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Byzantine Empire
Location
• The eastern portion of the former Roman Empire
• Capital City – Constantinople (modern day Istanbul)• Excellent location for trade
Military defense
• Fought with the following for control of the area• Sassanids to the east (Persia)• Germanic invaders to the north
and west
• Defensive walls were built around Constantinople
Byzantine Government
• Centralized
• Imperial bureaucracy remained even during times of uncertainty
Justinian the Great (r. 527 – 565)
• Revitalization of Constantinople• Hagia Sophia
• Justinian’s Code - (Body of Civil Law)
• Expanded the size of the empire• Defeated the Sassanids in the east• Took control of Northern Africa, southern Spain, Sicily and Italy in
the west
• However due to expansion – Byzantine Empire was almost bankrupt by the time Justinian died in 565
After Justinian
• The empire contracted• Bulgars (Turkic people) took control of the Balkans• Germanic tribes took control of Italy• Arabs took over Syria Egypt, and the rest of North Africa
• Byzantines were unable to expand again until the 800s
Heraclius (r. 610 – 641)
• Spoke Greek
• Focused toward the east
• Resisted attacks from Islamic forces
• Reduced power and influence of the Sassanids in SW Asia
Leo III (r. 717 – 770)
• “The Syrian”
• Reclaimed lands, lost by previous ruler, in the Near East AND gained additional lands in Asia Minor
• Instituted iconoclasm – opposed the worship of religious images and icons (possible Islamic influence)
Basil II (r. 976 – 1025)
• Resumed successful Byzantine Expansion
• Defeated the Bulgars at the Battle of Kleidion
• Conquered territory in eastern Asia Minor
Religion
• Theocracy – no separation of church and state
• Christianity (Eastern Orthodox) was practiced
• Emperor appointed the patriarch (head of the church)
• Monastaries and religious communities common – provided aid to people in times of natural disasters
• Most nuns and monks opposed Leo III’s policy of iconoclasm
Christian Missions
• Hope to convert nonbelievers (Bulgars and Moravians) to Christianity
• Cyril – successful missionary• Created an alphabet
adopted by Russians and other Slavic peoples
Conflict with Rome
• Conflict between western and eastern branches of the Christian church
• Points of conflict in the Christian Church• Head of the church – Pope vs. Patriarch• Iconoclastic policy of Leo III
• Great Schism 1054 –• Roman Catholic Church in the West• Eastern Orthodox Church in Southeastern Europe and Russia
Trade and Prosperity
• Strong economy for almost 1000 years! • Location of Constantinople played a huge part
• Silk weaving industry
• Government intervention in economy
• Strong agricultural sector• Serf/peasant labor (most not free)• Theme system – offered freedom to peasants in exchange for
military service• Limits to amount of land one landlord could own
Free Peasant Revolts
• Contracted with landowners – paid rent for the land they worked
• Landowners tried to force ‘free’ peasants into peasant status to increase their power
• Revolts by free peasants resulted• Basil the Copper Hand (928 – 932) • Ivaylo (1277 – 1280)
Byzantine Culture
• The Arts• Christian themes in art and
literature
• Education• Dominated by religion• University of Constantinople (f. 850)
• Government training• Copying classical writings from
Ancient Greece and Rome
• City life• Large lavish homes• Churches• Palaces• Hippodrome - stadium
Decline and Fall of the Byzantine Empire
• Civil Unrest• Expenses of conflict along eastern and western borders• Reluctance of the wealthy to pay taxes• Unrest by commoners
Decline and Fall (Cont.)
• Military defeats• 1071 – Battle of Manzikert (Seljuk Turks d. Byzantine forces) – lost
territory in Asia Minor• 1071 – lost lands in southern Italy and Sicily to the Normans from
France• 1095 – Emperor Alexus I asked the Pope for help fighting the Turks –
resulting in the Crusades
• 1453 – Ottoman Turks (who had replaced the Suljuk Turks) – conquered Constantinople – marking the end of the Byzantine Empire (Constantinople is renamed Istanbul)
Kievan Rus
Forming the Kievan Rus
• East Slavic people and Vikings (Rus – Viking ruler)
• Settled along the Dnieper River
• Early 900s under Oleg a settlement was formed and called Kievan Rus• Collection of city-states that paid
tribute to the Grand Prince of Kiev
• Boyars (nobles) rulers
Kievan Religion
• Converted to Christianity (Byzantine influence)
• Prince Vladimir I formally brought the KR to Christianity when he married the sister of the Byzantine emperor
• Religion linked KR to Byzantines culturally and politically
Golden Age of Kievan Rus
• 10th and 11th centuries
• Strong government and cohesive society
• Rule of Vladimir I
• Expansion to the west
• Promotion of education under Yaroslav I
• Codified laws – Russian Justice
Decline of Kiev
• Dependence on Byzantine Empire
• 1169 and 1204 Byzatines attacked Kiev
• 1240 Kiev was invaded and occupied by the Mongols
Novgorod
• Large city-state in northern Kiev
• Wide mix of occupants – German merchants, Finns, Swedes, and Slavs
• Prospered through trade
• Model of the growth of cities between 800 and 1300
• Absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 15th Century
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