The Byzantine Empire The New Rome Following Constantines decision to move the capital to Byzantium Constantinople power began to shift to the eastern half of the empire In 527 CE Justinian succeeded his uncle as Emperor ID: 306995
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Pg 268 - 273
The Byzantine Empire
The “New” RomeSlide2
Following Constantine’s decision to move the capital to Byzantium (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 CE Justinian began to reclaim parts of the western empireAfrica, Rome, then SpainBy c 550 C.E. Justinian had reclaimed almost all of the former Roman empire
The “New” RomeSlide3
Emperor Justinian
[r. 527-564]Slide4
Justinian’s Empire at its PeakSlide5
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 monasteryAbsolute PowerSlide6
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Justinian reviewed Rome’s laws, he repealed some laws and added othersThe Justinian Code contained four partsThe Code – 5,000 laws
The Digest – opinions of Rome’s greatest legal thinkers
The Institutes – a textbook for law students
The
Novellae
– (New Laws)
Building the “New” RomeSlide7
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 CapitalSlide8
Meaning “Holy Wisdom” in Greek
Justinian had a passion for building churches
A 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 worldHagia SophiaSlide9
Church of
Hagia
Sophia
[Holy Wisdom]Slide10Slide11Slide12Slide13Slide14Slide15
Photos from Sarah KSlide16
Photos from Sarah K.Slide17
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Photos from Sara K.Slide22
Mese
or “Middle Way” was the main street through Constantinople
Connecting the imperial palace to public squares and finally to the wallsMerchants 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 people
Chariots and circus acts
Teams were named for their colors
60,000 could fit into the Hippodrome
Life in ConstantinopleSlide23Slide24
The Byzantine people valued education
Focused on Greek and Latin grammar, philosophy, and rhetoric
Learned geometry, history, and medicineByzantium is responsible for preserving much of the Greek and Roman works that survive for historians to studyPreservation of LearningSlide25
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 churchEventually becoming the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman CatholicThe SchismSlide26
532 AD; Angry with the mayor and heavy-handed government actions, the Blues and Greens rioted at a Hippodrome race.
60,000+ chanted “
Nika” (victory) and the mob broke out into Constantinople.Justinian, following advice of Theodora, agreed to announce an agreement in the Hippodrome. Fans packed the stadiumThe army slaughtered 30,000 of the fans, calling them rebels.
Nika
RiotsSlide27
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 dayThe 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
EnemiesSlide28
The Byzantine Empire was under constant attack from all sides
Lombards
in the WestSlavs, Avars, and Bulgars in the NorthThe Persians in the EastByzantine 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)