3. The Byzantine EmpireTalking Book
The Byzantine Empire under Justinian the Great
The Eastern Roman Empire , known as the Byzantine Empire , resisted the Germanic invasions and survived the fall of its western counterpart. However, as time passed, the area it controlled gradually became smaller due to pressure from the Muslims in the east and from the Slavs in the north.
Weblink 1. Biography of Constantine the Great
3.1. The origins and expansion of the Byzantine EmpireTalking Book Emperor Theodosius I had divided the Roman Empire in 395 A.D. He made Byzantium the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Byzantium was later known as Constantinople . It was strategically located on the Bosphorus Strait, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, and was the largest city in Europe for many centuries.
The Byzantine Empire grew to its maximum size during the reign of Justinian the Great (527–565 A.D.). His general Belisarius defeated the Vandals and Ostrogoths, and conquered the Italian Peninsula and parts of North Africa. The Byzantines also occupied the south of the Iberian Peninsula, where they established a province called Spania , whose capital was Cartagena.
From the 7th to the 10th century, the Byzantine Empire gradually lost its power and territories to other peoples:
to the Neo-Persian Empire in the east.
to the Arabs , who conquered more than half of the Byzantine Empire (Syria, Palestine and Egypt) in the 7th century. They also besieged its capital on various occasions.
to the Slavs . During the 9th and 10th centuries, the Bulgarians defeated the Byzantines and established an empire which included nearly the whole of the Balkan Peninsula. However, eventually the Byzantines defeated the Bulgarians and subdued them in 1018.
3.2. The political structureTalking Book
Did you know?
The most popular form of entertainment in Constantinople was the chariot races in the hippodrome, which could hold more than 50000 spectators. The two main teams were the blues and the greens, and each one had many fans. As well as sporting rivalry, there were political differences between the teams and violent clashes between them were common.
Power was greatly centralised: the Byzantine emperor , or basileus officials and a powerful army, in which mercenaries (soldiers who fought in exchange for money) played an important role. The empire was divided into provinces called themes stratego
During the reign of Justinian the Great, a legal code was compiled (the Codex Justinianus ), which was based on Roman law.
3.3. The economyTalking Book The Byzantine Empire's economy was based on arable and livestock farming on large estates, or latifundia .
Trade was very important, since the Byzantine Empire was at the crossroads of trade routes between Europe and Asia and between Europe and Africa. Leather, ivory, perfume, precious stones, slaves and spices arrived there from distant lands.
Craftsmanship developed greatly. Manufactured products, gold and silver products (produced by smiths working with precious metals), fabrics, silks and upholstery (furniture covered with fabrics and leather) were produced and exported.
Justinian the Great and Theodora in Constantinople
3.4. SocietyTalking Book In Byzantine society there was a deep divide between the landowning nobility and the majority of the population, who were poor peasants . Both the emperor and the Byzantine nobility imposed high taxes on their subjects, so there was great discontent among the majority of the population.
The development of trade resulted in a busy city life , especially in the capital, where the government officials, traders and craftsmen lived.
Video 5. Emperor Justinian
3.5. Culture and religionTalking Book In many ways, Byzantine culture was a continuation of Roman civilisation: in law , administration and the Christian religion . However, the main language was Greek .
Culture in the Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire developed a spectacular culture. This resulted from the combination of Greek, Roman and eastern elements. Greek was the most widely spoken language, and in the 7th century it replaced Latin as the empire's official language.
One of the main contributions of Byzantine culture was the compilation of works and scientific treatises from Classical Greek culture, and their transmission to other peoples, such as the Slavs.
Byzantine religion
Political and religious power were unified. The emperor was considered the protector of eastern Christians. The Byzantine Empire was intolerant towards other religions . Practising other religions was prohibited and Christians who did not follow official doctrine were persecuted.
Between the 8th and 9th centuries, the Iconoclastic Wars took place. They began when some of the Byzantine emperors prohibited the cult of religious images, as they believed that this went against the teachings of the Bible. After centuries of conflict, the images were eventually maintained.
The Byzantine missionaries converted the Slavic peoples that had settled to the north of the empire in Eastern Europe to Christianity. In the 10th century, the adaptation of the Greek alphabet to the Slavic languages resulted in the Cyrillic alphabet .
During the first few centuries, Christians from the east and west were unified. The bishops of each area made decisions in meetings called councils . This is how they came to agreements when there were differences of opinion regarding religious matters. However, differences soon appeared between the Christians from each region.
The official head of the Christian Church was the Pope (the Bishop of Rome). However, the city of Rome had lost its political importance and Constantinople had become the largest Christian city. In 1054, differences in opinion between Pope Leo IX and the Patriarch Michael I (the Bishop of Constantinople) resulted in a division of the church known as the Great Schism .
Consequently, Western Europe remained loyal to Rome's authority, and Eastern Europe to the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The eastern Christian church became known as the Orthodox Church .
Video 6. San Vitale
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BYZANTINE ART
Byzantine painting and mosaics
Byzantine art is characterised by rich decoration. Mosaics, paintings, icons and sculptures were produced. They shared the following characteristics:
the use of flat bright colours .
rigidity, frontal poses and a lack of expressiveness in the figures they portrayed.religious themes and the glorification of the emperor .
After the Iconoclastic Wars, icons became popular. These portrayed holy figures (saints, the Virgin Mary or Christ) surrounded by a nimbus or halo (a circle) on a gold background (a symbol of royalty and divinity), normally on a wooden panel .
Virgin of Vladimir
Mosaic of Theodora
The Hagia Sophia Basilica (Constantinople): this is the most spectacular monument in Byzantine architecture. It has the largest dome built in the whole of the Middle Ages. This church has a transversal nave called a narthex. Other famous Byzantine churches are the Church of St Sergius and St Bacchus (in Constantinople) and the Basilicas of St Vitale and St Apollinaris in Ravenna (Italy).
Byzantine architecture
It was characterised by:
the use of semi-circular arches .
domes (hemispherical covers) placed on pedentives (architectural features that support the dome) and supported by thick buttresses (pillars attached to a wall).the use of the basilica floor plan , which was long in shape with various naves and an apse, and the Greek cross floor plan , with each arm of the same length.
