Download - The Byzantine Empire The “New” Rome
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The Byzantine EmpireThe “New” Rome
Following Constantine’s decision to move the capital to Constantinople power began to shift to the eastern half of the empire
In 527 C.E. Justinian succeeded his uncle as Emperor
Beginning in 533 C.. Justinian began to reclaim parts of the western empire
Africa, Rome, then SpainBy circa 550 C.E. Justinian had reclaimed
almost all of the former Roman empire
The “New” Rome
Emperor Justinian [r. 527-564]
Justinian’s Empire at its Peak
The Byzantine emperors had complete control government and the church
Byzantine emperors lived under constant threat of assassination
Of the 88 emperors 29 die violently and 13 abandon the throne to live out their lives in the monastery
Absolute Power
The Byzantine Empire became a much different place than the Western Empire
Many still followed Roman tradition but few spoke Latin and most belonged to the Eastern Christian Church
Justinian reviewed Rome’s laws, he repealed some laws and added others
The Justinian Code contained four parts1. The Code – 5,000 laws2. The Digest – opinions of Rome’s greatest legal
thinkers3. The Institutes – a textbook for law students4. The Novellae – (New Laws)
Building the “New” Rome
While the Law was being written Justinian began to rebuild the crumbling city of Constantinople
The city would surrounded by 14 miles of stone wall
Access by land was defended by a moat and 3 walls The inner most wall was 25 feet thick and had
towers 70 feet tallJustinian also expanded his palace Also adding baths, aqueducts, law courts,
schools, and hospitals to the city
The Imperial Capital
Meaning “Holy Wisdom” in GreekJustinian had a passion for building churchesA church of the same name had been
destroyed in riots in 532 C.E.Justinian wanted rebuild it and make it the
most splendid church in the Christian world
Hagia Sophia
Church of Hagia Sophia [Holy Wisdom]
Mese or “Middle Way” was the main street through Constantinople
Connecting the imperial palace to public squares and finally to the walls
Merchants lined the MesePurchasing goods from England, Spain, France,
Africa, Russia, India, and ChinaThe Hippodrome (Greek for horse and race
course) was free entertainment for the peopleChariots and circus actsTeams were named for their colors60,000 could fit into the Hippodrome
Life in Constantinople
The Byzantine people valued educationFocused on Greek and Latin grammar,
philosophy, and rhetoricLearned geometry, history, and medicineByzantine is responsible for preserving much
of the Greek and Roman works
Preservation of Learning
Eastern Christians distanced themselves from the Western Christians
In 1054 the Pope and Patriarch (Eastern Leader) excommunicated each other
This lead to the Schism of the Christian church
Eventually becoming the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic
The Schism
After Justinian’s death(565 C.E.) Byzantium suffered several setbacks
The Plague of Justinian struck during his reign and after Most likely what is the Bubonic Plague
At its peak it is believed 10,000 people died each day
The illness broke out every 8-12 years until the year 700 C.E.
A huge percentage of the Byzantine population was lost during the plague
Byzantine’s Enemies
The Byzantine Empire was under constant attack from all sidesLombards in the WestSlavs, Avars, and Bulgars in the NorthThe Persians in the East
Byzantine held off multiple invasions with bribery, diplomacy, and political marriages
Even with reorganization and military rule the empire continued to shrink
Finally falling to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 C.E.
Byzantine’s Enemies (continued)