Byzantine Empire

1. Byzantine Empire AP World History

2. Fall of the Roman Empire

3. Eastern Rome: A Survivor Society • Constantine established the Eastern capital at Byzantium • Constantinople • Reasons for Survival • Higher level of civilization • Fewer nomadic invasions • Geography • Prosperous commerce

4. Justinian (527-565) • Byzantine empire reached greatest size • Wanted to rebuild Roman Empire • Temporarily Re-conquered N. Africa, Italy and southern Spain • Wife, Theodora, had considerable power • Rebuilt Constantinople • Hagia Sophia • Justinian’s Code

5. Byzantine Empire under Justinian

6. Hagia Sophia

9. Threat of Islam • Arab peoples conquered parts of Byzantium • Prolonged sieges of Constantinople • Byzantine survived partly because of "Greek fire" • Imperial organization • Government run by trained bureaucracy & army • Theme System • Provinces organized on a military basis • Ruled by a general who ran army & civil bureaucracy • Responsible for protecting peasants • Aristocrats limited by army, emperor, & bureaucracy

10. Byzantine Empire

12. Constantinople • “Second Rome” • Key trading route linking Europe, Africa and Asia • Buffer between Western Europe and Asia • Europe’s busiest marketplace

13. Byzantine Economy • Government prevented wealthy from seizing peasant’s land • Free peasantry declined in the 11th century • Craftsmen and merchants were respected • Glassware & mosaics • Thriving silk industry • Monopolized by the government

14. Great Schism (1054) • Byzantine emperors tended to combine political and religious authority • Dispute over use of icons • Iconoclasm—Attempt to suppress icon veneration in 8th c. • Schism occurs in 1054 • Final break over the type of bread used in the mass and the celibacy of priests • Or was it?

15. Western Europe Pope in Rome Priests practice celibacy Latin Language Most important holy day Christmas Eastern Europe Patriarch in Constantinople Clergy could marry Greek Language Most important holy day Easter Catholicism vs. Orthodox

16. Effects of the Great Schism

17. Byzantine Culture • Cultural Foundations • Christian beliefs • Greek learning • Roman engineering • Byzantine Education • State-organized schools • Widespread literacy • Chariot Races • Blues vs. Greens • Riot of 532

18. Byzantine Decline • The long decline began in 11th century. • Seljuk Turks seized most of the Asian provinces • Remove an important source of taxes and food • Crusaders, led by Venetian merchants, sacked Constantinople in 1204 • A smaller empire struggled to survive for another two centuries • In 1453, the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople

19. Byzantine Challenges

20. Byzantine Empire

22. Rise of Russia • Area inhabited by Slavs • Vikings arrive using river system • Set up state based on trade & conquest around 9th Century • State founded by Rurik • Capital at Kiev • People called Rus

23. Russia & Christianity • Prince Vladimir converted in 989 • Converted for trade, commercial reasons • Elites baptized by order of prince, often against will • Served as conduit for spread of Byzantine culture, religion • Cyrillic Alphabet

24. Kievan Rus • “Third Rome” • Decentralized government • Divided into provinces • Constant strife between boyars and princes • Constant threat of nomadic invasion