Heirs to Rome: The Byzantine Empire

World History: Libertyville HS

Where Was the ERE?• Capitol, Constantinople,

located at narrowest point between Europe, Asia (Hellespont)

• Major trade routes to North / South

– North, to Rus / Vikings– South, to Anatolia / ME

• Major trade routes West / East

– West, to Europe– East, to India / China

Bosphorus Straits, location of Constantinople (Istanbul)

Why Constantinople?• Great location for a city (trade, easily

defended)• Control the Black Sea assured• Legacy of the Greeks, Romans• City first built as a fortress (walls, location)• Riches of East allowed for tribute to pay off

invaders

Who Were They?

• To inhabitants, they were simply the Roman Empire

• Emperors continued in unbroken succession from Caesar to Diocletian and beyond

Statue of Augustus

When did Byzantine Empire Begin?• When Diocletian divided

empire?• When Constantine moved

capitol from Rome to Const?• When Theodosius made

divisions of Empire permanent?• Or Fall of Western Empire in

476 AD? • Or when Heraclius (ca. 620)

made Greek the official language of the East & its conflicts focused in that direction?

Hmm . . . So when did it begin?

Justinian I (527-565)• Introduced Law Code, a revision of old

Roman laws, in Greek• Great general, Belisarius, helped recapture

much of traditional Roman Empire (Italy, Africa, part of Spain)

Expansion of Byzantine Empire from start of Justinian’s rule to his death

Justinian I

Construction of the Hagia Sophia, the greatest church built east of Rome, completed

Justinian I• But with death of

Justinian, territory gained in West was quickly lost

• Empire almost fell in late 500s

– Persians reached Nile River & Bosphorus

– Slavs overran the Balkans in Europe and laid siege to Constantinople itself

Byzantine Empire, 600-1025• Savior of Empire =

Heraklius (610-640)– Emperor who

considered abandoning Constantinople

• Reforms– Gave soldiers land in

frontier– Soldiers paid no

taxes– Sons of soldiers =

soldiers themselves– Reorganized

provinces into themes, under control of General

Byzantine Themes, ca 620 AD (yellow) and 900 AD (in pink)

Heraklius• Successes

– Longest period of Byz. Empire success, creativity

– Re-established Byz. Empire in Balkans

– By 629 AD, recaptured most of ME (Jerusalem)

• Rise of Islam put Byz, Empire on the defense– Lost Mesopotamia, Syria,

Egypt, Africa by 700 AD

Byzantine Empire, 600-1025• Spread of Orthodox

Christianity– Two monks, Cyril and

Methodius, spread Orthodox faith into Balkans and Slavic lands (Poland, Russia, etc)

– Cyrillic Alphabet, to Russians• Greek orthodox

spread throughout Eastern Europe– Monks, scholars,

artists followed, giving culture distinct Byzantine flavor Cyril and Methodius

Decline of the Byzantine Empire• Death of Basil II in

1025 led to conflict between military themes, civilian nobility in capital

• By 1081, Byzantine Empire had been reduced to Greece due to civil war, pressure from Turks

Byzantine Empire, 1081

Decline of Byzantine Empire• 1100s were a

“Renaissance” of the Empire– Economy

flourished, revival in art, re-captured SE Europe

– Helped by Western Crusaders, starting in 1097

Fall of the Byzantine Empire• Weak ruler took throne

in 1185 (emptied treasury for gifts, churches - not defense)

• 1204 – Fourth Crusade and the sack of Constantinople by Crusaders / Venetians

• Led to fragmentation of empire & successor states trying to control area

• Sack of Constantinople in 1453 by Ottomans: 85k v. 7k defenders

Crusaders enter Constantinople

Legacy of Byzantine Empire• Most (only!) stable state during

European Middle Ages• Expert military, diplomacy saved

Europe from Muslim invasion• Trade center brought many peoples into

contact with one another• Transmission of classical knowledge

from Islamic world to West, helping bring about European Renaissance