The Byzantine Empire

THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE

Chapter 11.1

New Rome The Roman Empire was divided in 395

Difficulty communicating between eastern and western empires

Revolts in the western empire 527 Justinian became the king of the

Eastern Empire 533 Belisarius- Byzantine General;

recovers North Africa from invading Western Tribes

A New Rome contd.. Belisarius attacks Rome two years later

and takes it from the Ostrogoths Over the next 16 years, Rome changed

hands 6 times Justinian finally unites all of the former

Roman Empire under his rule including parts of Spain

He ruled with absolute power, controlling both the state and the church.

Byzantine Emperors Appointed and dismissed bishops at will. Were at constant risk for attack due to

brutal politics Of 88 Emperors, 29 died violently and 13

abandoned the throne to live in monasteries

Justinian•A farmer’s son•Had a law changed so he could marry•Theodora because their social statuses did not match•Worked for his uncle, Justin, emperor, from age 11•Became emperor in 527

Zeno: The First Byzantine EmperorEach of the emperors had their own coin minted for them.

This is one of the ways we know what they looked like…

Life in the New Rome Few spoke Latin, most spoke Greek Justinian set up a panel of legal experts

to regulate laws for the empire Codified 400 years of Roman Law Justinian’s Code Set up uniform laws and consisted of 4 works

The Code: laws that were still useful The Digest: summarized opinions of Rome’s

great legal thinkers The Institutes: textbook for law students The Novellae: Code of new laws passed after

534

Justinian’s Code Justinian's Code:

regulated areas of life like:

1. Marriage2. Slavery3. Property4. Inheritance5. Women’s rights6. Criminal justice

Justinian died in 565 but Code served for 900 years.

Imperial Capital Rebuilt Constantinople Refortified coastline Church building: Hagia Sophia which

means “Holy Wisdom”. Rebuilt the original which was destroyed in 532

Enlarged the palace Built baths, aqueducts, courts, schools,

and hospitals

Imperial Capital Effects of building

Preserved Greco Roman culture Byzantine families valued education Byzantine scholars preserved the great works

of Greece and Rome Justinian illustrated the connection between

church and state

Constantinople Named after the Roman Emperor

Constantine who converted to Christianity and moved the capital of Rome from Italy to Turkey

Big city with markets, street performers, food stands, and tons of exotic goods from Asia, Africa, and Europe

Constantinople: Modern day IstanbulBustling port city

Hippodrome Free entertainment in this coliseum Word means “horse” and “racecourse” Citizens could see chariot races and

performances Held 60,000 spectators Rowdy fans could be seen on opposite

sides of the stadium

Nika Rebellion 532, two opposing chariot teams were

racing in the Hippodrome. Fans from either side started a city wide

riot shouting “Nikka” which means victory

They were angry that city officials punished people who rioted before

Belisarius intercepted the rebellion and slaughtered 30000 rebels

Justinian was going to leave but his wife told him to stay.

Theodora Her father was a bear keeper for the

Hippodrome Began performing burlesque in the

Hippodrome by the age of 15 Met Justinian at 21 Considered one of the first feminists she

worked for Women’s property rights Anti-rape legislation Banishing brothel keepers

Belisarius Came to

command the Byzantine army at 25

Defeated the Vandals and the Ostrogoths to help Justinian claim the rest of the Roman Empire for the East.

The Fall of the Byzantine Empire

Justinian died in 565 Lots of setbacks:

Riots Religious quarrels Palace intrigues Foreign dangers

The Empire Weakens Plague of Justinian: much like the

bubonic plague Arrived from rats on ships from India Worst year of the plague: 10000 people died

each day Lasted from 542-700 when it finally subsided

Attacked by barbaric tribes: Lombards, Slavs, Bulgars, Persians

With the rise of Islam, Arabs attacked in 647 and 717

The Empire Weakens Russians attempt to take over

Constantinople three times between 860 and 1043

11th Century Turks take over Muslim World

Fell to the Ottoman Turks on 1453 and Constantinople becomes Istanbul

The Christian Church Divides

1054: The Great Schism Christianity splits between Eastern and

Western Western: Roman Catholic Eastern: Eastern Orthodox

See pg. 305