Notes: Unit VIII: Byzantine Empire (Ch 11)

I. Constantinople ruled an eastern empire. A. geography: 1. located on the Dardanelles: straits between the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara, separating Eastern from Asian Turkey 2. Bosporus: strait between Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea; an important shipping route (making Constantinople a trade center) 3. Golden Horn: inlet of the Bosporus; forms a deep natural harbor; naval headquarters of the Byz Emp B. Byzantium Constantinople (after Constantine, who made it the capital) C. emperors: 1. absolute power over church and state 2. lived under constant threat of assassination (to the point that roughly half the Byzantine emperors either died violent deaths or abandoned the job to join monasteries so they would not be killed) II. Justinian A. Procopius: biographer to Justinian and Theodora; he was very careful and diligent, wrote detailed narratives; wrote several volumes B. three(3) projects: These are the focus of Justinians reign 1. re-conquer Roman lands in the West, which was overrun with invaders 2. compile & simplify Roman law 3. institute many building projects, especially churches *Q: Which of these were successful? 2 & 3, long term III. Justinians goals: A. Re-conquering Roman lands 1. Belisarius, Justinians best general, was responsible for many victories a. in North Africa? They beat the invading Germanic tribes and took back Roman territory b. fought Ostrogoths in Italy: This tribe was one that had conquered Rome c. in 553 AD: took Rome, but couldnt hang onto itit would change hands many times 2. major problem? Constant invasions from different directions B. Code of Justinian: basis of law for 900 years 1. process: legal experts simplified and unified 400 years of Roman law (which was redundant, contradictory, confusing, and really needed to be reworked) 2. elements: complete the following matching exercise using [302] in your book: D Code A. textbook on how to use the laws B Digest B. quoted and summarized legal scholars opinions A Institutes C. laws passed after 534 AD C Novellae D. contained nearly 5,000 laws C. Constantinople The City 1. defense [302]: rebuilt fortifications, defensive walls and a moat (Refer to the map in Course Materialsits very easy to see how the city was fortified, and you can get an idea of how they would have defended it from the positions of the walls.) 2. churches: symbol of connection between church and state a. Hagia Sophia: the crowning glory of Justinians reign, considered by many to be the most impressive, beautiful church in all of Christendom

b. huge palace complex c. also built baths, aqueducts, courts, schools, hospitals *3. preservation of Greco-Roman culture a. language = Greek (because Constantinople was, after all, originally a Greek city) b. classical learning: philosophers, Greek and Latin grammar; works from writers like Homer, Herodotus, Euclid, Galen IV. Church splits. A. Christianity had been developing differently in the West and East (for some of the same reasons the empire was also divided) B. icons: 1. def: religious symbols used in devotions 2. banned by Emperor Leo III; people rioted 3. attitude in the West: icons were okay as elements of worship 4. pope excommunicates the emperor over this issue 5. in 843, Empress Theodora restored the use of icons C. division in Church leadership: pope in the West, patriarch in the East 1. in 1054, the pope and patriarch will excommunicate each other 2. the Church in the West will be known as the Roman Catholic Church, and the Church in the East will be called the Eastern Orthodox Church V. Missionaries [306] A. Orthodox missionaries bring the church to the Slavs in the 9th Century: Saint Methodius and Saint Cyril B. Problem: their languages had no alphabet, so missionaries Cyril and Methodius created one so they could read the Bible in their own languages 1. This is called the Cyrillic alphabet 2. Many Slavic languages are now written using this. 3. meanwhile, the Slavs are creating a Russian culture VI. Decline & Fall [304]: After Justinians death, the empire began a continuous decline. A. plague: the bubonic plague struck, killing thousands of people before it ran its course B. invasions: the Byzantine Empire could not hang onto the territory of the former Roman Empire, and over time, it continued to shrink. C. 1453 AD: Constantinople falls to the Ottoman Turks :( _____________________________________________________________________________________ Answer the following questions from [318] in your book. 13. What does The Primary Chronicle say about Rurik and the origin of Novgorod? Rurik was a Viking chief invited by the Slavs to be their king. He founded Novgorod in 862. 14. According to The Primary Chronicle, how did Vladimir choose Byzantine Christianity? He sent out a team of representatives to study the major religions of the time. The team that went to study Byzantine Christianity was very enthusiastic, and this persuaded Vladimir to convert. 15. How did Moscows location contribute to its growth? Moscow was located near three(3) rivers, which made it a key to controlling nearly all of European Russia. (Rivers, remember, are important for trade, travel, and communication.) 16. What event marked Russias liberation from Mongol rule? the standoff between the Russian and Mongol forces at the Ugra Riverboth sides turned around and went home.

17. In what ways did the Turks show respect for their Persian subjects? They chose the Persian city of Esfahan as the capital, appointed Persians to government posts; adopted the Persian language and customs; supported Persian writers and artists, and promoted Persian architectural styles 18. What group eventually conquered the empire established by the Seljuk Turks? the Mongols 4. Compare & Contrast: What was different about the way the Seljuk Turks and Mongols interacted with their subjects? Same: both the Seljuk Turks and Mongols tried to allow subjects to maintain local govt and customs Different: Seljuk Turks tolerant rulers promoted subjects art, architecture adopted subjects customs Mongols brutal rulers burned towns, killed people slaughtered people