The Byzantine Empire

1. The Byzantine Empire

2. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire… How did Rome fall again?? A weakened empire was overrun by Germanic tribes A New Rome in a New Setting

3. The Byzantine Empire

4. Justinian • Byzantine nobleman who took the throne of the Eastern Empire in 527 • Able to conquer almost all the territory that Rome had ever ruled and reunite the two empires • Ruled with absolute power • Politics was brutal • Of the 88 Byzantine Emperors, 29 died violently and 13 went to live in a monastery

5. Justinian’s Accomplishments • 1. Uniform code of laws -Justinian Code • 2. Public building program • Rebuilt the 14 mile stone wall around the city’s coastline and repaired the massive fortifications along its western border • Church building was his greatest passion • The Hagia Sophia “Holy Wisdom” • Also built baths, aqueducts, law courts, schools and hospitals • 3. Preserved the Greco-Roman culture • Valued education • Greek and Latin grammar, philosophy • Preserved many of the great works of Greece and Rome

6. Constantinople

7. Justinian’s Code • The Code • 5,000 old Roman laws that were still useful • The Digest • A summary of the opinions of Rome’s greatest legal thinkers • The Novellae (New Laws) • Passed after 534 • Marriage, slavery, property, inheritance, women’s rights, and criminal justice

8. Most powerful woman in Byzantine history Involved in foreign affairs Helped write legislation Advocate for women’s rights Justinian’s Wife – Empress Theodora

11. Constantinople • Center of law, religion, and the arts • Hagia Sophia • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOExHX45jLQ&list=PLxY54ZuoEMiIDsG2WEEXa-7iy6mtAF8Z_&index=8 (8 mins.) • Trade hub • Products from Asia, Africa, and Europe passed through the city • Food stands and street musicians crowded the city • The Hippodrome • Provided people with free entertainment

12. The Great Schism • Christianity began to develop differently in the Western and Eastern parts of the Roman Empire • Eastern Christianity built its heritage on the works of early Church fathers • Saint Basil • Wrote rules for the life of monks • Patriarch – leading bishop of the East • Use of icons became a major difference between the West and East • Religious images used by Eastern Christians to aid their devotions were banned

13. Pope excommunicated the Byzantine emperor In 1054, the pope and the patriarch excommunicated each other Finally Christianity split between the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Orthodox Church of the East The Great Schism

14. Comparing Two Churches • Roman Catholic • Services said in Latin • Pope has authority over all other bishops • Pope claims authority over all kings and emperors • Priests may not marry • Divorce is not permitted • Eastern Orthodox • Services said in Greek • Patriarch and other bishops head the church • Emperor claims authority over the patriarch and bishops • Priests may marry • Divorce is allowed under certain conditions

15. Competition for Converts • As the West and East grew apart, the two traditions of Christianity competed for converts • Missionaries from the Orthodox Church converted the Slavs of the forests north of the Black Sea • Cyrillic Alphabet – Saint Cyril invented an alphabet for the Slavic languages – could now read the Bible in their own native language