THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE

FROM ROMAN EMPIRE TO BYZANTINE EMPIRE

Late Roman Empire

Western half crumbled, eastern half remained intact

Eastern half also contained different Christian sects

Early Byzantine State

Tightly centralized rule of a highly exalted emperor

Caesaropapism: Emperor is both “Caesar” and pope, combination of

Church and State

Emperors also stood above the law

The Byzantine emperors faced different challenges

○ Conflict with Persia

○ Invasions of migratory peoples from the north and east

BYZANTIUM & WESTERN EUROPETensions between East and West

Constantinople (East)

○ Greek was religious language

○ Caesaropapist emperors

Rome (West)

○ Latin was chief language

○ Autonomy from imperial authorities

Rivalry for conversion of Slavs

Political Grievances

Byzantines held the majority of the wealth and

therefore thought they should be the only

legitimate rulers

Rivalry over Southern Italy and Sicily

BYZANTINE ECONOMYThe Agricultural Economy

The Peasantry

○ The backbone of the Byzantine army and economy

○ Since 11th century free peasants declined

Consequences of the peasantry's decline

○ Landowners raised armed forces on estates

○ Pool of military recruits shrank

Industry and Trade

Manufacturing enterprises-> High-quality silk became important industry; imperial

monopoly

Trade – Byzantine Empire became enormously wealthy though foreign trade

○ Sat at crossroads between Mediterranean, Asian, and Middle Eastern trade

○ Had a standard currency for the Mediterranean basin

Banks and partnerships supported commercial economy

BYZANTINE CHURCHIconoclasm

Controversy over use of icons in religious services

○ Old Testament prohibition on false images, Islamic influences

○ Iconoclasts wanted to purge all churches of icons

Ban lasted from 726-842 AD

○ Opposed by Western Christians (further evidence of divide between the East

and Western Church)

○ Regular destruction of image, symbol, and statue representations

Greek Philosophy and Byzantine Theology

Debate about Jesus's nature, a philosophical issue

○ Arian Heresy- denied that Father and Son were equal and coeternal

○ Monophysite Controversy- taught that Jesus had only one nature, a

composite divine-human one

THE GREAT SCHISM Constantinople and Rome

Political rivalry in Central Europe, Balkans, Southern Italy

○ Iconoclastic movement in the east criticized by the west

○ Emperors vs. Popes

○ Who is head of the church? – Pope or Emperor

Ritual and Doctrinal Differences

○ Leavened vs. unleavened bread

○ Marriage of priests

○ Liturgy in the vernacular

○ Relationship of the Father and Son

Schism

Power struggle between Pope (West) and Patriarch (East) led to mutual

excommunication in 1054

Origins of Eastern Orthodox & Roman Catholic churches

THREAT OF ISLAM The emergence of the Islamic state weakened

the Byzantine Empire

Arab peoples conquered part of Byzantium

Prolonged sieges of Constantinople by Islamic

armies

Imperial organization

Government run by trained bureaucracy,

professional army

The theme system strengthened Byzantine society

○ Under rule of general, who ran army, civil bureaucracy

○ Provinces organized on a military basis

Aristocrats limited by army, emperor, bureaucracy