chapter 10. great location constantinople=capital in 340 c.e. (kept name until controlled by...
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THE EARLY BYZANTINE EMPIRE Great location Constantinople=capital in 340
C.E. (kept name until controlled by Ottoman Turks in 1453 C.E. when it was renamed Istanbul)
Named Byzantium after Byzantion, fishing village
Eastern half of classical Roman Empire that remained intact
Sasanids were a threat Tightly centralized rule under a
highly exalted and absolute emperor
Caesaropapism=emperor not only over secular affairs but also religious affairs
Justinian (527-565): “the sleepless emperor”, wife Theodora, built Hagia Sophia, codified Roman law, reconquered some of the western Roman empire for a time
Theme system=a province was under the jurisdiction of a general who was responsible for military defense and civil administration
Basil II (976-1025): “Basil the Bulgar-Slayer”
Byzantine claim to western European lands was challenged by Charlemagne, Otto of Saxony
Western Europe and Byzantium had bad relations, tension
BYZANTINE ECONOMY & SOCIETY
Had abundant agricultural surpluses, supported large number of crafts workers, participated in trade
Large class of free peasants who owned small plots of land was good
Wealthy owning large estates was bad because of tax loopholes and lack of recruits for military
In spite of this problem, still wealthy Crafts= glassware, linen and woolen
textiles, gems, jewelry, gold and silver work, silk
Connected lands of the Black Sea with lands of the Mediterranean Sea, dominated trade
Collected customs duties Banks and partnerships
Constantinople had no rival “the City” Imperial palace, palaces of
aristocrats Women often were not at parties Apartments, tenements Baths, taverns, restaurants,
theatres, stadiums, chariot races
CLASSICAL HERITAGE
Local inhabitants spoke Greek Scholars didn’t learn to read
Latin, read New Testament and Greek philosophy
Private tutors for the rich, others had state school system that taught Greek philosophy and literature
Basic literacy was widespread School of higher learning in
Constantinople Focused on humanities Saw themselves as direct heirs
of classical Greece
ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY
Emperors participated in theological debates, more than just government leaders
325 C.E. Constantine calls Council of Nicaea
Church and state not separate Patriarch of Constantinople
Iconoclasm=the breaking of icons, Emperor Leo III (717-741)
Extreme ascetism St. Basil of Caesarea, patriarch
of Constantinople, rules for monastic life, devotion, piety, provided for the needs of the laity
Constantinople and Rome were the centers of Christian authority
They did not see eye to eye on all issues including iconoclasm, shaving of beards, jurisdiction of the papacy of Rome, etc.
In 1054, the patriarch and the pope excommunicated each other
This schism created two churches, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic
THE INFLUENCE OF BYZANTIUM IN EASTERN EUROPE Byzantium began to decline by
the 11th century The Theme system created
problems internally The Crusades damaged
Constantinople beyond repair Saljuq (Seljuk) Turks invaded
from the East
1071, defeat at the Battle of Manzikert allowed Saljuqs to take over Anatolia
Constantinople captured by Ottoman Turks in 1453
Slavic people (Bulgars, Serbs, Croats) moved into Byzantine empire
St. Cyril and St. Methodius: Cyrillic alphabet, conversions to Orthodox Christianity
Another Slavic group (Russians) organize states with trade centers like Kiev
989, Prince Vladimir of Kiev converted to Orthodox Christianity
Byzantine culture spread to Russians: architecture, Russian Orthodox Church, written law code
Moscow= world’s third Rome