rapid advances in the arts and sciences

Moscow Steadily becomes a

political and spiritual center Princes in Moscow

slowly gain pwr against Mongols

Became the capital of the Russian Orthodox Church

Ivan the Great Ivan III – 1462-1505 Brought much of N. Russia under his rule Built the framework for absolute rule Worked to limit the boyars powers

Boyars – Russian, land-owning nobles Adopted the rituals of the fallen empire’s traditions to

emphasize Russia’s role as the heir to Byzantine power Double-headed eagle symbol

Titles himself Czar (Russian for caesar) “the czar is in nature like all men, but in authority he

is like the highest God”