Download Byzantium & Orthodox Europe

Byzantium & Orthodox Europe
Chapter 9
Difference: East & West
(Byzantines and Western Europe
 Different versions of Christianity:
 Great Schism: Catholic &
Orthodox 1054
 Little interaction, with west
 East more advanced
 East saw the West as barbaric
 continuation of the Roman Empire
http://12byzantinerulers.com/
Justinian the Great - 500s CE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Reconquered western territory to
reclaim Roman Imperial glory
Problems!!! raised taxes, temporary
capital in Ravenna, eastern frontier
weakened
Peasant revolts in Byzantium. Justinian
CRUSHED.
Rebuilt Constantinople,
Including expanding on Roman
architectural ideas with Hagia
Sophia
Justinian’s Code- Systematized
Roman Legal code, unified and
organized code
Recurrent threat from invaders:
Sassanids, Germanic tribes, Arabs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justinian_I
Muslims, Slavs
Muslim Invasions Cause Trouble:
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600s- Umayyad Muslim attacks
Muslim’s created burdens
 hinder economic activities
 Taxes raised for defense
 increasing power of aristocracy
 less focus on Byzantine structure, more on military & navy

Major siege of Constantinople in 717-718: stopped
with use of a new weapon- GREEK FIRE.
Society & Politics

Emperor
 head of state & church
 appointed bureaucrats & church officials (many eunuchs)
 Bureaucracy
 led by highly educated scholars from any social class
 Provincial governors at the center of region, primarily
responsible for military
 controlled trade & prices
 Spies for loyalty
 Complex- phrase “Byzantine” mean complex

Troops recruited for heritable land- source of regional power

Economy centered on “world” network of trade; merchant class
never gained significant power
F. Split between East & West
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G.
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Different Political, Cultural & Economic Orientation
Religious differences: Greek v. Latin Bible, celibacy of
priests, type of bread, papal role in politics
1054: Official split between Catholic & Orthodox
Churches
Empire’s Decline
Muslim Seljuks, seized Asiatic holding, cut off trade,
taxes & food supply in 11th century
Ind. Slavic kingdoms emerged in Balkans
Appeals to West prompted Crusades & Increasing
Italian influence
Eventually Constantinople falls to Seljuk Turks in 1453.
Chapter 10
Western Europe and the
Setting
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Italy fragmented
Spain conquered by Muslims
Constant Viking attacks in the North
France , low countries, and parts of
Germany held greatest stability
Catholic Church was the connection to
previous civilization
Only clergy could even read
The Need for Security


Spiritual- the Catholic Church
Physical- Feudalism
Religion
The Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church- centered
in Rome, borrowed organization
from ancient Romans
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The most organized institution in
the Early Middle Ages
Missionaries spread Christianity to
Britain and Scandinavia by 10th
century
Monasteries attracted monks


Bendict of Nursia- one of the
earliest monks. Wrote the Benedict’s
Rule as a guidebook for monasteries
Preserved education and literacyonly they could read!
Political/Social
Manorialism
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Feudalism
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Serfs would exchange work
and loyalty for protection the
lords and their entourage
Serfs were not slaves- but not
treated much better
Lords would provide
protection to lesser lords
(Vassals)
Grew first in France. Kings
slowly grew in power and
influence- mint $, tax the
church, etc
Brought to England in 1066
Battle of Hastings by William
the Conqueror
The Franks Convert

Clovis- 496 A.D. he
converted to the
Christianity


With support of local
bishops he gained extra
support for his campaigns
of war
Forced conversion on his
conquered subjects
Charlemagne- the First Emperor in 400
years…
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His grandfather was Charles”THE
HAMMER” Martel who fought off Muslim
advance in Tours in 732.
Charlemagne established the largest empire
since the Romans
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Crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 by
the Pope (!)
Restored some education
Built churches
His sons, with names like “the Fat” and “the
Bald”- not so great.
His empire split into fragments. Map on p.
218
At first North Europe and Germany
appeared fairly strong (HOLY ROMAN
EMPEROR title), however their power was
weak
http://www.nndb.com/people/180/000085922/
http://spa08.wikispaces.com/Charles+the+Great+(Charlemagne).
The Limited Power of Kings
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The Catholic Church claimed higher
authority
Feudal lords had some power- voice and
often their own militaries
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1215 King John of England forced to sign
Magna Carta, officially limiting his power
and giving rights to nobles
Parliaments developed in which nobility and
the church held sway with the king- especially
when changing taxation!!!
England in 1265 had Parliament with 2 Houses
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House of Lords- nobles and clergy
House of Commons- elected citizens
(wealthy)
Kings still had power. Wars over land raged.
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100 years War with England and France over
feudal land rights (Joan of Arc)
Intellectual/Economic
Things Begin to Improve
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New Agricultural Methods
Less Viking Raids- stronger opponents,Vikings won,
Vikings became Christian
Population growth- some free serfs
Markets increased
Early Universities- for clergy, law (Roman influence), and
medicine (Arab, Greek, Hellenistic influence)
Expansion

Wealth + Population= Expansion
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“Reconquista” of Spain to expel Muslim invaders begins 11th
century and completes the task in 1492.
Vikings use LONGBOAT to travel outward- Iceland,
Greenland, and America!
The Crusades!!!
The Crusades

1095 Pope Urban II encouraged European crusaders to battle Muslims in the
Middle east. Why?
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There were many of these Crusades
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Help Christian brothers in Constantinople fight off invasion
Recapture the Holy City of Jerusalem
1st- suceeded, then they lost the city to Muslim general Saladin
2nd and 3rd and 4th etc. failed to recapture
4th Crusade actually ended up with the Crusaders attacking Constanople instaed!!!
Opened up trade and interaction (ideas, art, technology) with other parts of
the world.
Brought Greek philosophy/science
http://worldhistory.phillipmartin.info/worldhistory_crusade_map.htm
Change in the Church
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Pope Gregory VII showed that Popes were
stronger than kings
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Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV insisted on his
right to appoint bishops.
The Pope claimed that right and excommunicated
Henry
Henry begged for forgiveness in the snow
Pope wins.
Theology
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Dark Ages – knowledge was gathering
quotes, little creativity
1000 forward – attempt to prove God’s
existence
Also…attempt to prove errors of church
leaders
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Bernard of Clairvaux – monk – faith alone is
enough
Relied heavily on faith of Bible, like Muslims
and Qur’an
Thomas Aquinas
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Faith came first
Through reason, humans could find order
His Summas used logic to eliminate objections
Art and Architecture
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Christian art reflected popular outlook and
formal religious theology
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Goal – serve the glory of God
Depicted saints
Used stylized figures
Medieval life as backdrops
Stained glass designs for churches
Gothic Architecture
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Combined Muslim design and Western
engineering
Gothic
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Soaring spires
Tall arched windows – cast to heavens
Proved
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Growing technical skill
Ability to tax, central gov’t
Patient labor
Literature
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. Mostly Latin, but vernacular writing emerged
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Oral sagas, adventure stories
Showed conflict
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Similar to India – Sanskrit, but the people read Hindi
Christian values vs. richness/coarseness of life
Love became first new value pursued
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales – has stories that poke fun
at institutions
Economic and Social Forms
Change
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Hanseatic League- N. European trade organization
West became a commercial zone
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Italian city-states
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Italian merchants actively sought cloth from North
Northern cities became centers for Western exchange/markets for exotic products
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New Strains in Rural Life
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Most nobles disproved of commerce/some embraced
Lord want better conditions, tax higher
Some serfs can get paid
Led to conflicts – peasant uprisings
Frustration over gap between lord and peasant
Growth of Trade and Banking
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Urban growth
Rising trade -spices
Trade, bankers, merchants all pushed for capitalism
Merchants
Guilds – relatively independent from state – like labor unions today
Most people peasants though, some moved to city – year and a day rule
Women
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Christian Belief
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Compared to Islam
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less confined to household
less segregated in church services
Urban women had role in commerce
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Equality of souls
Women’s monastic groups – convents
Veneration of Mary, religious saints
Could operate/run guilds
Literature stressed women as docile/supportive/chivalry
Middle Ages End
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Hundred Years’ War
 Paid armies better than knights
 Ordinary archers better/cheaper
 gunpowder
 Futility of feudalism
Sources of vitality ending
 Agriculture can’t keep up with population growth
 famines
 plagues
 Black Death
 Social disputes – peasant uprisings
Signs of Strain
 Church focused on political involvement/loses spiritual side