Post on 25-Dec-2015
The Byzantine Empire
Constantinople
• 330: the Emperor Constantine moved capital from Rome to Byzantium
Constantinople (continued)• It was easy to defend • it lay at the crossroads of many sea and
overland trade routes linking east and west
Constantinople (continued)• It was surrounded
by water on three sides and fortified by miles of walls.
• A large chain protected the mouth of its harbor.
• The city had a sewer system, hospitals, homes for the elderly, and orphanages
Constantinople (continued)• Life in Constantinople
was more advanced than in western Europe.
• The city’s language and culture were Greek, but traders and visitors spoke many languages.
• Many people lived in poverty.
• Most people attended chariot races.
• The emperor gave bread to the unemployed, who did public works in exchange.
The Reign of Justinian I• Justinian plans to flee during Nika riots, his wife,
Theodora, convinces the emperor to stay and fight. • He rebuilt the city after the Nika riots.• He improved Constantinople by building new bridges,
public baths, parks, roads, hospitals and the Hagia Sophia
The Reign of Justinian I (cont.)• Justinian revised
outdated and confusing laws.
• He created a systematic body of law.
• Justinian Code becomes the basis for many legal codes in the Western world.
The Eastern Orthodox Church• The Byzantine Empire was a theocracy. The church
and state was combined into one all-powerful body. • The emperor was believed to be both the head of the
government and the living representative of Jesus Christ
The Eastern Orthodox Church (cont.)• Most people attended church regularly and
received sacraments at every stage of their lives.
• Monasteries and convents cared for the poor and sick.
Church Hierarchy
• Emperor• Patriarch of
Constantinople• Patriarch• Priest
Christianity
LiturgySaintsLeaderIconsPriests
Catholic ChurchLatinYesPopeYesCannot Marry
Orthodox ChurchGreekYesEmperorYesCan Marry
Cathedrals
Center/Capital
Shaped like cross and pointy Rome
Square with domes
Constantinople
Conflict Between East and West
• 730, Emperor Leo III believed people were worshiping icons and ordered them destroyed.
• Pope Gregory III excommunicated the emperor.
Conflict Between East and West (cont.)
• 800, Pope crowns Charlemagne, Holy Roman emperor. This outraged the Byzantines, who felt they were the rightful rulers of the Roman Empire
• In 1054 a schism, or formal division, resulted from the pope excommunicating the patriarch of Constantinople and the patriarch excommunicating a Catholic cardinal.
- The Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church become two separate Christian Churches