The Byzantine Empire (A.D. 330-1453)

Mr. Giesler

Global 1

The Effects of GeographyDo Now:

Using a current map, identify the countries that now occupy what was the Byzantine Empire

What strategic and economical advantages did the Byzantine Empire offer?

Located right between the Black Sea and the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.  As a result most trade between Asia, Europe and North Africa had to pass through the Byzantine Empire. 

The OriginsThe Early Christian Church and other incidentals

Christian communities began to formally organize, which included its own priest

The Church evolved and imposed order and discipline

Emperor Constantine ended Christian persecutions

As the Christian Church grew in strength and influence, Roman power was fading

Political and economic chaos in Rome

The two empires

Birth of Constantinople

Arrival of the Germanic people

West goes East

DBQ Time

Working cooperatively, students will complete the following DBQ activity on the Edict of Milan.

Please refer to notes packet for further instructions.

As always, please divide the work equally and utilize your split note-taking skills when completing the reading portion of the DBQ.

The OriginsThe Roman Empire was divided in AD 395 into two parts. The Western half, ruled from Rome, fell to the tribal Germanic peoples in the 5th century.

The Eastern half, known as the Byzantine Empire, lasted for more than 1,000 years. Until the mid-11th century, when it began to decline in power, the Byzantine Empire was one of the leading civilizations in the world.In 324 Constantine, the first Christian emperor, became sole ruler of the Roman Empire. He set up his Eastern headquarters at the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium in 330. The city, renamed Constantinople after its founder, was also known as the "new Rome.“

Constantinople became the capital of the Byzantines after the Roman Empire was formally divided.

In 395 Emperor Theodosius I divided the empire between his two sons, and it was never reunited.

Theodosius also made Christianity the sole religion of the empire, and Constantinople assumed preeminence over other Christian centers in the East as Rome did in the West. 

The Origins and New Beginnings

The Reign of Justinian

(A.D. 526)The height of the first period of Byzantine history (324-632) was the reign of Emperor Justinian (r. 537-565) and his wife Empress Theodora (d. 548)

The Imperial Goal: Unity

The imperial goal in the

East was to centralize government and impose legal and doctrinal conformity.

One GodOne EmpireOne Religion

How to achieve this goal

Method One: Law

However, over time, Justinian's

idea of Roman Law would have a

long -lasting effect; At the time

of the Renaissance, it provided

The foundation for most European

law down to the 19th century.

Justinian collated and revised

Roman law. His Corpus JurisCivilis (body of civil law) hadlittle effect on medieval

commonlaw.

Able to maintain a strong military and project Byzantine power abroadApproval of the Church: Christ’s co-ruler.

The law was a means to unite the empireTaxes and trade flourished

“The emperor is equal to all men in the nature of his body, but in the authority of his rand he is similar to God, who rules all.”

Group Activity

Understanding the Justinian Code

Working cooperatively, identify and describe laws authored by Justinian and compare and contrast to our own set of laws.

Please refer to your notes packet, handout, and active links to the four books of the Justinian Code.

The Justinian Code

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

Book 4

How to achieve Unity

Method Two: Religion

Religion as well as law served imperial centralization. In 380, Christianity had been proclaimed the official religion of the eastern empire. Now all other religions were considered “demented and insane.”

How to achieve Unity

Method Three: Strength in CitiesDuring Justinian’s reign, the empire’s strength was its size - more than 1,500 cities.

The largest with 350,000 inhabitants, was Constantinople, the cultural crossroads of Asian and European civilizations.

Hagia Sophia Constantinople (The Church of the Divine Wisdom )

The Decline of the Byzantine Empire and the rise of ???Do Now & TTYN: Identify and describe a list of possible reasons why an empire might fail. Hint!!! Think outside the box. In other words, don’t box yourself in with the fall of an empire.

The Byzantine Empire, much like the Roman Empire, faced a formidable array of external enemies.  However, it was largely internal decay which destroyed both empires.  

Political and economic stability would eventually wreck the empire. 

Peasants vs. Nobles: The great land grab Flip-Flop on the PeasantsLack of taxes forces outsourcing Fewer taxes coming in Loss of Asia Minor…for a moment anyway The First Crusade The Fourth Crusade The Final Nail: The Ottoman Turks

Religion Splits

Christianity develops differently in Eastern and Western Roman Empires.

Two churches disagree over many issues, including the use of icons.

Icons are two-dimensional religious images used to aid in prayer.

Leading bishop of Eastern Christianity is known as a Patriarch.In the West, the pope excommunicates the emperor, banishing

him from the church over the iconoclast controversy.Cause Eastern Church Western Church

POLITICAL RIVALRY Byzantine Empire Holy Roman Empire

CLAIMS OF PAPACY Patriarch of Constantinople was considered second in primacy to the bishop of Rome.

Bishop of Rome claimed supremacy over entire church.

THEOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT Stagnated after Council of Chalcedon. Continued to change and grow through controversies and expansion.

FILIOQUE CONTROVERSEY Declared that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.

Declared that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

ICONOCLASTIC CONTROVERSY Engaged in 120-year dispute over the use of icons in worship; finally concluded they could be used (statues prohibited).

Made constant attempts to interfere in what was purely an Eastern dispute (statues permitted).

Cause Eastern Church Western Church

DIFFERENCES IN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Greek/Oriental Latin/Occidental

CLERICAL CELIBACY Lower clergy were permitted to marry.

All clergy were required to be celibate.

OUTSIDE PRESSURES Muslims constricted and put continual pressure on Eastern Church.

Western Barbarians were Christianized and assimilated by Western church.

MUTUAL EXCOMMUNICATION OF 1054

Michael Cerularius anathematized Pope Leo IX after having been excommunicated by him.

Leo IX excommunicated Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople.

West—dominant language Latin East—dominant language Greek Decline in bilingualism after the fall of the western empire Linguistic disunity develops into cultural disunity

Different religious rites and liturgy develop Different approaches to Christian doctrine emerge

Pope Leo IX claimed he held authority over the four eastern patriarchs. The Pope in 1014 inserted the “Filioque clause” (the words “and the

son” in regards to the procession of the Holy Spirit) into the Latin version of the Nicene Creed. (This was not allowed by the Roman church in the Greek version). Leo IX asserted the papacy’s right to do so. The Eastern Orthodox believed this to be a violation of the 7th canon of the Council of Ephesus, and viewed this clause as a western innovation and heresy.

The Eastern Orthodox today state that the 28th Canon of the Council of Chalcedon established the equality of the Bishops of Rome and Constantinople, therefore, the Roman pontiff could not claim authority over Constantinople.

Papal Supremacy and theNicene Creed

Iconoclast Controversy

The Byzantine Emperor Leo III outlawed the veneration of icons in the 8th century. Some believe this to be a result of the pressures of Islam. Those who were against the use of icons in the church were called “iconoclasts.” The first period of iconoclasm occurred from 730-787 C.E. A second period of iconoclasm occurred from 814-842 C.E.

Arguments usually surrounded the understanding of how to depict the two natures of Jesus Christ in Christian theological teaching. “Iconodules” (supporters of the use of icons) believed that to disallow depicting Jesus artistically denied the incarnation.

The western church rejected iconoclasm. However, icons, which are generally two dimensional works of art were generally not used. Instead, statues were allowed in the western church .

Pope and patriarch excommunicate each other over religious doctrines and disputes over jurisdiction.

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 the northern peoples known as the Slavs.

Missionaries create the Cyrillic alphabet—the basis for many Slavic languages.

Alphabet enables many groups to read the Bible.