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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: