Byzantium Becomes

the New Rome

Chapter 11:1

• Main Idea: Constantinople

ruled an eastern empire that

survived for over a thousand

years

• Why it matters now?

Byzantine culture deeply

influenced Orthodox

Christianity, a major branch of

modern Christianity

Setting the Stage

• Western Roman Empire crumbled by invading Germanic tribes

• Capital was moved from Rome Byzantium changed to Constantinople (by Constantine)• Byzantine became the

name of the Eastern Empire, with Constantinople as its capital

• Constantinople carried on the legacy of Rome, even after it’s fall

Byzantium: The Lost Empire

A New Rome in a New

Setting

• Constantine planned

Constantinople as a new

capital of the empire- the

New Rome

• Center of power moved

EAST

Justinian: A New Line of

Caesars

• Justinian=

• Ruled the Eastern Empire

• Sent his best general to

recover North Africa &

Rome

• After many battles,

Justinian controlled

almost all of ancient

Rome

• Ruled by absolute power

(over church & state)

Justinian

Life in New Rome

• Lived the Roman traditions, but spoke Greek (not Latin)

• Justinian set a panel of legal experts to comb through 400 years of Roman law

JUSTINIAN CODE (served as the code for 900 years)• Code= 5,000 Roman laws still

considered useful

• Digest= Opinions from Rome’s greatest legal thinkers

• Institutes= textbook for law students

• Novellae (New Laws)

Creating the Imperial Capital

• Public Building Programs by Justinian:

• Rebuilt fortifications in Constantinople (14 stone wall)

• Hagia Sophia= church destroyed during riots

• Enlarged his palace

• Baths, aqueducts, law courts, schools and hospitals

Hagia Sophia

Constantinople’s Hectic Pace

• MESE= the “middle

way,” the main street

running through

Constantinople

• Merchants lined the

streets with products

from all over the world

• Hippodrome= chariot

races and performances

Hippodrome

Nika Rebellion

• = fan groups that started a

riot because of their

hatred for the government

• Shouted “Nika! ” (victory)

• Flooded the Hippodrome

and demanded Justinian’s

remove

• Troops brought in and

30,000 were slaughtered

Nika Revolt

The Empire Falls

• Justinian died in 565

• After…• Street riots

• Religious quarrels

• Palace intrigues

• Foreign danger

Plague of Justinian

• Resembled the bubonic

plague

• Probably arrived from

Indian ships invested

with rats

• 10,000 killed everyday

Plague of Justinian

Attacks from East & West

• Enemies that

attacked…• Lombards

• Avars, Slavs, and Bulgars

• Persians

• Arab armies

The Church Divides (1/2)

• Christianity grew and started to differ in the east and west

• East built on the works of the early Church

• PATRIARCH= leading bishop of Constantinople (but even he bowed to the emperor)

The Church Divides (2/2)

• First Controversy

• In the East, Emperor Leo 3

banned the use of ICONS(religious images to aid in devotion)

• Emperor viewed this as idol worship

• In the West, the Pope ordered the

EXCOMMUNICATION of a Byzantine emperor

Religious Icons

Byzantine Missionaries

Convert the Slavs

• The East and the West both competed for CONVERTS

• Took Christianity to SLAVS

• Saints Cyril & Methodius created an alphabet for the Slavs so they could read the Bible in their own tongue

• Many Slavic languages, including Russian, are now written in what is called CYRILLIC ALPHABET

Saints Cyril & Methodius