BYZANTINE EMPIRE WEAK GOVERNMENT Government was weak and

BYZANTINE EMPIRE

WEAK GOVERNMENT • Government was weak and corrupt. • No orderly way to choose the next emperor → assassinations were common and the role of the emperor often fell to the strongest general • People stopped supporting the government. • Many corrupt officials. • A divided empire becomes weak.

WEAK ECONOMY • prices increase • heavy taxes • high unemployment • decline in trade and manufacturing • farmers have to sell and leave their land b/c of debt • middle class disappears. . . poof gone • Romans used too much slave labor

FALL OF WESTERN ROME • By 476 AD, Western Rome fell to invaders known as the Huns. • Only the eastern portion of the empire would remain. • The eastern portion of the empire would adopt Christianity, and encompasses portions of the Middle East and Asia. • The new capital of the empire would be Constantinople which is located in modern day Turkey • The eastern portion of Rome would become known as the Byzantine Empire due to the location of its capital, Constantinople formally known as “Byzantium. ”

EMPERORS RULE IN CONSTANTINOPLE • By 476 AD, Western Rome fell to invaders known as the Huns. • Only the eastern portion of the empire would remain. • The eastern portion of the empire would adopt Christianity, and encompasses portions of the Middle East and Asia. • The new capital of the empire would be Constantinople which is located in modern day Turkey • The eastern portion of Rome would become known as the Byzantine Empire due to the location of its capital, Constantinople formally known as “Byzantium. ”

JUSTINIAN • Reclaiming the Western Empire • Emperor Justinian who ruled from 527 -565 wanted to reunite the western portions of the empire with the eastern • He regained Carthage and Italy • Rebellion at Home • Justinian’s wife Theodora was his co-emperor • In 532 there was a rebellion called the Nika Revolt that broke out about the reforms they were making • The two sides took on names of power Chariot teams “The Greens” were the lower class and “The Blues” were the upper class • Uprising led to The Greens setting Constantinople of fire • Justinian was ready to flee and give up his throne and Theodora made him stay • The royal army attacked the rioters and burned them alive in the stadium which the uprising occured

NEW LAW • Achievements • After the Nika revolt much of Constantinople was burnt and the co emperors rebuilt the city • Most important building was a cathedral the Hagia Sophia • They then started to reform Roman law, which was fallen out of use after the Western portion fell • Justinian's Code was written • Systemically arranged the empires exsisting laws and legal opinions into a clear system and was known was the The Body of Civil Law or Justinian’s Code

END OF JUSTINIAN • Changes after Justinian • After his death he left the empire Bankrupt due to rebuilding the city and his military efforts to unite the western portion of the roman empire • After his death the western provinces once again fell from their control • The next empire conquered lands in the eastern region which grew their influence and made it easier to maintain

BYZANTINE CULTURE • The Role of the Emperor • The two most important things in Byzantine culture were the emperor and Christianity • The emperor was considered a priest-king, chosen by God to rule • He was over civil and religious law • The emperor’s influence changed the culture, Emperor Heraclius changed the official language from Latin to Greek. He replaced Roman imperial titles with Greek ones.

THE CHURCH SPLITS • The Church Splits • The Catholic church was different in the east compared to the west • The east read and translated the bible through the Greek language • They allowed the clergy to marry • The emperor oversaw church laws and the church leaders like the bishops, patriarchs, and the pope governed church affairs • The east did not recognize the popes supreme authority

THE MUSLIMS • Invaders in The Empire • Muslims had been threaten the empire for the most part of the Byzantine empire • Egypt and Syria fell to the Muslim Empire • Internal Weaknesses • They had a series of incompetent rulers • The spent too much money on building up and maintain the wealth, culture, and education that was the center of Constantinople • This led to a split between the wealthy and educated and the military