FALL OF ROME, RISE OF THE BYZANTINES The Decline and Fall of Rome In 395, the Roman Empire split into western and eastern halves, with the western part being ruled from Rome, and the eastern part being ruled from the city of Byzantium in modern-day Turkey. After the fall of the western half in 476, the Eastern Roman Empire, which included those areas of the Middle East from Turkey to Egypt, became known as the Byzantine Empire. Emperor Constantine moved to Byzantium and then built a larger city, Constantinople, which became the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines inherited the Christian religion, and Christians in this empire called their church the Eastern Orthodox Church to distinguish it from the Catholic Church in Rome. They also inherited Roman law and the Roman system of government. Why was the Roman Empire split into two empires? 2232 According to this reading, did the Roman Empire really collapse? Explain. What can art tell us about a society? *
SECTS OF CHRISTIANITY CATHOLIC (MOST OF THE CHRISTIAN WORLD) Services are conducted in Latin The Pope has authority over all other bishops The Pope claims authority over all kings and emperors. Priests may not marry Divorce is not permitted. EASTERN ORTHODOXY (BYZANTINES) Services are conducted in Greek or local languages The Patriarch and other bishops head the church as a group The emperor claims authority over the patriarch and other bishops of the empire. Priests may be married. Divorce is allowed under certain conditions. Why might the Byzantine Empire have a different form of Christianity? Which church seemed to allow for a greater diversity among its members? Why? Who had more political power, the pope or the patriarch? How do you know? As the Catholic Church and IMPACT OF THE BYZANTINES ON RUSSIA the Eastern Orthodox Church grew further and further apart, the two traditions of Christianity competed for souls. Missionaries from the Orthodox Church, for example, took their form of Christianity north to the Slavs of Russia. Two of the most successful eastern missionaries, Saint Methodius and Saint Cyril, worked among the Russians in the ninth century. Cyril and Methodius invented an alphabet for the Slavic languages. With an alphabet, Russians would be able to read the Bible in their own tongues. Any Slavic languages, including Russian, are written in what is called the Cyrillic alphabet. Moreover, the influence of Byzantines was so strong that the Russians began to call their kings, czars after the great Caesars of Rome. THE GOLDEN AGE OF BYZANTINE CULTURE Despite the separation of the eastern and western Roman empires, Constantine s successors in the east continued to see themselves as Roman emperors. In 527, a high-ranking Byzantine nobleman named Justinian succeeded his uncle to the throne of the eastern empire. Justinian dreamed of bringing back the glory of ancient Rome. The new emperor quickly decided to Why would Justinian attempt to connect himself to past Roman Emperors? make good on his claim to be the head of the whole Roman Empire both eastern and western parts. After numerous campaigns, Justinian s armies won nearly all of Italy and parts of Spain. Justinian now ruled almost all the territory Rome had ever ruled. He could honestly call himself a new Caesar.
To regulate a complex society, Justinian set up a panel of ten legal experts. Between 528 and 533, they combed through 400 years of Roman law and legal opinions. Some of those laws had become outdated. Some repeated or even contradicted other laws. The panel s task was to create a single, uniform code for Justinian s New Rome. The result of the panel s work was a body of civil law known as the Justinian s Code. Select Passages from Justinian s Code 1. Any privilege or right that is not given to the defendant should not be given to the plaintiff OTHER CODES OF LAW/BEHAVIOR 2. No one may be forcibly removed from his own house 1. 3. In cases where the claims of the two parties appear to be equal in merit, the person who has possession of the object in dispute has the stronger claim 2. 4. No one must suffer a penalty because of what he thinks. 5. It is better for the crime of a guilty person to go unpunished than for an innocent person to be condemned 3. 6. In the case of a major offense, it makes a difference whether the crime was committed accidentally or on purpose 7. The guilt or punishment of a father should not be carried over to his son 8. The person who accuses someone must prove that his charge is true. This is not the obligation of the person denying the charge. Which of the laws in Justinian s Code do you think is the most important or most fundamental? Why? Overall, what words would you use to describe Justinian s Code? Building the New Rome While his scholars were creating the legal code, Justinian launched into the most ambitious public building program ever seen in the Roman world. He rebuilt the Why was Constantinople the perfect location for a successful city? crumbling fortifications of Constantinople. The city s coasts were ringed by a 14-mile stone wall. The city was also protected on its only land approach by a deep moat and three walls. The innermost of these was 25 feet thick and had towers 70 feet tall. Justinian saw to it that these massive fortifications were repaired. As part of his building program, Justinian enlarged his palace into a vast complex. He also built baths, aqueducts law courts, schools, and hospitals. By the time the emperor was finished with his projects, the city teemed with an excitement unmatched anywhere in the eastern and western empires.
The main street running through Constantinople ran from the imperial complex through a series of public squares and then in two branches to the outer walls. Merchant stalls lined the main street and filled the side streets. A stone roof sheltered the crowds shopping in this giant open-air market. Products from the most distant corners of Asia, Africa, and Europe passed through these stalls. Shoppers could buy tin from England, wine from France, cork from Spain, and ivory and gold from Africa. Fur, honey, and timber came from Russia, spices from India, and silk from China. Everywhere food stands filled the air with the smell of their delicacies, while acrobats and street musicians performed. Church building was also the Emperor s great passion. The crowning glory of his reign was Hagia Sophia, which means Holy Wisdom in Greek. A church of the same name had been destroyed in riots that swept Constantinople in 532. When Justinian rebuilt Hagia Sophia, he resolved to make it the most splendid church in the Christian world. Down through the centuries, rich mosaics glittered in the light of a thousand lamps and candles. In fact, more than 400 years after Justinian built his cathedral, the beauty of Hagia Sophia helped convince visiting Russian nobles that their country should adopt Byzantine Christianity. The Splendor of Hagia Sophia When Hagia Sophia was completed around 537, it was considered the largest Christian building in the world. In the following account, Procopius, Justinian s official court historian, describes this magnificent structure. the Emperor, disregarding all questions of expense, eagerly pressed on to begin the work of construction, and began to gather all the artisans from the whole world.indeed this also was an indication of the honor in which God held the Emperor, that He had already provided the men who would be most serviceable to him in the tasks which were waiting to be carried out. And one might with good reason marvel at the discernment of the Emperor himself, in that out of the whole world he was able to select the men who were most suitable for the most important of his enterprises. So the church has become a spectacle of marvelous beauty. For it soars to height to match the sky, and as if surging up from amongst the other buildings it stands on high and looks down upon the remainder of the city, and it abounds exceedingly in sunlight and in the reflection of the sun s rays from the marble. The whole ceiling is overlaid with pure gold, which adds glory to the beauty, yet the light reflected from the stones prevails, shining out in rivalry with the gold. And there are two stoalike colonnades, one on each side, And they too have vaulted ceilings and decorations of gold. One of these two colonnaded stoas has been assigned to men worshippers, while the other is reserved for women. Who could recount the beauty of the columns and the stones with which the church is adorned? One might imagine that he had come upon a meadow with its flowers in full bloom. For he would surely marvel at the purple of some, the green tint of others, and at those on which the crimson glows and those form which the white flashes, And whenever anyone enters this church to pray, he understands at once that it is not by any human power or skill, but by the influence of God, that this work has been so fined turned. And so his mind is lifted up toward God and exalted, feeling that He cannot be far away, but must especially love to dwell in this place which He has chosen. 1. Briefly describe the church in your own words. 2. What feelings did the church inspire in those who entered it to pray? 3. Where in this account might Procopius be flattering Justinian? In what way did he flatter the emperor?