The Byzantine Empire and Russia

Growth of Byzantine Power Emperor Constantine rebuilt the Greek city Byzantine and renamed the capital Constantinople. It was called “New Rome”. The whole eastern Roman empire became know as the Byzantine Empire. Constantinople was vitally important in the empire, linking major cities and harbors for trade. The city was rich and prosperous. It blended ancient Greek, Roman, and Christian influences with traditions in the Mediterranean.

The Age of Justinian Emperor Justinian ruled the Byzantine empire from 527 to 565. This is when it reached it’s greatest size. This was only temperory though as battles later were lost. Justinian left many great monuments and a code of laws. These laws were called “Body of Civil Law”, or popularly none as Justinian’s Code. It passed on laws of legal writings and Roman assemblies. These laws had a major impact. Justinian ruled as an autocrat, or sole ruler with complete autority. A Byzantine official once wrote “The emperor is equal to all men in the nature of his body, but the authority of his rank is similar to God, who rules all” This shows how important the empire was to the people.

Byzantine Christianity Christianity was the main religion in the Byzantine empire. The emperor would appoint patriarch’s, or high a Church officials. Later on during the middle ages, icons that people prayed to were banned. This caused havoc in the empire breaking up splits between Easter (Greek) Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church

Crisis and Collapse Once the religions started splitting, the empire was already falling. There were many struggles within the empire, as well as problems outside of it. During the crusades in the 1090s the Byzantine empire asked for help to fight the Seljuks. In 1453 Constantinople was surrounded by Ottoman forces causing a two month siege. Constantinople was taken over and renamed Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman. The Byzantine empire has fallen. You can really see the difference throughout the Byzantine Empire through the years, and hwo strong it used to be in the beginning.

The Rise of Russian, the Geography, and the Growth of Kiev Russia is very large and lies between China and Europe. There are many different climates, including extreme cold climates which have blizzards. (These extreme cold temperatures can show why Russia has never been concurred, especially during the World Wars). The city of Kiev was founded by the Varangians, and would later become a vital trade network. This is around the time where Byzantine Christianity was coming up. Princess Olga of Kiev converted to Byzantine Christianity in 957. Kiev enjoyed a golden age under Yaroslav the Wise, ruling from 1019 to 1054. He also wrote a code olf laws like Justinian. Kiev later started to fall in the 1100s in civial wars, then became invaded by the Mongols.

Mongol Conquest The Golden Horde was from 1236 to 1241 being led by the grandson of Genghiz Khan, Batu. Their tents gold, the marched onto Russia destroying many towns, including Kiev. One scholar wrote, “no eye remained to weep for the dead”. The Golden Horde ruled for the next 240 years.

Moscow Takes the Lead The princes of Moscow built armies as Mongol power declined. Ivan the 3rd, know as Ivan the Great successfully took over most of northern Russia, as well as taking over countries that were his. He also limited the power of boyars, or landowning nobles. He took the name of czar, or the Russian word “Caesar”. His grandson, Ivan the 5th, also know as Ivan the Terrible took more power. He introduced new laws and rewarded those who did military service. He made the oprichniki who were agents dressed in all black on black horse who slaughtered rebellious boyars.

Early Kingdoms Eastern Europe included many small kingdoms and states. Poland was a major state in Eastern Europe, having its greatest age under Queen Jadwiga and Duke Wladyslav Jagiello. Poland-Lithuania controlled the largest state in Europe at a time. Hungary also was part of Eastern Europe. Hungary was overran by the Mongols in 1241, killing almost half the population. Another country in Eastern Europe was Serbia, who was later overran by the Ottoman Turks.

Shaping Eastern Europe and a Diverse Mix of Peoples Eastern Europe lies between Central Europe and Russia. Eastern Europe has a diverse group of people. The Balkans are there, and they peopled by other ethnic groups as well. An ethnic group is a large group of people who share the same language and cultural heritage. There are also Jewish Settlements in Eastern Europle. Many Jews escaped here during the time of the Black Death to escape persecution.

Conclusion In conclusion, during this time period each country ruled at different times. At one time, a country may be the most power, but just like that they can also be the weakest in no time. Mongolians and Moscow had the greatest power at one point, but they all fall eventually.

Regents Questions 1) What is considered the Byzantine’s Empire greatest contributions to western European society? a)spreading Hinduism throuhout the region b) supporting the catholic church c) defeating the Mongols at Kiev d) preserving Greek and Roman culture 2)What was one influence of Mongol role on the history of Russia. a) contact with kingdoms in western Europe greatly increased. b) The Chinese writing system was introduced and adopted c) Most Russians from Orthodox Christianity to Islam. d) Russian leaders adpoted the idea of strong, centralized control of the empire 3)Kevian Russia adopted the Eastern Orthodox religion, the Cyrillic alphabet, and different styles of art and architecture through contact with a) traders from South Asia b) conquering invaders from Mongolia c) crusaders from Western Europe d) missionaries from the Byzantine Empire 4)Which group introduced the Cyrillic alphabet, Orthox Chirstianity, and domed architecure to Russian culture? a) Mongols b) Vikings c) Jews d) Byzantines 5) What area was least effected by the Black Death? a) southwestern Europe b) Mediterranean coast c) eastern Europe d) British Isles

Answers 1) d) preserving Greek and Roman culture 2) d) Russian leaders adopted the idea of strong, centralized control of the empire 3) d) missionaries from the Byzantine Empire 4) d) Byzantines 5) c) eastern Europe