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PTER f f Section t (pages 301-306>
TERMS AND NAMES
) The Byzantine Empire
BEFORE YOU HEAD
Justinian powerful ruler of Byzantine
empire
Justinian Code Body of Roman law
collected and organized by Justinian
around A.D.534
In the last chapter, you read about the Muslim world.
Hagia Sophia Church destroyed by
mobs of rioters in 532 and rebuilt by
Justinian
In this section, you will learn about the Byzantine Empire.
patriarch Leader of the Eastern church
icon Religious image used in
practices by eastern Christians
AS YOU READ
Use the chart below to take notes on people, places, and
developments in the Byzantine Empire.
excommunication Formal
declaration that someone is no longer
a member of the Church
Cyrillic alphabet Alphabet invented
by Saints Cyril and Methodius, in
which most Slavic languages,
including Russian, are written
THE BYZANTINE
Action
EMPIRE
Result
i
:
Justinian MOV&S ihe, capital
Just/n/an cr&at&s the. law
The. &Mp/r& is w&ak&t\e.d
The, church divides
A New Rome in a New Setting
(page 301)
How did the Roman Empire
change?
In the A.D. 300s, the emperor Constantine moved
the capital of the Roman Empire to the east. He
was worried about the growing power of German
tribes. He thought that he could better meet that
threat in the east. He built a great new capital city.
Constantinople. It was on the site of the old port
city of Byzantium. Constantinople became the center of the empire. Power moved eastward.
The Roman Empire was officially divided in
395. The western area was overrun by German
tribes. It did not exist after 476. However, the
Byzantine, or eastern, part remained strong. It lasted for hundreds of years.
In 527, Justinian became the Byzantine emperor. He sent an army to try to regain control of Italy.
He hoped to restore the Roman Empire once again.
By about 550, Justinian ruled over almost all of the
territory of the old Roman Empire.
CHAPTER 11 BYZANTINES. RUSSIANS. AND TURKS TNTFRACT 99
1. Who was Justinian?
Life in the New Rome
1350. the empire included only the capital city and
lands in the Balkans—part of southeastern
Europe.
3. What were the two biggest problems the
empire faced?
pages 302-303)
What changes did Justinian bring?
Justinian directed legal experts to create a complete code of laws based on the laws of ancient
Rome. This body of civil law—the Justinian
Code—served the empire for 900 years.
Justinian also worked at making Constantinople
a strong but also a beautiful capital. He built high,
sturdy walls to protect the city from attack. He constructed a huge palace, public baths, courts,
schools, hospitals, and many churches. The main
street of the city was lined with shops and open-air
markets. People bought and sold goods from Asia.
Africa, and Europe there.
In 532, riots broke out against the emperor.
Justinian's troops maintained control of the city.
killing thousands of rioters. A church called Hagia
Sophia ("Holy Wisdom," in Greek) had been
destroyed by the mobs. Justinian rebuilt it to
become the most beautiful church in the Christian
world.
2. How did Justinian make Constantinople a strong
and beautiful capital?
The Empire Falls (page 304)
What weakened the empire?
The Byzantine Empire faced many dangers. A terrible disease broke out in 542. It was probably
caused by rats. The illness killed thousands of people and returned every 8 to 12 years until about
700. This weakened the empire.
Also, the empire was forced to confront many
enemies over the centuries. German tribes, the
Sassanid Persians, and Muslim armies all tried to
o-ain control of Byzantine land. Constantinople
remained safe during this time despite many
attacks. Eventually, though, the empire shrank. By
100 CHAPTER 11 SECTION I
The Church Divides (pages 304-306)
Why did the church divide?
Although it was based on the Roman Empire, the
Byzantine Empire had developed a culture of its
own. People in the Byzantine Empire spoke Greek,
not Latin. Thev belonged to the Eastern Orthodox
Church, not the Catholic Church. The Eastern
Church was led by the patriarch, the leading bishop. However, even the patriarch had to obey the
emperor.
The feeling of separateness from Rome grew
worse when one emperor banned the use of icons.
Icons are religious images used by eastern
Christians to aid their devotions. The emperor
thought this was like idol worship. Iconoclasts, or
"icon breakers" went into churches destroying
images. This caused the people to riot and the clergy to rebel. The pope became involved. He supported the use of icons. One pope even ordered
the excommunication of a Byzantine emperor.
That means that the pope said the emperor could
no longer be a member of the Church.
Slowly the Eastern and Roman churches grew
further apart. In 1054, the schism, or split, became
permanent.
Some missionaries traveled from the Byzantine
Empire to the north. Two missionaries, Saint
Methodius and Saint Cyril, met the Slavic peoples
who lived in Russia. They developed an alphabet
for the Slavic languages. Many Slavic languages,
including Russian, are now written in what is called
the Cyrillic alphabet.
4. What are two differences between the Eastern
and Roman churches?
Unit Five: Middle tos/ — Physical
& Historical
_
Copyright N»N All Rights Resecvod
169
D. The Growth Of Christianity
During the Roman rule of the Middle East, the followers of Jesus Christ formed a
new religion. This occurred nearly 2,000 years ago when Jesus taught about the way
God wanted people to act toward each other. Local authorities in Jerusalem executed
Jesus, but his followers continued to preach his ideas. Much of what we know of his
life and teachings can be read in the first four books of the Bible's New Testament
(the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Christianity's basic principles included the beliefs that:
there is only one God
• Jesus Christ is the Son of God and a member of the Holy Trinity
• Christians must practice Jesus' teachings: to love God, to promote brotherhood,
to acknowledge divine judgment for one's actions on Earth, and to accept
Christ's death as atonement for sins
Christianity spread rapidly along the trade routes of the Roman Empire. By the 3rd
Century, Christian communities spread from Palestine throughout the Middle East
and the Mediterranean. At first, Roman authorities persecuted and killed Christians
because they worried about the religion's threat to their rule.
In the 4th Century, Christianity's popularity grew even greater among the educated
and upper classes. Emperor Constantine the Great issued the Edict of Milan in 313.
It granted freedom of worship to all Christians. By the end of the 4th Century A.D.,
Rome made Christianity its official religion.
Over the centuries, the Judeo-Christian ethic continued to shape the values,
ideals, and cultures of the western world.
Why was Christianity such a powerful force in the Roman world?
E. The Byzantine Empire
The Roman Empire Moves Eastward
Prior to Constantine's reign, the Emperor Diocletian divided the Roman Empire.
The western part remained centered at Rome. It declined during the 4th and 5th
Centuries.
Byzantium became the center of the Eastern Roman Empire. Byzantine emperors ruled over Greece, Turkey, and the eastern end of the Mediterranean. Constantine pushed the Roman Empire eastward. It soon became apparent that the
two parts were vastly different in culture and language.
In the Byzantine Empire, the emperor presided over Church and State. Byzantine
subjects regarded their emperors as God's agents. The Christians in this eastern region called their church Eastern Orthodox. A formal split between the two churches
occurred 500 years later. While Western Europe divided into small feudal units, the
political system of Byzantium and the church-state structure remained strong. Constantinople became a crossroads of global trade and culture.
Which city was the seat for the "Western" Roman Church?
wtiicn. city Decame uie seat of me Eastern onnoaox ctiurcti?
Which citu was the crossroads for qlobal trade and culture?
170
Mobal Studies: A Competency Review /exr-
Justinian And Theodora
The Byzantine Empire reached its peak
during
the rule of Justinian and his wife
u
Theodora (5th-6th century, A.D.) They developed Byzantine, religion, art, and law.
They constructed the Hagia Sophia, the largest
and most beautiful church in the Empire. The
Justinian Code collected basic Roman law and
shaped future Western judicial systems.
Eastern European, Persian, and Arab peoples
invaded Byzantium after Justinian's death in 505
A.D. Much cultural diffusion took place. Most invaders assimilated into the Byzantine culture. In
turn, their ideas blended with and changed Byzantine ways.
The Byzantine economy never recovered
culture from the constant invasions after Justinian's
death. The Eastern Orthodox Church survived
and flourished. Eastern Orthodox Christians
moved into Slavic areas. The faith of Byzantium
spread to Eastern Europe, Ukraine, and Russia.
Missionaries such as Cyril and Methodius introduced the Cyrillic Alphabet (a modified form of
the Greek alphabet) and diffused Hellenistic and
Byzantine culture throughout the region.
Justinian
(Byzantine Mosaic)
The Ottoman Conquest
By 1453, the Byzantine Empire fell to the Ottoman Turkish Sultan. The Ottoman
Turks were Muslims. They made Constantinople their new capital and converted the
famous Hagia Sophia into a mosque (a Muslim house of worship). The new leaders
permitted religious freedom for the Orthodox Christians in Greece and in Eastern
Europe but installed a new Patriarch (religious leader) to supervise their religious and
political life.
Why was the Justinian Code important?