1. The Byzantine Empire in Postclassical Times

2. Origins
Roman Emperor Constantine moves capital to Byzantium (Constantinople) CE
Roman Empire divided CE
In 7th century CE Greek adopted by Byzantine Empire

3. Why did the Eastern Roman Empire survive?
Large cities (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch)
Productive agriculture (Egypt)
Capital Constantinople easy to defend
Shorter borders with Asiatic nomads and Germanic peoples
Eastern Rome wealthier, more urbanized, stronger military than Western Rome

4. Constantinople

5. Government – What is old
Referred to themselves as Romans (even after switch to Greek)
Preserved Greek and Roman culture
wore Roman style robes and sandals
Preserved Roman law
Kept up Roman roads
Roman taxation system
Church – Christianity
Centralized government, thousands of bureaucrats in Constantinople, bureaucrats come from land owning elite
Elaborate court life

6. Government – What is new
Caesaropapism: emperor is head of both church and state
Emperor has absolute power
Church legitimizes absolute rule of the emperor (anointed by God)
Generals in the provinces have also civil authority, raise armies from land owning peasants in times of war

7. Justinian Emperor Justinian (527-565) regained much territory
codified Roman law, became basis of legal systems in West (Justinian´s Code)
large building program in Constantinople
(Hagia Sophia)

9. Constantinople and International Trade
Constantinople one of the largest cities in the world
Sits at cross roads of trade routes
Important both as market and manufacturing center (jewelry, linen and woolen cloth, silk, dyes)
Government control silk production
Byzantine gold coins used widely in trade in Mediterranean

12. The Demise of the Empire
Loss of possessions in North Africa and Syria to Arab empire
Balkan Peninsula invaded by Slavic tribes and tribes from Asia (Bulgarians, Magyars, and others)
Loss of Anatolia to Seljuk Turks (Battle of Manzikert 1071)
1204 Constantinople invaded and conquered by crusaders, Constantinople shrinks
1453 Constantinople conquered by Ottoman Turks (size of Constantinople: )

13. Byzantine Influences and Eastern Europe in the Postclassical Era

14. Schism between Catholic and Orthodox Church in 1054
Pope crowns Emperor of Holy Roman Empire
Popes, bishops often interfere in politics
All priests are celibate
Monasteries
Centralized organization
Church service in Latin
Emperor nominates patriarch, church under political control
Monks and village priests, who can marry
monasteries
Decentralized organization
Localized churches, church service in local languages

15. The Christianization of Eastern Europe
Emperor and Orthodox Church sponsor missionaries to Slavic tribes in Eastern Europe
Most of Balkan region (Serbia, Romania, Macedonia, Bulgaria) and Russia converted to Orthodox Christianity
Cyril and Method, invent script for Slavic languages (based on Greek letters)
Orthodox Church decentralized, church service in local languages, church leaders appointed by political leaders

16. Kievan Prince Vladimir converts to Orthodox Christianity
Byzantine priests, artists, architects invited
Have big impact on Eastern European art and architecture (churches, mosaics, icons)
Russia follows different path than Western Europe (Byzantine-Greek, but not Latin)

17. Byzantine Icon (St. George)
Russian Icons (Sts. Boris and Gleb)

18. Byzantine influences on early Muslim architecture, Dome of the Rock 691 CE

19. Byzantine Empire in 1450

20. The Rise of Russia Eastern Europe settled by Slavic speaking tribes
Viking traders in 9th century founded state of Rus in Kiev, only small minority
Become Orthodox Christians
Close ties to Byzantium (trade, religion, culture)
destroyed by Russian princes and Asiatic nomads

23. Society in Kievan Russia
shifting cultivation, low agricultural production
no manorial system
few large cities, based on trade
artisans higher status than peasants
taxes on trade main income for government

24. Mongol Invasions and the Rise of Moscow
Mongols conquer Russia in 1240
Rule from afar, only interested in tribute
Moscow became the main power to extract tribute
Russia culturally isolated, follows different cultural path than rest of Europe
pressure to pay tribute leads to increased serfdom, more organized and efficient state