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Power concedes nothing without a demand.
Name:
Date:
Mr. Carey/Mr. Clarke
Worlds of Christendom: The Byzantine Empire
Worlds of Christendom: The Byzantine Empire
I. Overview
During the postclassical period (6001450), Christianity provided cultural
unity to the diverse peoples western
Eurasia, much as Chinese civilization
and Buddhism did for those of East
Asia and Islam did for the Middle east
and beyond. By 1300, almost all of these
western Eurasian societies—from
Ireland and England in the west to
Russia in the east—had accepted some
form of Christianity. At the same time,
this part of the Christian world—or
Christendom—became deeply
divided. Its eastern half, known as the
Byzantine Empire (see map), controlled
much of the eastern Mediterranean basin while continuing the organized/advanced traditions of the Roman Empire,
though on a smaller scale, until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in 1453. Centered on the magnificant city of
Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire featured a unique form of Christianity known as Eastern Orthodoxy.
In Western Christendom, consisting of what we now know as Western Europe, the setting was far different. There the
Roman Empire had vanished completely by 500CE. Roads fell into disrepair, cities broke down, and long-distance trade
dried up. What replaced the original Roman Empire was a highly divided society—fragmented, disorganized, and
competitive—that differed sharply from the unified and organized Byzantine Empire. Like the Byzantine Empire,
Western Europe became very Christian, but its Roman Catholic version of the faith differed from the Byzantine Empire’s
Eastern Orthodoxy.
Directions: Actively read and annotate the provided text on the Byzantine Empire. While you read, fill out the attached
SPICE chart at the back of this handout, and keep in mind the question below. When you finish, respond to this question
in the “Homework” section of your AP World History notebooks.
1.
Explain the extent to which the Byzantine Empire was both a “product” of history, as well as a “producer” of
history. Your response should include at least two pieces of evidence supporting the Byzantine Empire’s role as
a “product” of history, as well as at least four pieces of evidence supporting the Byzantine Empire’s role as a
“producer” of history.
product (n): something that is made or influenced by a particular people, environment, or experience
producer (n): someone or something that influences other peoples, environments, or experiences
II. The Byzantine Empire: Building on the Roman Past
Introduction
Unlike most empires, the Byzantine Empire has no clear starting point. Its own leaders, as well as its
neighbors and enemies, viewed it as simply a continuation of the Roman Empire. Some historians
date its beginning to 330CE, when the Roman emperor Constantine, who began to support
Christianity during his reign, established a new capital, Constantinople, in the eastern half of the
Roman Empire. At the end of that century, the Roman Empire was officially divided into eastern and
western halves, creating a key separation between the eventual Byzantine Empire in the east and
Western Europe in the west. (1)
Power concedes nothing without a demand.
Although the western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 CE, plunging Western Europe into a “Dark
Age,” the eastern half of the Roman Empire continued for another thousand years. The eastern half
of the Roman Empire was far more wealthier and filled with cities; it had a more easily defended
capital in the heavily walled city of Constantinople, and it had a smaller territory to guard. The
eastern half also had access to the thriving trade of the Black Sea, as well as a stronger army, navy,
and merchant marine to beat back the Germanic/Hun invaders that had overwhemed the western
half of the Roman Empire. (2)
Much that was Roman—its roads, taxation system, military structures, organized government,
imperial court, laws, Christian Church—continued in the eastern half as it became the Byzantine
Empire. Like the Tang dynasty in China that tried to restore the order of the Han dynasty, the
Byzantine Empire actively tried preserve Roman civilization, referring to Constantinople as a “New
Rome” and its people as “Romans.” But much changed as well over the centuries, marking the
Byzantine Empire as the home of a unique civilization. (3)
The Byzantine State
Although the Byzantine Empire never reached the same size as the Roman Empire at its height,
during the postclassical period, the Byzantine government was an impressive creation. Political
power was held by an emperor who ruled from Constantinople and styled himself as the “sole ruler of
the world.” Aristocrats (wealthy upper class individuals) trained in Greek logic and literature held
high positions in the government. These silk-wearing officials participated in ceremonies that
showed off the wealth of the empire, which also featured mechanical lions that roared, birds than
sang, and a huge throne that quickly raised the emperor above his people. (4)
The Byzantine government itself collected taxes, maintained order, and suppressed revolts. One of
the most famous emperors, Justinian, introduced a law code heavily based upon Roman law, which
came to be referred to as Justinian’s Code. Justinian’s Code, in turn, laid the foundation for many law
codes in later societies and civilizations. Justinian also oversaw massive building projects, like that of
the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, a gorgeous church that still exists today. (5)
The Byzantine Church
Tied to the Byzantine government was its Christian church, creating a relationship known as
caesaropapism. In the Byzantine Empire, the emperor was seen as both the head of the government
(a “Caesar”) and the head of the church (a “pope”). Thus the emperor appointed a patriarch, or
leader, of the empire’s Eastern Orthodox Church; made decisions about church teachings; called
church councils into session; and treated the church as a government department. A complex
network of bishops and priests brought the message of Eastern Orthodox Christianity to every corner
of the empire, while numerous monasteries housed holy men who were influential among the upper
classes and lower classes. (6)
Eastern Orthodox Christianity had a big impact on every aspect of Byzantine life. It supported the
authority of the emperor and provided a cultural identity for the people of the empire. Even more
than being “Roman,” the people saw themselves as “orthodox,” or right-thinking, Christians.
Constantinople was filled with churches and the relics of numerous saints. And the churches were
filled with icons—religious paintings of Jesus, Mary, and numerous saints—that were believed to
contain the presence of God. (7)
The Byzantine Empire and the World
The Byzantine Empire, located midway between Europe and Asia, interacted intensively with its
neighbors. On a political and military level, the empire continued the long-term Roman struggle
with the Persian Empire. That persisting conflict weakened both of them and was one factor in the
eventual conquest of the Byzantine Empire by invading Arab/Muslim forces. Although Persia quickly
Power concedes nothing without a demand.
became part of the Islamic world, the Byzantine Empire held out, even as it lost considerable
territory to the Arabs. A Byzantine military innovation known as “Greek fire”—a jelly-like substance
that could be set on fire—helped hold off the Arabs, as it operated something like a flamethrower.
The Byzantine Empire’s ability to defend its main regions delayed for many centuries the Islamic
move into southeastern Europe, which did not happen until the Ottoman Empire conquered the
Byzantines in 1453. (8)
Economically, the Byzantine Empire was a central player in the long-distance trade of Eurasia, with
commercial connections to Western Europe, Russia, Central Asia, the Islamic world, and China. Its
gold coin, the bezant, was widely used as a form of currency in the Mediterranean for more than 500
years. The products of the Byzantine craftspeople—jewelry, gemstones, silver and gold work, linen
and woolen textiles, purple dyes—were much in demand. Its silk industry, based on Chinese
technology, supplied much of the Mediterranean with silk. (9)
The cultural influence of the Byzantine empire was likewise important. Preserving much of ancient
Greek learning, the empire transmitted this classical heritage to both the Islamic world and Western
Europe. In both places, it had an immensely stimulating impact among scientists, philosophers,
theologians, and other thinkers. (10)
Byzantine religious culture also spread widely among Slavic-speaking peoples in the Balkans and
Russia. As lands to the south and the east were overtaken by Islam, the Byzantines looked to the
north. By the early 11th century, steady military pressure had brought the Slavic peoples and the
Bulgars under Byzantine control. Christianity and literacy accompanied this conquest. Already in the
ninth century, two Byzantine missionaries, Cyril and Methodius, had developed an alphabet that the
Slavic people could use. The alphabet allowed the Byzantines to translate the Christian Bible into
Slavic as a support for converting the Slavic people to Christianity. (11)
SPICE chart on next page.
Power concedes nothing without a demand.
SPICE Organizer #1
Civilization:
S
P
I
C
E
AP World Region:
Social—Development and
transformation of social
structures
 Gender roles and
relations
 Family and kinship
 Racial and ethnic
interactions
 Social and economic
classes
Political—State-building,
expansion, and conflict
 Political structures and
forms of government
 Empires
 Nations and
nationalism
 Revolts and revolutions
 Regional, transregional,
and global structures
and organizations
Interaction between humans
and the environment
 Surrounding
environment/geography
 Demography
(population make-up)
 Disease
 Patterns of migration
and/or settlement
 Effects of environment
on societies
Cultural—Development and
interaction of cultures
 Religions
 Belief systems,
philosophies, ideologies
 Science and technology
 Literature/writing
 Arts and architecture
Economic—Creation,
expansion, and interaction of
economic systems
 Agricultural or pastoral
lifestyles
 Trade and commerce
 Labor systems
 Industrialization
 Capitalism or socialism
When: