Download The Middle Ages in Europe

Byzantine
Empire
330 A.D. to 1453 A.D.
• In 330 A.D. the Roman Emperor Constantine moved
the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to
Byzantium in the eastern half of the empire.
• Constantine named this new capital Constantinople
Constantinople
• Constantinople was ideally located on
land that connects Europe and Asia.
• It controlled the Bosporus, a
narrow waterway connecting
the important trade route
between the Mediterranean
Sea and the Black Sea.
Byzantine Culture Develops
• The western half of the Roman Empire collapsed in
the 5th century, but the eastern half survived for
another 1,000 years.
• A new Byzantine culture developed, but the people
of Byzantium saw themselves as simply continuing
the Roman Empire.
• The Byzantine Empire became a powerful economic,
cultural, and military force in Europe.
• Even though the western empire was destroyed the
Byzantines preserved the Greco-Roman culture of
Greece and Rome.
Byzantine Empire and
Christianity
• Byzantine Empire created its own form of the
Christian religion called Eastern Orthodoxy.
• This church was separate from the Catholic
Church of Rome.
– Byzantines did not recognize the Pope as head of their
church, they had a Patriarch.
– Byzantines used icons, images of Jesus and saints
– Byzantines even had a different shaped cross.
Hagia Sophia
• The Hagia Sophia was a
magnificent church with
a giant dome and tall
spires (towers).
• Valuable metals were
used to decorate the
church.
• Colorful icons and glass
mosaics were created to
decorate it.
Reasons for Survival of Byzantine Empire
• Benefitted from influence of Greek, Roman,
Christian, and Middle Eastern cultures.
• At the crossroads of Europe and Asia which
was a major center for trade.
• It had a strong central government
ruled by powerful emperors with a
single set of laws.
• A powerful army paid by taxes.
Constantinople in now called Istanbul
Justinian and
‘The Code of Justinian’
• Justinian became emperor
of the Byzantine Empire in
527 A.D.
• His rule was greatly
influenced by his wife
Theodora, and women in
his empire had greater
rights and privileges.
• He reconquered much of
the old Roman Empire, but
at a great cost .
Justinian’s Empire
During Justinian’s reign he was able to reconquer
much of the western half of the Roman Empire
Justinian’s Code
• The Code of Justinian was the
greatest accomplishment of
the Byzantine Empire and had
the greatest effect on other
cultures by serving as a model
of law for future cultures.
• Like the ‘Code of Hammurabi’
or the ‘Twelve Tables’, the code
collected all of the old Roman
laws and listed them into a
single set of laws, plus these
laws were written down.
Decline of the Byzantine Empire
• After Justinian’s rule came to an end the
Byzantine Empire began to suffer from invading
forces, just as Rome had.
• The Slavs from the north, the Persians from the
east, and the Muslims in the south.
• By 1071 the Seljuk Turks gained controlled of
much of the eastern part of the Byzantine Empire.
• By 1453, the capital city of Constantinople itself
was conquered by the Ottoman Turks.
Byzantine Influences on Russia
• Because the Byzantine Empire controlled
access to the Black Sea, it greatly influenced
the region that would become Russia.
• Byzantine Empire influence is still felt today:
– Orthodox Christianity
– Cyrillic alphabet
The Barbarian
Invasions
• Romans considered those who lived outside the
boundaries of the Roman Empire to be
‘barbarians’.
• In the 4th century a war-like tribe called the
Huns came to Europe from Central Asia.
• The Huns forced the barbarians to move onto
lands controlled by the Roman Empire.
The Barbarian
Invasions
• The Visigoths moved into the Roman Empire
and by 410 A.D. they sacked Rome.
• Various other barbarians invaded Europe:
– Angles & Saxon invade England
– Visigoths continued toward Spain
– Lombard's take northern Italy
– Franks settle in Gaul (aka France)
See barbarian
invasion map on
next page