The Byzantine Empire 330 1453 TermsThe Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire 330 - 1453

Terms—The Byzantine Empire • Constantinople (330 – 1453) • Justinian (r. 527 – 565) • Theodora • Belisarius • Procopius • Nika Riots (532—”Blues & Greens”) • Hagia Sophia (539) • Corpus Juris Civilis • Iconoclasm (Icons)

Byzantine Empire

1422 Map Showing Fortifications

Constantinople

Walls of Constantinople

Romaioi • Byzantines called themselves this—it means Romans. • They thought of themselves as “Romans”.

Justinian (r. 527 – 565)

Belisarius

Belisarius and Justinian

Byzantine Empire - 526

The Nika Riots (532) • The “Blues” vs. the “Greens” • Chariot racing teams—united to fight Justinian • “Nika”– “Victory” 1

Theodora

The Hippodrome

Theodora and Her Retinue

Procopius –Official Court Historian

Hagia Sophia—”Church of Holy Wisdom”

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia Today

Hagia Sophia - Dome

Hagia Sophia - Interior

Corpus Juris Civilis--”The Body of Civil Law” (528 – 534) • Massive incorporation of Roman legal thought and precedents, all collected in one place in order to provide a coherent body of law for the Roman (i. e. Byzantine) Empire. • Written in Latin—allowed for easier translation in the West. • Basis of Byzantine law for the next 900 years • Used as the foundation of modern law by many of the kingdoms of Western Europe. • Most permanent and lasting legacy of Justinian’s rule.

Byzantine Empire - 565

Byzantine Empire Upon Justinian’s Death--565

Heraclius (r. 610 – 641)

Byzantine Empire in 668

Byzantine Empire in 1453

The Sack of Constantinople - 1453

Animated Map of Byzantine Empire • http: //upload. wikimedia. org/wikipedia/comm ons/4/40/Byzantine_Empire_animated. gif

Lack of Unity in Empire: Religion • The pope claims religious pre-eminence • Patriarchs—each great city has one (religious leaders) • Patriarch of Constantinople disputes that the Pope is pre-eminent among the patriarchs • Byzantine emperor has both political and religious authority

Lack of Unity in Empire: Religion & Language • Chief language of the East: Greek • Chief language of the West: Latin

Marketplace in Constantinople

Iconoclasm • Greek for “image-breaking” • 8 th and 9 th centuries • Most devastating heresy to divide the Christian Church • The use of sacred images (icons) in worship

Icons

Iconoclasts • Tried to stop the use of religious icons— unsuccessfully • Rejected the use of icons

The Church Divides -- 1054 • Western Branch: Roman Catholic (i. e. “universal”) Church • Eastern Branch: Eastern Orthodox (i. e. “correct belief”) Church