Byzantines

9.1 Image Relating to the Byzantines This portrait of Justinian, the most prominent of the Byzantine emperors, was produced as a mosaic, resembling the portrait of a child and a donkey uploaded by Mr. Green (http://mrgreenapworld.wikispaces.com/Byzantium). The use of mosaics (small tile pieces arranged to form an image like this image of Justinian), was popular with the Byzantines. 9.2 Map of Constantinople  media type="custom" key="7422325"  **Constantinople**, situated in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, gave capital of the Eastern Roman Empire access to important trading waterways, including both the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea. However, it was increasingly isolated from the rest of the world. Hostile Muslim territories lay to the West (present-day Turkey) and the South (North Africa), while the Western Roman Empire lay in shambles because of Germanic tribe invasion. The Middle East, also in the hands of the Islamic Empire, blocked trade routes to Asia as well.

9.3 Outline - Foundation of Byzantium Main Idea: Byzantium was characterized by the fall of the Roman empire and the rise of the Arabs; it continued to flourish for several hundred years. I. Byzantine Empire began in 4th century CE, when Romans setup eastern capital in Constantinople i. Constantinople began center of culture, commerce, etc. - Built on foundations of previous town - Byzantium - elegant buildings (Christian churches) - Constantinople held power over Balkan peninsula, the northern Middle East, and the Mediterranean coast, and north Africa - Complex administration around remote emperor ii. Latin = court language, Greek = common tongue (later began official language in 6th century) - knowledge of Greek language allowed Byzantine people to read Hellenistic writings (philosophy, science, literature) iii. High levels of commerce in eastern Mediterranean - encouraged Hellenized Egyptians and Syrians to move to Constantinople and enhance Byzantine bureaucracy iv. Faced pressures from hostile groups - responded by hiring troops from the Middle East



9.4 Outline - Justinian's Achievements Main Idea: Justinian, the most famous Byzantine emperor, helped to rebuild Constantinople, systematize Roman legal code, and attempted to expand his empire throughout the Meditteranean. II. Achievements of Justinian i. Early Byzantine history marked by threat of invasion (beat off Persian and Germanic invaders) ii. Justinian - "somber, autocratic, and prone to grandiose ideas"; "a moron"; influenced by wife Theodora - rebuilt Constantinople after tax riots (Hagia Sophia - huge church, built using new innovations in engineering) - systematized Roman legal code (summed up and reconciled prior edicts and decisions ->united empire under common legal code, mirroring successful bureaucracy - eventually spread to other parts of Europe - tried to expand Byzantine empire ->made gains in north Africa and Italy with help of general Belisarius (not held for long) ->but pressure came from all parts of the empire (Germanic tribes in the west, Persians in the northern Middle East, Slavic peoples in the Balkans, tribes in Northern Africa)

9.5 Byzantine ESPIRIT Chart Civil Time Period__500-1450__ - Merchant class in some ways resembled that of China (were not given prestige that they received in Western Europe); still grew as a result of Byzantine trade - Government regulated food prices to appease overworked peasant class - Trade networks w/ Russia + Scandinavia; continued trade with China, east Asia, Arabs, and India (silk from China esp. important - Eventually fell into steep decline because of military pressures from other warring groups (Seljuk Turks, Slavic peoples from Bulgaria, Germanic tribes etc) || - Women afforded place in Byzantine politics (empress Theodora decisive and strong ruler, stood up in the face of tough peasant resistance) - Merchant class kept in check by government price controls || - Rest of the empire controlled by city of Constantinople itself, through careful bureaucratic system  - Emperors spoiled by excessively elaborate courts, ceremonies etc.  - Political leaders followed several hundred years of ebb and flow (no outstanding emperors with great leadership qualities other than Justinian) || - Extended trade network with Arabs, Chinese, Indian, Northern European peoples  - Involved in warfare with Persians, Arabs, Germanic Tribes, Slavic people, Seljuk Turks (led to the eventual Byzantine decline) || - State control > Christian church in Eastern Roman Empire (government appointed head religious officials) - At first recognized pope, but then split off into Eastern Orthodox Church after Patriarch Michael excommunicated by the pope and vice-versa || - Placed emphasis on Hellenistic ideas and teachings; commonly read Greek texts relating to science, philosophy, science etc. || - Greek fire (petroleum, quicklime, and sulfur mixture) helped the Byzantines to fight back against a strong Arab navy ||
 * E || - MI: The Byzantine empire relied heavily upon the hard-working peasant class that supplied foods, goods, and taxes (allowing the capital of Constantinople to flourish); the government regulated trade and the controlled food prices.
 * S || - Skilled, competent bureaucrats employed from all social classes
 * P || - Byzantium ruled by an emperor with a divine mandate from God
 * I || - Former Greek philosophy influenced bureaucratic structure of Byzantine government (resembled Chinese bureaucracy in that skilled bureaucrats could come from different socioeconomic backgrounds)
 * R || - MI: The Byzantine Empire split from the Roman Catholic church of the west, forming their own Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity; this was indicative of the furthering cultural divide between Eastern and Western Europe
 * I || - Relied on previous art forms from Romans and modified them to some extent (many paintings were mosaics that dealt with religious figures à Jesus etc… - more emphasis on divine majesty than suffering)
 * T || - Hagia Sophia – enormous church constructed in Constantinople during Justinian’s rule (were able to build supports needed for the dome of its size)

9.6 Primary Document: Justinian's Code media type="custom" key="7459919" width="190" height="190" align="left"

Document Summary This specific portion of Justinian's Code deals with technical details about verbal and written contracts in addition to proper procedures when buying and selling goods. For instance, the law stipulates that if a sum of money is demanded on a certain day in a verbal or written contract, then the person who is receiving this sum can not demand the money on a date prior to the day agreed upon in the verbal or written contract. Another rule states that a price has to be agreed upon before an exchange of goods can take place. And then there's a lot more trivial stuff that probably mattered a great deal way back when the Byzantine Empire still existed, but isn't important enough for me to detail in this brief summary... 1. Civil law (law of the government) vs. Praetorian law (law established by praetor (officials under Emperor))

Doc 1 - Part of Law --> Private Law, Public Law, Laws of Nature, Marriage etc. - Humans have to live in honesty. - Two branches - public (government) and private law (individuals) - Law of Nature- protect environment (air, sea, protect and care for animals) - Born free, but if mother is a slave, born to a slave - Can't marry within family - A woman can not have two husbands at a time - If a family does not have a husband or father it is called sparii (at hazard)

Doc 2 - Part of Law --> Property/Ownership Laws - Anything sacred, religious, or holy can not be owned by individuals - All animals captured by a person becomes their property - Intellectual property nonexistant

Civil Law- A codified set of laws for society to follow written by government Common Law- Law by precedent Natural Law- Certain rights that people see as existing naturally (something that happens in naturally)

9.7 Reading Questions 1. Who were Cyril and Methodius? What did they accomplish? Cyril and Methoduis were two Byzantine missionaries sent to convert parts of Eastern Europe to Christianity. They were unsuccessful in some places (like Czech Republic and Slovak Republics) but successful in others (Balkans and Southern Russia). They also devised a written written for the region, derived from Greek letters, that is still used today and is known as Cyrillic. 2. How did events in the Middle East affect the demographics of the East Central borderlands? The Jews who faced persecution in Middle East (crusades and stuff) moved increasingly to the East Central borderlands, particularly Poland. 3. Outline the development of the Kievan Rus. Kievan Rus began after a Norse trader, Rurik, a native of Denmark, settled in Kiev and became prince in 855. From then on, it began to grow in scope and influence, due in large part to the vibrant north-south trade it had with the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, to the South. Christianity spread to Kievan Rus as well, and a separate Russian Orthodox church also developed. Although highly decentralized Kievan Rus also had its own legal code, and one of its princes, Yaroslav, issued legal codification and translation of religious text from Greek to Slavic. 4. What important decision was made by Vladimir I? One important decision made by Vladimir I was to adopt Eastern Orthodox Christianity, as opposed to another religion like Catholicism, Islam, or Judaism. This decision ultimately strengthened the bond between Byzantium and Russia, and also furthered the development of the identity of Eastern Europe. 5. What were some of the major similarities and differences between Byzantium and the Kievan Rus? The major similarities between Byzantium and Kievan Rus were that they both adopted Eastern Orthodox Christianity and they focused on religious figures in their art and literature. The major differences were that the Byzantines spoke Greek while the Kievs spoke Russian, and the Byzantines had mastered the art of managing a complex political bureaucracy while Kievan Rus was highly decentralized. 6. What factors led to the decline of the Kievan Rus? The factors that led to the decline of Kievan Rus were that rival princes established regional governments, successors fought over the Kievan throne, and invaders from Asia (particularly the Magyars from Turkey, and the Mongols - called the Tartars by the Russians) encroached Kievan Rus territory. ("These people from Asia took control over the Russian Empire... and that's pretty much it" - Barbara Finamore)

9.8 In Depth Outline The In Depth section on page 208 deals with the "boundaries" of civilization, and how hard it is to determine where one civilization ends and another begins. The section deals with cultural, political, and trade boundaries within the context of Eastern Europe. 1. Cultural boundaries- Eastern and Western Europe divided according to Eastern Orthodox vs. Roman Catholic sections (and the use of Cyrillic and Greek vs. Latin) - under definition, Poland, Czech areas part of Western Europe despite the fact they did not have as strong ties with the region. 2. Political boundaries - Poland, Hungary, and Lithuania created kingdoms that were more loosely organized than in Western Europe. Hungary and Poland limited these states. 3. Trade Patterns - Poland and Hungary dealt economically much more with Eastern than Western Europe; many aspects of society resembled that of Russia rather than Western Europe.

9.9 Chapter Summary In many respects, the divergence between Eastern and Western Europe began after Constantinople was named the imperial capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. While Western Europe plunged into political disorganization and chaos, Eastern Europe, still weakened from its zenith of power, nevertheless remained relatively prosperous, occupying a stronghold in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea. The schism between Eastern and Western Europe was furthered after Eastern Europe renounced the Catholic Church and created a new branch of Christianity, called the Eastern Orthodoxy.

The newly-named Byzantine empire (left from the remnants of the traditional Roman empire) started to make its own significant accomplishments after the end of the first millenia. They established trade routes and economic connections with peoples from Asia and the Middle East in addition to making advances in art (which tended to focus on religious - Christian - figures) and architecture (the Hagia Sophia, a gargantuan church built in Constantinople had the largest dome in the world at the time). One emperor in particular, Justinian, helped to systematize the legal system (compiling older Roman legal precedents) and expand, with some mixed success, the Byzantine Empire into parts of Northern Africa and southern continental Europe. Its inhabitants also rejected the language of Latin, adopting the Greek language.

Another notable Eastern European empire was Kievan Rus, which owed much of its prosperity and success due to its neighbors in the South, the Byzantines. The foundation for the later Russia, Kievan Rus was established by Danish merchant. Situated in the modern-day city of Kiev, Ukraine, Kievan Rus proved to be an important link in trade between the Scandinavian inhabitants in the North and the Byzantines in the south. However, this political establishment remained highly decentralized, and was later conquered by Mongol invaders.

Chapter 9 Main Idea - Eastern Europe, particularly Byzantium and Kievan Rus, continued to develop independently from Western Europe culturally, politically, religiously, and economically after the fall of the Western Roman empire.