Chapter+13

**Byzantium-**(or the Byzantine Empire) the eastern half of the Roman Empire that remained intact --tensions were based on differences between Constantinople and the Church of Rome
 * Chapter 13—The Byzantine Empire [[file:FINAL REVIEW SHEET.docx]] **
 * Byzantine means: unnecessary complexity and convolution
 * Constantinople-**located to the right of the Bosporus Strait, the site of the imperial court and was an important political and military center
 * major site of crafts and industry with specialized products that revived silk roads
 * it was renamed Istanbul after the Ottomon Turks took over
 * it was the largest city in Europe with a pop. of 1 million
 * Golden Horn Harbor**-located in Byzantion, it was a market town and fishing village that was successful in the trading world
 * Justinian**-(527-565 C.E.) “The sleepless emperor” who was intelligent and rebuilt Constantinople
 * constructed the Hagia Sophia: a church with domes and arches that was used for healing
 * he created his own set of laws, Justinian’s Code by codifying Roman Law the //Corpus Iuris Civilis// (The Body of the Civil Law)
 * after Belisarius’ mission failed, Justinian set up his headquarters in Ravenna
 * Theodora**-Justinian’s empress who was extremely intelligent and a sagacious advisor to her husband
 * she helped with the formation of the imperial court
 * Belisarius**- sent by Justinian to reconquer the Western Roman Empire, but did not succeed
 * Basil II**-“Basil the Bulgarslayer” got him name from crushing neighbors in the Balkans
 * he was known for the Battle of Kleidion and blinding many people he laid siege upon
 * Liutprand of Cremona**-a Lombard bishop/ambassador who strongly disliked Byzantine emperors and Constantinople
 * Themes system**- themes or province, helped to reorganize Byzantine society
 * When a system of sharecropping with a large army of free peasants existed, the economy was strong
 * When large landholders made peasants dependent the economy weakened
 * Social Classes and Urban Life**-housing in the Byzantine empire varied widely by class
 * attractions included baths, taverns, and theaters
 * the Hippodrome (a Greco-Roman structure) was used for mass entertainment
 * the Greens and Blues rivalry consisted of chariot races (at the Hippodrome)
 * Imperial Court**- located in Constantinople and based on land taxes, it was the center of political life and provided unity
 * housed jewels, crown and dark purple silk robes worn by the ruling house only
 * the Great Palace housed the emperor and the court
 * Economy**-bezant became the standard Mediterranean currency (Byzantine gold coin); silk was a major industry that had to be monitored; banks, partnerships and loans existed
 * Greek and Roman Influence**- Greco-Roman architecture:
 * Hippodrome (chariot races with 12 starting boxes) and Hagia Sophia (Hagia Sophia means church of “Holy Wisdom”
 * Arianism**- followers of Alexandrian priest, named Arius, who believed Jesus was only mortal
 * Council of Nicaea**- (245 C.E.) declared Arianism a heresy, because the council believed Jesus was both human and divine
 * Monasticism**- originated with Christian ascetics (hermits)
 * “pillar saints” like St. Simeon Stylite
 * St. Basil of Caesarea (329-379 C.E.) organized monastic movement and set up Basilian monasteries)
 * Monks and nuns provided social services to communities and opposed iconoclasm
 * Mt. Athos**- monastery in northern Greece with no females that focused on piety and devotion, ways to bring monks into mystical union with God and divine illumination
 * Iconoclasm and Leo II**-(726-843) riots broke out focusing on the destruction of worshipping religious symbols and icons
 * religious mosaics, paintings and statues were destroyed
 * it caused further tensions between eastern and western Christianity
 * Schism of 1054**-patriarchs of Eastern Orthodox Church differed in religious rituals and thoughts than the Roman Catholic Church
 * Orthodox Christianity and Tensions**- Orth. Christianity was the creed asserted by Justinian recognizing the Holy Trinity (the father, son and Holy Spirit) as equal
 * all other versions of Christianity (like Arianism) were heresies
 * Constantinople: conducted masses in its official Greek language, at the will of caeseropapist emperors
 * Church of Rome: conducted masses in Latin and rejected imperial claims
 * Byzantine Church**-was treated like a dept. of state and was involved with Emperor Constantine
 * Caesaropapism**- political and imperial involvement as leader of the Church’s actions
 * Battle at Manzikert**-(1204) Muslim Seljuk Turks invaded Anatolia and defeated the Byzantines
 * Ottomon Turks**- captured Constantinople in 1453
 * Islamic Influence**-in the 7th century Arabs conquered the Sassanid Empire and part of Byzantium
 * Byzantine Empire only survived, partly because of “Greek fire”
 * Influence on the Slavs**-Russian Orthodox Christianity took prominence in Russia
 * The Kremlin: site of central authoritarian govt. and head of Russian Orthodox Church
 * arches and domes were used in architecture
 * Caesaropapism-“the crest” is a symbol of the czar
 * compiled written law codes like Justinian’s Code
 * Prince Vladimir**-converted to Christianity in 989 and established Russian Orthodox Christianity
 * Cyrillic writing, saints Cyril and Methodius, and the tying together of education and religion helped increase conversions made to Christianity
 * Kiev**-a mid-ninth century state organized by the Russians
 * it functioned as a conduit for the spread of Byzantine culture
 * it was an extremely prosperous city (with a trading port)
 * dominated by Byzantine art/architecture: onion domes and icons
 * Moscow**-“the third Rome” located in Russia that functioned like Rome in multiple ways, on being that the city sent out missionaries looking for converts to Russian Orthodox Christianity