Byzantine History

8/7/2019 Byzantine History

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Byzantine Empire (330-1453)


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Definition

Byzantine: this term is a modern invention. The Byzantinescalled themselves either Romans or Greeks. Invented

by the classical scholar Hieronymus Wolf and popularized by MontesquieuIt was used for the medieval Greek-speaking, Christianempire that dominated the eastern Mediterranean.The ancient Greek city of Byzantium was founded in 667BC by king Byzas.In antiquity, because of its strategic location, it was animportant center for the transport of corn to Attica.


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D iocletians Empire


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The origins292: D iocletian dividesthe Roman empire intotwo.324: Constantine reunitesthe two parts330: Constantine buildsa new capital in the

location of ancientByzantium337: The death of Constantine results indivision between east and

west.


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ConstantinopleSuccessive emperors

build strong walls,

palaces, churches,gardens, aquaductsand made the city the

biggest, strongest andmost enlightened cityof medievalChristendom The Walls of Theodosius


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Cistern Basilica


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The early years337: Constantius II,succeeds ConstantineEast and West dividedagain, permanently.361: Julian tries to revertto paganism.379-95: Theodosius I

Christianity obligatory396: Prohibition of Olympic Games

Hippodrome


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The Fall of RomeBarbarian tribes keep

pushing into a fragmentedand weakened RomanEmpire.The east through bribery,diplomacy and better military resists effectively476

: Rome Falls491: Anastasius I: Hiscompetent rulereorganizes the east.Financial strength and

administative success. The Last Legion


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Hagia Sophia, Church of the Holy Wisdom, 6th c.


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Justinians legacyHagia Sophia remained the seat of EasternChristianity until the Fall of Constantinople.

552: Byzantine monks sneak silkworms andmulbery out of China.Justinian orders the codification of Roman law(C orpus Iuris C ivilis ).

He was heavy-handed towards heresiesIn 529 he closed the philosophical school of Athens, thus destroying the last stronghold of

paganism.


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The Byzantine empire in 565, at its largest expansion ever.


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The Struggle with the PersiansProcopius is a rich sourcefor the campaigns in theeast.Justinian and hissuccessors were lockedinto a titanic struggle withan old enemy and won.

627: Heraclios crushes thePersians at Nineveh.However, both Byzantinesand Persians wereexhausted and vulnerable

to the Arabs and Islam.


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Heraclius 610-641Heraclius seized thethrone from

unpopopular PhocasHe defeated Chosroesand the PersiansRecovered many

Byzantine territoriesHellenized the empireTook the title b asileus


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Heraclius fighting Chosroes over the True Cross


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The legacy of HeracliusThe final act for Sassanid Persia IRONICALLY took placeoutside Nineveh, the old capital of Assyria, which theMedes/Persians had defeated about a thousand years

before.Sassanid power was dissolved and they were easilyconquered by the ArabsThe Byzantines were also exhausted and could barelysustain Arab attacks.In Europe, which had been depleted of troops the Slavswere fast seizing Byzantine territories.Under the successors of Heraclius, his hard won gains had

been lost and the empire was nearly dissolved.


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The Religious BattlesA rrianism was the first major heresy which threatened tosplit the empire (4th-5th c.)In the age of Justinian Monophysitism won over the entireorient and Egypt (6th-7th c.)The ambivalence of monophysitic provinces towards thecenter weakened Byzantine rule in Syria, Palestine andEgypt.

When these provinces were lost to the Arabs in the 7thcentury, Orthodoxy prevailed.Then the more divisive Iconoclastic movement would tear apart the Empire for the next two centuries (8th -9th).The political effects of monophysitism and iconoclasmwere detrimental.


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The Empire in 668


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Leo III Isaurian (717-741)Leo III, using the Greek Fire, defeats the Arabsdecisively and haltsIslamic expansion.Constantine V the D ung-named continued hisfathers successes againstthe the Muslims and alsoagainst the BulgarsThe Isaurians, against theodds, halted thedissolution of Byzantium,and preserved Christianityin Europe.


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IconoclasmThe Isaurians, followed bythe Phrygian dynasty triedto abolish icons.This divided the empire.Icons were restored asobjects of veneration butnot worship by twoecumenical councils under the leadership of two

powerful women, EmpressIrene the Athenian, andTheodora, Empressconsort to Theophilos.


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The MacedonianD

ynastyUnder the Phrygiandynasty, a remarkable

recovery had starteddriven from the inside.The early Macedoniankings consolidate their

power, expand their territory and create avigorously healthystate.


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Basil I (867-886)Founder of the mostglorious dynasty of Byzantium.Seized power byassasinating Michael III.Legislative Work Success in Adriatic/Sicilyagainst ArabsByzantine navy dominateseastern Mediterranean.


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Leo VI, the Wise (886-912)Leo received goodeducation by Photios.He was not successful inthe military field.However, he completedthe legislative work of hisfather

He is the author of anumber of booksHe was an intellectualemperor for peacefultimes.


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Constantine VII, Porphyrogennetos

(913-20, 945-59)Improperlylegitimized son of Leo

VI and his 4th wifeZoe Karbonopsina(dark-coal eyed).Reasonably successfulIntellectual, author,

painter


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Romanos I, Lekapenos (920-45)The gentle usurperHis campain against the

Bulgarians indecisive, butmade peace throughdynastic marriage.The campaigns of thegeneral Kourkouas againstthe Arabs in the east moreeffective.


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Nikephoros Phocas (963-9)Romanos II (959-63), afun loving emperor diedyoung. Theophano

became regent.The warrior general

Nikephoros Phocas seizedthe throne and marriedTheophano.He recaptured Crete andmuch of the eastern

provinnces from the Arabs


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John Tzimiskes (969-975)Unpopular emperor Phocas was murdered by aconspiracy of his wifeTheophano and nephewJohn Tzimiskes (shortman).Tzimiskes then renouncedTheophano and wasforgiven.Tzimiskes led successfulcampaigns againstSviatoslav of Kief and theArabs in NorthernMesopotamia.

Leb edev: Sviatoslav I meets John I Tzimiskes


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BASIL II (976-1025)The legendary, mostglorious emperor of Byzantium.Suppressed revolt of Vardas Skeleros after analliance with Vladimir I of Kiev.With notoriousruthlessness he suppressedthe power of the greatlandowners and protectedthe middle classes.


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The achivements of Basil IIHe recovered much of Syria. Many of the lands in the easthad not been Byzantine since the time of Heraclius.

After a long campaign the Bulgarians and Serbs submittedto Basil, and the frontier of the empire for the first time incenturies reached the D anube, again.He captured the southern Crimea from the KhazarsHe also recaptured much of Southern Italy.The Father of the Army surprisingly left a full treasury athis death.


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The Byzantine Empire in 1025, after Basils death.


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The Golden Years of ByzantiumThe 50 years followingBasils death were yearsof prosperity and growth.Constantine VIII (1025-28) was never interested inruling.At his death his daughter Zoe became empress.Her accession was thegreatest calamity for Basils empire

Empress Zoe


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Zoes HusbandsRomanos III Argyros(1028-34). ReversedBasils financialarrengements and suffereda defeat in the east whichcost him popularity.Probably murdered by ZoeMichael IV Paphlagonian(1034-41), a reasonablysuccessful emperor.Constantine IXMonomachos (1042-1055)

A military disaster Constantine IX


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The steep decline to ManzikertIsaac I Comnenos (1057-9) tried to reorganize thefinances of the empireThe D oukid emperorsConstantine X andMichael VII Parapinakes:dangerously weakened thearmyRomanos IV D iogeneswas defeated at Manzikert,and then brutally blindedand deposed.

Battle of Manzikert


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The Comnenian RestorationAlexios I Comnenos(1081-1118) seized thethrone from NikephorosIII Botaniates.Alexios stabilized theempire by fighting off the

Normans in the West, andwith the help of theCrucaders the Seljuk Turks in the east.He supported links withthe Aristocratic familiesand initiated a century of

prosperity and recovery


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The empire in 1092


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The Empire in 1143


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John II Comnenos, the GoodAfter fending off achallenge by his sister

historian AnnaComnene, John proved to be perhapsthe last great emperor of Byzantium.He was known for his

piety, mild rule,charity and humanity.


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Johns achievementsThrough diplomacy and cautious warfarewith small objectives at the time, he securedthe west, recovered large parts of AsiaMinor from the Seljuks and put them on thedefensive.

In a move designed to boost morale hemarched into the Holy Lands, but hisCrucader allies betrayed him.


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Manuel I, Comnenos (1143-1180)The ruler and protector of Christendom, Manuel wasseen in east and west asthe head of the most

powerful and richChristian state.Surprise defeat atMyriokephalonAlthough he added to theempire, his ambitiousgoals were never reachedto the full.

Manuel I Comnenos


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The AngeliThe cruel public murder of the last Comnenianemperor, the ableAndronikos I (1185)signalled the beginning of the end for Byzantium.The incompetent rule of Isaac Angelos and hissuccessors resulted in theloss of Constantiniple tothe Crucasders in 1204


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The Fall of Constantinople to the Crucaders , 1204


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The Latin Empire of Constantinople


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Frankish Constantinople (1204-1261)The sack of Constantinople: a greatcultural calamity.Byzantine states in

provinces (Nicaea,Trebizond, Epirus)The Latin empire of Constantinople wasdoomed, cut off from theWest, with a determinedByzantine kingdom nextto it, and a clergy veryhostile to the Catholic

primate.


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The Empire in 1265


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The Palaiologean Period1261: Michael VIIIPalaiologos recapturesConstantinople, defeats

the Latins and restoresByzantine form.The Empire hereconstituted would besqueezed between enemiesfrom the west and therelentless assaults of theTurks in the east


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The Fall of ConstantinopleThe world turned its eyeson a depopulatedConstantinople in thespring of 1453.A shadow of its former glory the imperial city fellafter months of siege.

Constantine XI, the lastemperor became thesubject of legends.


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The religious art of ByzantiumIntellectual, idealistic,schematic, with

restrained colors andreserved form.Realism is rare andundesirable

The objective is thespiritual elevation of the believer


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The Literature of Byzantium

4th-5th century:Still within the

boundaries of Classical Literature.BasilGregory Nazianzenos

Gregory of NyssaJohn ChrysostomAthanasius


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The Era of Justinian

ProcopiusTheophylactos

John MalalasHesychiosChoiroboskos

Poetry:Romanos the MelodistThe Acathist Hymn

Justinian and his legal team


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The 8th and 9th centuries

KassianeThe Canon

Andrew of CreteKosmas the MelodistJohn D amascene

Theophanes theConfessor Photios


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The Humanism of the

Macedonian and Comnenian EraMichael PsellosConstantinePorphyrogennetosMichael AttaliatesAnna ComneneThe Acritic EpicByzantine Romance

PtochoprodromosSudaJohn Tzetzes

Hippocratic Oath


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The Palaeologean Period

ChoniatesPhrantzesChalkokondylesZonarasScholiastsTheology, especially proand anti-Hesychastic

LiteratureLexicographyLaw

Documents

Byzantine History