Chapter 10 The Byzantine Empire and Russia Section 1: The Byzantine Empire

The Story Continues The “fall” of the Roman Empire was really only half a fall. Although Germanic tribes defeated the Western Roman Empire in the A.D. 400s and 500s, the Eastern Roman Empire successfully fought off the invaders. Also called the Byzantine Empire, it included Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and other areas. Through the Byzantines the glory of the Roman Empire lived on.

I. The Growth of the Byzantine Empire The emperor Justinian ruled the Byzantine Empire from A.D. 527 to 565 Digital painting © Byzantium 1200 This picture is based on a mosaic of Justinian at San Vitale in Ravenna.

I. The Growth of the Byzantine Empire One of his contributions was collecting and preserving Roman law – the Justinian Code Emperor Justinian Promulgates his Law Code

I. The Growth of the Byzantine Empire The Code was the basis of Byzantine law and provided the framework for many European legal systems The Corpus Juris Civilis (Body of Civil Law)

I. The Growth of the Byzantine Empire His wife, Theodora, urged Justinian to change Byzantine law to improve the status of women Emperor Justinian (482-565) and Empress Theodora (d. 548)

I. The Growth of the Byzantine Empire Justinian chose Belisarius to lead his army, and the Byzantine Empire expanded to its greatest size

II. Strengths of the Empire The emperor and strong central government ruled the empire and the military protected the borders

II. Strengths of the Empire Ships carried a chemical called “Greek fire” that burst into flames when sprayed onto enemy ships

II. Strengths of the Empire Constantinople, located where Europe meets Asia, controlled the Bosporus Strait and grew wealthy from trade

III. The Christian Church The Christian church was important, but differences between the West and East divided the church

III. The Christian Church The Byzantines did not recognize the pope’s authority - the patriarch of Constantinople headed the Eastern church

III. The Christian Church A major disagreement concerned the role of icons, which led to the Iconoclastic Controversy

III. The Christian Church The Byzantine Emperor ordered icons destroyed, but the church in Rome decided that abolishing icons was a heresy “Augustine of Hippo Refuting Heretic” Illuminated manuscript,13th century

III. The Christian Church In 1054, the Christian church split into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches

IV. Byzantine Culture While western Europe was entering the Dark Ages, Byzantine civilization thrived

IV. Byzantine Culture Christian missionaries, such as the brothers Cyril and Methodius, carried Byzantine culture to new lands Icon of Cyril and Methodius

IV. Byzantine Culture The brothers taught the Bible to the Slavs and created a Slavic alphabet, known as Cyrillic

IV. Byzantine Culture Art included murals, mosaics, icons; religious architecture included the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople

V. The Decline of the Empire After Justinian, the Byzantine Empire lost land to the Persians, Lombards, Slavs, and Muslims The yellow areas were lost in the 11th century, the green areas in the 12th and 13th centuries, and the purple areas in the 14th century. The remaining bits and pieces (black) were taken by the Ottoman Turks, culminating with the capture of Constantinople in 1453.

V. The Decline of the Empire During the A.D. 1000s, the Seljuq Turks captured Asia Minor, a source of food and soldiers for the empire

V. The Decline of the Empire When the emperor asked for help, in 1204 the West turned against the Byzantines and seized Constantinople The capture of Constantinople in 1204 by the Crusaders during the Fourth Crusade was one of the darkest hours in history. Eventually, the Crusaders too, would suffer from this event...

V. The Decline of the Empire The Byzantines regained Constantinople, but were conquered in 1453 by the Ottoman Turks