byzantine empire

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Constantine Creates Constantinople

Constantine rebuilt the Greek city of Byzantium and then renamed if after himself- COnstantinople

IN 330, he made the city the new capital of the Byzantine Empire

the city was located on the shores of the Bosporus, a strait that links the mediterranean and Black sea.

Had an excellent harbor that was gaurded by water on all three sides and eventually emperors built an elaborate system of land and sea walls to bolster its defenses

the city commanded key trade routes linking Europe and Asia

its favorable location made it europes busiest market place. Merchants sold silks from China, wheat from Egypt, gems from india, spices from Southeast Asia, and furs from Viking lands in the north. This added to the cultural effect during this time.

Hippodrome arena is a gigantic stadium built with stone where crowds gathered to watch chariot races

City promoted a brilliant civilization that blended ancient Greek, Roman, and Christian Influences with other traditions of the mediterianian world

Byzantine Flourishes under Justinian

byzantine empire reached its peak under the emperor, Justinian, who ruled from 527 to 565

Justinian rebuilt the city after it when through riots and devastating fires destroying many buildings

He launched a program to make Constantinople grander than ever

He rebuilt the church of Hagia Sophia (holy Wisdom) creating immense arches and colorful stone, with silk curtains

Another important thing Justinian did was reform of the law. He set up a mission to collect, revise, and organize all the laws of ancient rome

The result was JUstianians code, that had an impact far beyond the BYzantine empire reaching Western Europe.

he created great economic and military strength

the peasants were the backbone of the country

Byzantine Christianity

Although the Byzantine emperor was not a priest, he controlled christian affairs and appointed the patriarch, or highest church official, in COnstantinple

Byzantine Christians rejected the popes claim to authority over all Christians

Unlike priests in Western Europe, the Byzantine clergy kept their right to marry

greek not latin was the language of the Byzantine church

byzantine christians placed less emphasis on Christmas compared to the West

The Church started to divide due to these differences and also because of a dispute over the use of icons

the Pope joined in the dispute by condemning the Byzantine Empire

This lead to the Great Schism where the churches split into east and west and the pope + patriarch excommunicated each other

The Empire Suffers Crisis and Collapse

The byzantine empire was in decline with struggles over succession, court intrigues, and constant wars undermining its strength

Byzantine emperor called for western help to fight Seljuks, who's attacks blocked the pilgrimage routes to Jerusalem resulting in the first crusade

in 204, Venetian merchants persuaded knights on the fourth crusade to attack Constantinople. for 3 days crusaders burned and plundered the city, sending much treasure westward. after that Western Christians ruled Constantinople for 57 years and the empire never really recovered

Venetian merchants gained control of Byzantine trade, draining the wealth of the empire

Constantinople falls to the turks after a long seige lasting for two months.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWa8vOjmiMs (Embed)