Global Outline: Byzantine Empire

I: The Early Byzantine Empire Name from Byzantion- modest market town fishing village Golden Horn harbor Had potential to control Bosporus Great trade routes to Mediterranean basin and other areas Constantine made the city his new capital, called it Constantinople (city of Constantine) Now able to maintain close watch over Sasanid empire in Persia and Germanic peoples Eventually fell to Ottoman Turks- called it Istanbul

A: The Later Roman Empire and Byzantium Eastern half of classical Roman empire Conquered many lands and people often took land for themselves Major problem was the consolidation of the dynamic Sasanid dynasty in Persia and invasions of migratory peoples Migratory peoples were rarely a threat to well defended cities like Constantinople Highly centralized rules, power in hands of emperor Constantine created a lavish city with libraries, museums, palaces, churches, etc. Constantine the first Christian emperor, couldnt claim divinity- only claimed divine favor Caesaropapism- emperor not only ruled as secular lord but played large role in ecclesiastical (church) affairs Emperors had absolute power in every aspect Large and complex empire due to law and bureaucracy Emperors wore heavily bejeweled crowns, silk robes dyed purple

B: Justinian and His Legacy Most important emperor was Justinian 527-565 Energetic and tireless- the sleepless emperor Wife Theodora helped influence development of empire Lavishes the capital, resulted in riots against high taxes Church of Hagia Sophia, mosque and museum representing Christian architecture- dome shaped, had gold/silver/gems/lamps- even reportedly healed illnesses Ordered review of Roman law- issues the Corpus iuris civilis (Body of the Civil Law) Influenced civil codes throughout much of western Europe Sent general Belisarius to capture previous western Roman empire from Germans & others Unable to hold the entire empire for long City of Ravenna on Italys Adriatic coast was HQ of Byzantine authority in western region Successors had to let go of western region and fight off Slavics and Sasanids to the east

C: Islamic Conquests and Byzantine Revival Islam posed serious challenge to Byzantium

Islam controlled many parts of the Byzantine empire and sieged Constantinople, but they resisted because of their military technology Byzantine forces use weapon Greek fire Reorganized Byzantine Empire under theme system- placed theme under jurisdiction of a general, who assumed responsibility for military defense and civil administration. Received appointments from imperial govt- prevented corruption Poor people got land for military service Basil II, AKA Basil the Bulgar-Slayer, crushed Bulgars and took Balkans Won at Battle of Lleidion- blinded 14k survivors

D: Byzantium and Western Europe Christian church of Rome and Constantinople conducted affairs in different ways Germanic peoples invaded western Roman empire, further divided the two Frankish ruler Charlemagne receive imperial crown from pope in Rome- wanted to take over western lands, conflicted with Byzantiums After his empire dissolved, Otto of Saxony tried to rule as emperor over western lands Ambassador Liudprand of Cremona described tenor of relations b/t Byzantium & Rome He hated the Byzantine empire and made it sound terrible

II: Byzantine Economy and Society Byzantium had strong economy Abundance of agricultural products Past Roman Empire economic and social assets stayed with Byzantine Empire A: Rural Economy and Society Anatolia and Danube had lots of grain like Egypt Constantinople was largest city in Europe- 1 million+ people Large class of free peasants who owned small plots of land Peasants didnt become slaves, but were sometimes bound to land (or sharecropping) Theme system made land available to peasants in the military Byzantine govt didnt want wealthy to get too much land Large land holdings worked against central govt and caused many difficulties B: Industry and Trade City still remained rich- Constantinople center of trade and home to all classes Had reputation for glassware, gold/silver, textiles, gems, jewelry Silk became imported addition- no monopolies, enforced by govt Byzantine gold coin, bezant, became standard currency of Mediterranean Drew enormous wealth from trade- products from ALL over Merchants often formed partnerships and used banking C: Urban Life Constantinople referred to as The City- imperial palace, 20k workers, gold fountain Aristocrats also had enormous palaces Women lived in separate apartments and did not receive male visitors from outside household, women didnt participate in banquets and parties

Artisans and crafts lived in rooms above their shops, govt & clerks lived in apartments, workers & poor had generous tenements Had a lot of public baths, restaurants, theaters Hippodrome- large stadium adj. to imperial palace- home to entertainment Most popular entertainment was chariot racing Even formed two teams- Greens and Blues- fought outside of chariot races too Eventually they united and protested high taxes imposed by Justinian

III: Classical Heritage and Orthodox Christianity Byzantine church leaders disagreed with western counterparts on many matters

A: The Legacy of Classical Greece Official language was Latin, although many spoke Greek Had educational system based on classical Greece- wanted many literate and intelligent Aristocrats often hired tutors for girls and boys Most people had at least a primary education Had schools of medicine, law, philosophy Like Greek, concentrated on lit., philosophy, history, more than medicine and science Made commentaries on Homer, Plato, Aristotle

B: The Byzantine Church Justinian forced all remaining pagans to undergo Christian baptism, became dominant Christianity linked with govt- govt oversaw teachings and policies Council of Nicae- organized by Constantine to bring bishops, spokesmen, leaders from Christianity together to consider views of the Arians Arius- priest that led people to believe that Jesus had been mortal and was a creation of God, not a divine being Constantine eventually condemned Arianism and made orthodox primary Patriarch of Constantinople= highest ecclesiastical official in Byzantine church Emperors treated church as a department of state, created conflicts b/t imperial and ecclesiastical authorities Iconoclasm the breaking of icons- made by Emperor Leo III, treated icons as sinful and tantamount to the worship of physical idolsicons (religious images) had been used for years before Protests and controversy eventually ended this policy Theologians sought ways to harmonize Christianity with other Greek philosophies Used philosophical point of views to answer religious questions Classical Greek philosophy played a big influence regarding debates on Jesus, etc.

C: Monasticism and Popular Piety Byzantine monasticism grew out of efforts of devout people to lead very holy lives Observed asceticism and self-denial- did extreme things Disciples gathered around hermits/ascetics to follow their example

St. Basil of Caesarea- patriarch of Constantinople urged these communities w/ disciples and ascetics to adopt reforms to enhance effectiveness Basilian monasticism spread rapidly throughout Byzantine empire Byzantine monasteries didnt become centers of education unlike their counterparts Monks wanted mystical union with god, so some meditated and prayed, controlled breathing, etc. Mt. Athos- peninsula in Greece, site of monasteries- females prohibited Monks and nuns provided spiritual counsel, relief efforts, medical attention to their communitiesopposed Iconoclasm, won Byzantine populace

D: Tensions between Eastern and Western Christianity Once Islamic peoples took over, Constantinople and Rome were only principal centers of Christian authority Western theologians regarded icons as appropriate, but Byzantians were iconoclasts Many small controversies between the two sides Byzantine patriarchs had authority over all jurisdictions, whereas in Rome the pope had most of the control Eastern and western churches went separate ways- patriarch and pope excommunicated each othereastern Christian church known as the Eastern Orthodox church and western counterparts known as the Roman Catholic church

IV: The Influence of Byzantium in Eastern Europe: Byzantines called themselves Romaioi (Romans) During Roman times, Mediterranean basin was full of trade and cultural exchanges Now, Islamic people seized control of lands in S and E, Byzantines and western Europeans had N Byzantine people were pressured by Islamic people and western Europeans- declined Influenced history of Slavic peoples Byzantine culture survives greatly in Russia and eastern Europe because of its impact on politics, economics, and more

A: Domestic Problems and Foreign Pressures Basil II, Bulgar-Slayer, died and empire was political, military, and economic dynamo Then suffered internal weaknesses and military reverses Domestic problems from theme system- generals who governed the themes were natural allies of local aristocrats When generals intermarried with aristocrats, elite class with military, political, social, and economic power arose Elite class rebelled and placed free peasantry under pressure Since there were fewer free peasants, military had less recruits, declining tax receipts Economic development in western Europe supported military and political expansion Normans made themselves independent power in southern Italy Led by Robert Guiscard, Normans expelled Byzantines from southern Italy

Launched military crusades to capture Jersualem from Muslims Venetians became prominent in commercial life of eastern Mediterranean- diverted fourth crusade to Constantinople and took it over Byzantine forces recaptured capital, but never completely recovered Europeans expanded into Byzantine from west, Turkish peoples invaded from the east Muslim Saljuqs, invaded Anatolia Battle of Manzikert- defeated Byzantine forces after they had a civil war Anatolia was principle source for grain, wealth, military forces- lead to further decline Finally ended when Ottoman Turks captures Constantinople

B: Early Relations between Byzantium and Slavic Peoples When Justinian deployed Byzantiums military resources in western Mediterranean, Slavic peoples took advantage Relations b/t Byzantium and Bulgaria were very tense Byzantium influenced Bulgarian politics and society because of its wealth & diplomacy Byzantine emperors recognized Bulgarian rulers as legitimate sovereigns Had close political, commercial, educational, cultural relations Byzantium also sent missionaries to Balkan lands- Bulgars and Slavics converted to Orthodox Christianity Saints Cyril and Methodius, two brothers from Thessaloniki, were most famous missionaries Devised Cyrillic alphabet while on journeys Slavic writing helped them explain Christian values and was taught in schools

C: Byzantium and Russia Russians created trade centers- Kiev was one of them Was situated on Dnieper River along main trade route linking Scandinavia & Byzantium Russian merchants visited Constantinople and sought alliances w/ Byzantine rulers Prince Vladimir of Kiev converted to Orthodox Christianity and ordered subjects to follow After this, Byzantine influences flowed rapidly into Russia- schools were established, etc. Byzantine art and architecture dominated Kiev- had icons that encouraged popular piety Onion domes- tried to copy dome structures of Constantinopleused wood Princes of Kiev established firm, caesaropapist control over Russian Orthodox church Compiled written law code for their lands, gained financial resources Kiev eventually had 400 churches and 8 large markets- pop 30 thousand, then 600 churches Later, Russians claimed to inherit all of Byzantium Moscow survived as third Rome?- guided world to Orthodox Christian righteousness Missionaries brought Siberia into Orthodox church, crossed Bering Strait and dispatched missions to Alaska and Californiatherefore, Byzantine legacy continued to work in its influence through Russian Orthodox church