1. T HE D ECLINE OF THE B YZANTINE E MPIRE

2. T HE DISPERSED B YZANTIUM (1204-1261 AD) After the conquest of Constantinople by the Crusaders, the Empire was divided among the conquerors: o Latin Empire of Constantinople: Constantinople & ¼ of the former Empire (Baldwin of Flanders) o Venetians: ¾ of Constantinople & ½ of the remaining territory, mostly important marine & commercial points  Venetian domination of the sea & the marine trade o Rest Crusaders: Division of the remaining territory into smaller states, according to the power of the contenders  Governors & type of governing absolutely alien to the local population (e.g. Kingdom of Thessaloniki, Ducat of Athens, Principality of Achaea, etc.)

3. T HE DISPERSED B YZANTIUM (1204-1261 AD) Greek states in the geographical area: o Empire of Nice o Despotate of Epirus o Empire of Trabzon o

4. T HE DISPERSED B YZANTIUM (1204-1261 AD) Constant conflicts among the new states Empire of Nice & Despotate of Epirus, at that moment the only hope of “reconquista” Latin Empire of Constantinople functioning as a barrier against the co-operation of the Nice ’s enemies (Latin, Slavs, etc.) 1261 AD: Re-conquest of Constantinople by the Empire of Nice

5. L AST A TTEMPT OF RESTORATION (1261-1321 AD) Disruption of the Latin Empire of Constantinople Exposition of the Byzantine Empire to the northern & western enemies Need of even more financial & military means Aims of Byzantine Empire: o Survival against dangerous enemies o Re-conquest of the territories that belonged to the Empire before the Latin conquest

6. L AST ATTEMPT OF RESTORATION (1261-1321 AD) Defensive politic based on diplomacy  Diplomatic split of the enemy alliances Main enemy: Charles of Anjou (dreamer of restoration of the Byzantine Empire under his hold) Reduction of the military force Necessity of external enforcement from the West  Attempt to gain the Pope ‘s help by accepting the subordination of the Eastern Christian Church to the Western  Civil conflict between the Unionists & the Anti-Unionists

7. C IVIL WARS & FALL (1321-1453 AD) Defense based on mercenary troops – Complete lack of fleet No income of the transporting trade, because of the Italian privileges Low monetary credit, because of the continuous devaluation of the byzantine currency Social polarization between the wealthy owners of the land & the poor peasants or workers

8. C IVIL WARS & FALL (1321-1453 AD) Civil wars between the defenders of the byzantine throne Expansive plans & invasion in the Greek mainland by the Serbians under the command of Stefan Dusan (dreamer of a Serbian-Greek Empire) Expansion of the Ottoman Turks (1354 in Europe)  1422 AD: First siege of Constantinople New attempts to obtain military help from the West

9. C IVIL WARS & FALL (1321-1453 AD) Almost unconditional acceptance of the union of the two Christian Churches (1438 – 1439 AD Council of Ferrara-Florence) Civil conflicts Hatred against the Catholic West & the Pope Enforcement of the Greek national feeling

10. C IVIL WARS & FALL (1321-1453 AD) Territories of the last Byzantine Empire: o The area around Constantinople o Chalkidiki o Despotate of Mystras o The last Emperor Constantine 18 th Paleologos

11. C IVIL WARS & FALL (1321-1453 AD) April of 1453 AD: Beginning of the last & fatal siege of Constantinople 29 th May 1453 AD: Conquest of the city by the Ottomans o The end of the Byzantine Empire o http://qed.princeton.edu/main/ MG/Empires/Byzantine_Empi re http://qed.princeton.edu/main/ MG/Empires/Byzantine_Empi re

12. C RITICAL REVIEW During a period of more than 1.000 years, the Byzantine Empire: Was the frontier of Europe in the East Combined hellenistic, western & eastern cultural elements to one culture Offered a complicated model of a most organized administrative system Instituted the political system of despotism on the name of the God Offered the basis of the European law system (especially with the Justinian & Theodosian codes)

13. C RITICAL REVIEW Enforced the Christian religion (Orthodox centre) – Clearly set the dogmatic bases of the religion in the ecumenical councils Set the bases of the (orthodox) monastic life (St. Catharine ‘ s in Sinai Peninsular, Mount Athos, Cappadocia, Desert of Nitria in Egypt, etc.)

14. C RITICAL REVIEW Enlightened the Christian-Greek culture to the other European & especially to the Slavic nations, respecting their own language & culture Developed the byzantine secular (mainly inherited through folk songs) & religious (hymns, chants, etc, all chanted only by the human voice, without any instrumental accompaniment) music

15. C RITICAL REVIEW Preserved the Hellenistic Common Greek Language (based on the attic dialect) & developed it to the Medieval Greek Language Simpler Complicated oral written language language (“attikizousa”) Appointed the Greek language as the official language of the Byzantine Empire since the 7 th c. AD

16. C RITICAL REVIEW Set the bases of the Modern Greek Literature (chivalrous poetical novels, Saga of Digenis Akritas, folk songs, etc.) Replaced the capital letters with the small ones in the manuscripts since the 9 th c. AD Developed calligraphy & miniature painting Preserved & commented the classical literature & the ecclesiastical tradition in the manuscripts

17. C RITICAL REVIEW Formed the various byzantine architectural rates of churches (basilica, basilica with dome, cruciform church, etc) Developed hagiography (painting of Saints & scenes of the Holy Bible or abstract decoration, during the War on Icons)

18. C RITICAL REVIEW Developed the arts of metallurgy, mosaic, etc. (usually in connection with the religion) & enlightened it to the West

19. C RITICAL REVIEW ALTHOUGH: Many civil conflicts disrupted its peace The political & the religious power were sometimes inappropriately & dangerously mixed The strong Christian faith of some emperors harmed the previous ancient civilization (e.g. closure of the Philosophical School of Athens by Theodosius the Great)