Download Byzantium and the Rise of Islam

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Final Exam Essay
Using evidence from the Early and Central
Middle Ages, explain how northern Europe
transformed from a mostly illiterate Germanic
warrior culture around 500 to a distinctively
medieval civilization by 1300. Identify
significant characteristics of this transformation
and the factors that encouraged the change in
order to illuminate the defining features of
medieval European civilization.
Barbarian Migrations 350-500
What happened to the Roman Empire
after the last Western emperor abdicated
in 476 CE?
A. All Hell broke loose and civilization in the West
collapsed
B. The empire gradually reconstituted in the North
under Frankish leadership
C. The empire continued on in the East under the
Byzantines
D. The Muslims incorporated large parts of the
empire into the Caliphate
E. All of the Above
Byzantium
330-1453
Timeline for Byzantium
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476: The empire collapses in the West
528-565: Reign of Justinian: Roman orientation
600s: Rise of Islamic Empire
700s-800s: Isaurians & Separation from the West
900s & 1000s: Byzantine Golden Age and break
with Rome in 1054
 1100s & 1200s: Crusader impact
 1453: End of Constantinople
“The Empire”
c. 500 CE
Byzantium during the Reign of Justinian
Hagia Sophia
Byzantine
Architecture:
Hagia Sophia
How did the Justinian Code compare to other
legal codes that we have examined?
A. Very similar to Hammurabi’s Code
B. Very similar to the Twelve Tables
C. Very Similar to Laws of Aethelberht of
Kent
D. A totally different kind of legal code from
any of them
Greek Fire saves Constantinople in
674 CE and 718 CE
The Isaurian Dynasty 717-802
Religious Icons
Byzantium in the 9th Century
The Byzantine
Golden Age
(850-1050)
a.k.a.
Macedonian
Revival
The First Crusade (c. 1000) increased
interaction between the West & Byzantium
The Fourth Crusade (c. 1200) divided
and weakened the Byzantine Empire
Increased religious differentiation
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Tonsure
Icons
Leavened bread
Filioque clause – the source of the Holy
spirit
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Greeks from the Father
Romans from the father and the son
Ecumenical Councils (325-451)
 Nicaea (325)
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narrowing of orthodoxy
Arians declared heretical
 Chalcedon (451)

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monophysites declared heretical
alienation of Palestine, Syria, and Egypt
 Issues
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theological
locus of power
Macedonian Revival
 Strong leaders emerge from the Isaurian
dynasty during the 9th century
 Reorganized imperial administration to
reflect smaller Empire
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The theme system
Simplified legal code
Intricate bureaucracy – divided power
Golden Age Characteristics
 Artistic Revival
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icons
mannerist-like art with contorted faces
increased mysticism
 Reorientation
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Increasing separation from Latin past
Northeast replaces South as area of expansion
Conversions
• Bulgaria
• Russia
What Happened?
 Imperial theology
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alienated elites, local populations
undercut imperial prestige
Tensions with the West and the South
 Exploitation
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high taxes
harsh treatment
 Invasions
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Lombards
Arabs
Avars
Iconoclastic Controversy (717-843)
 Reform of Christianity
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reaction to Muslim success
based on Old Testament authority
supported in Syria and Middle East
opposed by monasteries
 Isolation of “Orthodox” Christians
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separation with Rome
deepens alienation of Middle East
Relations with the West
 Strained over matters of religion
 East viewed West as barbarians well into
the High Middle Ages (1000-1350)
 East fighting a losing battle with Muslims to
the South from 600s until 1453
 West becomes increasingly expansionist
after 1000
Summary of Byzantium
 Increasing distinction from
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Latin West
Arab/Muslim South
 Development of “Orthodox” Christianity
 Geographical shifting from Mediterranean to Black
Sea
 Gradually less urban
 Continued interaction with West
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
trade
law, theology, learning
Summary
 The Byzantines took enormous pride in their heritage
as the successors of Rome
 By the seventh century they had clearly departed from
many of the ancient Roman traditions and had
developed their own unique culture
 A key component of the Byzantine culture emphasized
stability of the polity and the majesty of the Emperors
 The Fourth Crusade (1198-1203) dealt a shocking blow
to Byzantine self esteem as it came under Latin rule for
approximately half a century (1259)
Summary
 Throughout the medieval period western Christendom
developed an increasingly hostile rivalry with
Orthodox Christianity to the East
 The Byzantine Empire claimed to be the continuators
of the Roman Empire
 As a rival to western culture, Byzantium had a more
literate civilizations with magnificent buildings and
well established cultural and intellectual traditions that
were more sophisticated than the intellectual traditions
of the West
 Nevertheless, with its more militaristic culture the West
came to dominate Byzantium by the Fourth Crusade c.
1200
What is the religious orientation of the
Geats and the Danes in Beowulf?
A. Adamantly & violently pagan
B. Adamantly & violently Christian
C. Christian but a little pagan
D. Pagan but somewhat monotheistic
E. None of the above
Based on the poem and the laws, which
of the following was not characteristic of
Germanic society around 600 CE?
A. It was dominated by warriors
B. It was patriarchal and misogynist
C. It was ruled by kings
D. It was egalitarian