Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire

1. Christianity

   • The Great Schism
     • The slit between eastern and western Christianity
     • Caused by different opinions about icons
     • Lead to the western and eastern Christianity to become rivals
     • Caused by violent battles within the empire
   • Icons
     • Holy images
     • Reason for the Great Schism
     • Thought to go against Gods commandments because they were considered "graven images"
     • Outlawed by the Byzantine empire
   • Eastern Christianity
     • Known as the Orthodox Church
     • Main language was Greek
     • Clergy could marry
     • Had a patriarch not a priest
   • Western Christianity
     • Known as the Roman Catholic Church
     • Main language was Latin
     • Priests could not marry
     • Had great emphasis on Christmas

2. Justinian

   • Co-ruled with his wife, Theodora
     • She was a shrewd politician
     • She pursued her own policies
     • She served as Justinian's advisor
     • She was a former prostitute
   • Rebuilt the Hagia Sophia
     • He rebuilt the Hagia Sophia church because it was destroyed by a fire
     • The inside had colored marble and silk curtains
     • Had a large arching dome
     • This was to make Constantinople grander then ever
   • Justinian's Code
     • included laws passed by Roman assemblies or decreed by Roman empreors
     • Resulted by the commission the collect, revise, and organize all the laws of ancient Rome
     • Also known as Corpus Juris Civilis, or "Body of Civil Law"
     • Monarchs modeled their laws on its principles, which helped them strengthen and centralize their power
   • He was an autocrat
     • He was a sole ruler with complete authority
     • He had the power over the Church and was seen as the co-ruler with Christ
     • Combined political power and spiritual authority
     • He used the law to unify the empire under his control

3. Constantinople

   • Hagia Sophia
     • the inside reflects the Christian and Muslim heritage
     • Islamic artists avoid using human and animal figures but the Byzantine artists were famous for their mosaics of religious figures
     • Cathedral of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, a Roman Christian cathedral, and an Islamic mosque
     • Rebuild after being destroyed in riots
   • The perfect location
     • Surrounded by water on three sides
     • On the shores of Bosporus, linking to the Mediterranean and Black sea
     • Had an excellent harbor
     • roads fanned out to the Balkans, Middle East, and North Africa
   • Defenses
     • Had the strongest military forces in the world
     • Soldiers, ships, and sailors protected the empire, and fortifications protected the capital
     • Had Greek fire which was a liquid that could not be put out with water
     • Elaborate system of land and sea walls
   • Trade
     • Commanded key trade routes linking Europe and Asia
     • Europe's buisest marketplace
     • Merchants sold silks from China, wheat from Egypt, gems from India, spices from Southeast Asia, and furs from Viking lands
     • Emperors and empresses lived in splendor due to trade

4. Heritage

   • Scholars
     • Scholars preserved the classic works of ancient Greece and Rome
     • Produced their own great books, especially in the field of history
     • They were mostly concerned with writing about their own times
     • Greeks scholars left to teach at Italian universities
   • Artists
     • Byzantine artists made religious art and architecture that influenced Western styles from the Middle Ages to the present
     • Icons gave a sense of personal contact with the sacred
     • Mosaics brought scenes from the Bible to life
     • Palaces and churches blended many styles from around the world
   • Chariot races
     • Chariot races were very popular with large crowds including emperors and emperesses
     • Was a reminder of the city's glorious Roman heritage
     • Rival charioteers careened around their vehicles
     • The races occurred at the Hippodrome arena
   • Blend of cultures
     • Blended Christian religious beliefs with Greek science, philosophy, arts and literature
     • The Byzantine churches and palaces had Greek, Roman, Persian, and other Middle Eastern style
     • Extended Roman achievements in engineering and law
     • Works of ancient Greece and Rome were preserved