Chapter 9 Civilization in Eastern Europe: Byzantium and Orthodox Europe I) The Byzantium Empire II) The Spread of Civilization in Eastern Europe

Civilization in Eastern Europe: Byzantium and Orthodox Europe In addition to the great civilizations of Asia and North Africa, two major civilizations developed in Europe Byzantium Empire developed in western Asia and Southeastern Europe and expanded into Eastern Europe Catholic Christianity did not have an imperial center and spread into western Europe

The Byzantium Empire Once part of Roman Empire Flourished from a base in eastern Mediterranean after the Roman decline Although it used some of Rome’s patterns, developed it’s own form of a civilization

The Origins of the Empire Emperor Constantine established capital at Constantinople (4th century) even before the fall of Rome Greek became the official language after the 6th century, and empire benefited from advancements of former Hellenistic world Developed a trained civilian bureaucracy and held off barbarian invaders

b) Justinian’s Achievements Justinian tried to reconquer Western territory without success (527-565). With the aid of a brilliant general Belisarius new gains were made in north Africa and Italy. These advancements were short-lived, and war efforts weakened empire both financially and militarily Justinian rebuilt Constantinople built huge church of Hagia Sophia, and codified Roman law This reduced legal confusion and spread concepts throughout Europe

c) Arab Pressure and the Empire’s Defenses Justinian’s successors concentrated on defense of their eastern territories against advance of Arab Muslims (7th Century) Important regions in eastern Mediterranean and the northern Middle East were lost and the free rural population, which provided the military recruits and taxes, were weakened. The Byzantine empire held on, nevertheless, beating back a major seige of the capital by the Muslims in part because of a new weapon, a kind of napalm called Greek fire (a petroleum, quicklime and sulfur mix) that devastated Arab ships. Aristocratic estates grew larger and generals became stronger, and the empires fortunes fluctuated. Slavic kingdoms, especially Bulgaria, periodically pressed the Byzantine territory in the Balkans.

d) Byzantine Society and Politics Political structure resembled Chinese system, with the Emperor ordained by god and heading both church and state Women occasionally held the throne and in theory officials could be from any social class. Daughter of an Emperor, Empress Theodora (981 -1056, namesake of Justinian’s wife) and her sister Zoe fought over the throne. Empire depended socially and economically on Constantinople, where the bureaucrats regulated trade and food prices Peasants provided food and tax revenue and large urban class kept satisfied by low food prices Widespread commercial trade network and cultural life centered on a blend of Hellenistic traditions and Orthodox Christianity. The adaptation of Roman domed buildings, richly colored mosaics, and a tradition of icon painting of saints and other religious symbols expressed the artistic marriage to Christianity. A controversy arose in the 8th century when an emperor attacked the use of religious images in worship in response to the Muslim claim that Christians were idol worshippers. This attack, called iconoclasm or breaking of the images, caused a huge protest from the Byzantine monks who threatened to split from the state.

e) The Split between East and West Big rift between eastern and western versions of Christianity Greek and Latin versions of the Bible Emperors resisted papal attempts to interfere with religious issues Hostility broke out over Charlemagne (Frankish king) being recognized Roman Emperor Final break over type of bread for mass and celibacy of priests Although still separate today, the two churches share common classical heritage

f) The Empire’s Decline Long period of decline began in the 11th century. Byzantine was defeated by the Seljuk Turks in the 1071 Battle of Manzikert Muslim Turks seized much of the Empires Asian provinces, removing an important source of taxes and food Slavic states appeared in Balkans Appealed for help led to Crusaders sacking Constantinople in 1204 Smaller empire survived for another 200 years until Ottoman Turks conquered in 1453

II) The Spread of Civilization in Eastern Europe Byzantine Empire’s influence spread to the Balkans and southern Russia through conquest, commerce and Christianity Missionaries Cyril and Methodius devised a written script (Cyrillic) for the Slavic language which provided a base literacy in Eastern Europe Unlike Western Christians, Byzantine’s allowed use of local language in church services

The East Central Borderland Both eastern and western missionaries competed in Eastern Europe, region becoming a long standing site of competition . Roman Catholics prevailed in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland Eastern Europe also received an influx of Jews from the Middle East, who maintained there own traditions and identity

b) The Emergence of the Kievan Rus During the Roman Empire Slavic People migrated from Asia Followed an animistic religion and had rich traditions of music and oral tradition Political organization centered on family tribes and villages, some traders won political control Danish merchant Rurik (855) started a organized state that flourished until the 12th century Kiev became a prosperous commercial center a and rulers issued a formal law book.

b) The Emergence of the Kievan Rus Prince Vladimir I, a Rurik descendant who ruled from 980 – 1015 took the final step of converting to Christianity not only in his name, but on behalf of all his people. He was eager to avoid the papal influence that came with Roman Catholicism and orthodox Christianity seemed a valid alternative. Islam was rejected because Vladimir could not accept a religion that forbade alcoholic drink. As in Byzantium, the king controlled major religious appointments, and soon a separate Russian Orthodox church developed. The last of the great Kievan princes, Yaroslav, issued the formal law codes while building many churches and arranging the translation of religious literature from Greek to Slavic.

c) Institutions and Culture in Kievan Rus Kiev borrowed much from Byzantium, but developed differently from the Western European experience Orthodox Christians practices entered Russian culture devotion to God’s power and saints Polygamy yielded to monogamy, almsgiving by wealthy to poor Peasants were free farmers and aristocratic landowners had less power than similar Westerners. Russian aristocrats, called boyars, had less power than their western counterparts, yet Kievan princes had to negotiate with them.

Keivan Decline Rival princes established competing governments in quarrel over succession, leading to decline (12th century) Mongol invaders (until 1241) further separated Russia from Western Europe, as commercial contacts lapsed. Called Tatars in the Russian tradition (from a Turkish word) the invaders were quickly despised but also feared “as the accursed raw eating Tatars.” Russian Orthodox Christianity survived because Mongols tolerated as long as tribute was paid Russians claimed to be successors to Roman and Byzantium and the 3rd Rome

e) In Depth: Eastern and Western Europe: The Problem of Boundaries With the presence of many rival units and internal cultural differences it is difficult to determine where individual civilizations begin and end Orthodox and Roman Catholic religion each had their own alphabet, but political organization is more complicated because of region kingdoms Commercial patterns and Mongol and Russian expansion also influence cultural identity

The End of an Era in Eastern Europe -Eastern Europe entered a difficult era after the collapse of Byzantium -Poland fell to western influences and the Balkans fell to Islamic world of the Turks -Western and eastern Europe evolved separately, with the west pushing ahead in power and sophistication ..\..\..\..\My Documents\History\downloads\The_Byzantine_Empire.asf

e) Global Connections: Eastern Europe and the World 11Graph The Byzantium Empire served as a link between northern Europe and the Mediterranean, being active in interregional trade Constantinople was one of the world’s greatest trading cities After Byzantium collapsed , the Mongols captured Russia beginning a period of isolation which lasted until the 15th century when they began to regain their independence and re-engage with the west