Download The Byzantine Empire The city of Constantinople lay at the heart of a

The Byzantine Empire
The city of Constantinople lay at the heart of a powerful empire known as Byzantium. In
395 A.D., Rome split into two separate empires in order to make it easier to rule its massive
territory. The western empire kept the name of Rome, while the eastern empire took the name
of Byzantium. By 500 A.D., Rome had fallen into decline and was soon conquered. The
Byzantine Empire, on the other hand, would endure for another 1,000 years.
From 500 to 1200 A.D., the Byzantines would be the wealthiest
nation in Europe and western Asia. Their standard of living would be higher than that of other
nations in Europe, and they would lead much of the world in art, science, and building.
The St. Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey.
The City of Constantinople
Tucked between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea lies a small neck of land. In ancient
times, this peninsula was a popular travel route for merchants and traders. Because it could be
accessed from two different seas as well as by land, it was a perfect location for a city.
Photograph of ruins of the wall and fortress that protected Constantinople on its western side.
In addition, this location was easy to protect from attack. The water that surrounded it
made it difficult for opposing armies to attack. The one side that was open to land could be
protected by building a large thick wall. Recognizing the strategic value of this location, the
Roman emperor Constantine built a city here in 330 A.D. He named the city Constantinople,
after himself.
The city of Constantinople quickly grew, becoming the wealthiest city in the Roman Empire,
even more wealthy than the city of Rome itself. In 395 A.D., when the Roman Empire was split,
Constantinople was the most logical location for the capital of the newly created Byzantine
Empire.
A New Culture
While it is true that Byzantium was created by splitting the Roman Empire, Byzantium
quickly evolved away from Roman traditions, forming a new culture that was uniquely their own.
The Byzantium’s were proud of their nation and did not consider themselves Romans, even
though many of them descended from Roman families. In time, the official language of the
Byzantines became Greek, rather than the Latin which was used by the Romans. The
Byzantines were Christians, but they did not follow the Catholic faith of the Romans. Instead
they developed their own version of Christianity which eventually became known as Eastern, or
Greek Orthodox.
The Emperor Justinian
At the height of the Byzantine Empire, a talented and hard working emperor by the name
of Justinian came to the throne at the age of 44. Prior to his rise to the throne, Justinian spent
countless hours studying everything from music, to architecture, to politics. These studies paid
off, and would help Justinian become one of the greatest emperors to sit on the Byzantine
throne.
Emperor Justinian presiding over his court.
Justinian was a wise ruler who wanted his people to be successful and comfortable. He
instituted a number of reforms to help make the lives of his subjects better. One of these
important reforms had to do with the rights of women. Justinian granted women the right to buy
land and own property. This insured that widows would have the ability to care for their families
after the death of their husbands.
The Corpus of Civil Law
For centuries, the Senate in Rome had been passing laws and ordinances governing the
actions of Roman citizens. Roman emperors had also established thousands of decrees and
laws. Up until now, these laws were recorded in a variety of scrolls, books and tablets, which
were spread throughout the Roman Empire. This made it very difficult for Romans to
understand their laws and rights.
The Byzantines inherited their legal system from the Romans. The Byzantine emperor
Justinian hired a commission to review all the laws that had accumulated over the centuries and
to simplify them. This commission categorized the laws into classes based on the issues that
they dealt with. They combined many similar laws, made complex laws more simple, while
getting rid of many outdated laws.
A manuscript from the Justinian Code
This new system of laws was all recorded in a single book known as the Corpus of Civil
Law, or Justinian Code. The Corpus of Civil Law would become the basis for the laws of many
western civilizations.
Justinian Encourages the Arts
Under the leadership of the emperor Justinian, the arts flourished in the Byzantine
Empire. He encouraged music, art and drama. Justinian also was a masterful builder. He
commissioned new roads, bridges, aqueducts, baths, and a variety of other public works. One
of his greatest building projects was a church in the heart of Constantinople which he named
Hagia Sophia. This massive cathedral still stands today as one of the largest churches in the
world.
The New Rome
One of Justinian’s greatest goals was to reestablish the great Roman Empire. He
believed that it was his mission from God to bring strength and power back to the empire that
God had established and used to spread Christianity throughout the world. Using the strength of
his armies, Justinian engaged in a series of wars that would last for decades, and that would
spread the territory of Byzantium outward, eventually taking in most of what was originally
Roman territory.
Old map of the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Justinian written in Aramaic.
However, the many years of war had a disastrous effect on the Byzantines. Their
treasuries had been exhausted, meaning that they could not afford to defend their new territory.
Within a few decades of Justinian’s death, most of the new territories had been lost.
Text Dependent Analysis - Topic: Analyze the reign of Justinian and explain why he was one
of the greatest Byzantine Emperors. Identify and explain three reasons that support the topic by
pulling three direct quotes from the text.
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