Download The Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine
Empire
The Fall of Rome

After Rome became too big to
control, Emperor Diocletian split
the empire into two halves

Western Roman Empire


Capital: Rome
Eastern Roman Empire

Capital: Constantinople

The West became cut off from
trade, began to fall

The East flourished, but was
weakened over time as the West
continued to fall

The capital of Constantinople was
taken over and changed hands

Renamed the Byzantine Empire
Outlasting the Western Empire

Historians called Eastern Empire the Byzantine Empire

Named after the capital city’s original name of Byzantium

The Byzantine Empire lasted about 1,000 years after the Western Empire

Emperors were absolute rulers

Struggled against Germanic peoples, Huns, other groups

Lost much land to invaders
Emperor Justinian
 Justinian was emperor from
C.E. 527 to 565
 Reconquered lost Eastern
Empire lands in Italy,
Africa, Spain
 Justinian began rebuilding
the capital, which was
damaged in a revolt
 Rebuilt city walls; build
schools, hospitals, courts,
churches
 Most famous church was
Hagia Sophia
Theodora’s Historic Speech
If flight were the only means of safety,
still I would not flee. Those who have worn
the crown should never survive its loss…
Emperor, if you wish to flee, well and good,
you have the money, the ships are ready, the sea is clear.
But I shall stay.
I accept the ancient proverb:
Royal purple is the best burial sheet
Preserving Roman Culture
 Justinian’s Code – uniform code of law based on Roman law
 Included laws on marriage, slavery, property, women’s rights,
crime
 Byzantines spoke Greek but considered themselves culturally
Roman
 Studied Latin, Greek, Roman literature and history
 Eastern Empire preserved Greek and Roman culture
 In former Western Empire, Germanic, and Roman cultures
blended
The Great Schism
 Division of the empire affected the Christian church

Caused by different cultural practices, limited contact between areas

Religious practices developed differently
 In the east, the emperor had control over the head of the church
 In the west, the lack of an emperor gave pope more responsibilities
 Western Pope claimed control over churches in both the east and west
 Eastern Church rejected the authority of the Pope
 Christian Church split in 1054

Roman Catholic Church in the west, Eastern Orthodox Church in the
east

Orthodox – “holding established beliefs”; catholic – “universal”
 Split led to creation of two separate European civilizations
Religion & Government
 Pope claimed authority over
Christian emperors, kings

Roman Catholic Church
influenced government in the
west

Disagreements between
church and kings later caused
conflicts
 Byzantine emperor was
absolute ruler

Had power over spiritual
head of Eastern Orthodox
Church

Overall, had greater power
than rulers in the west
The Byzantine Empire Collapses

New Arabian religion of Islam began in 600s

Muslim armies attacked Constantinople

Civil wars, attacks by Ottoman Turks, Serbs hurt Byzantine Empire

Only small section of empire remained by 1350

Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453

Ended the Byzantine Empire