Traditions and Encounters, 4th Edition (Bentley)

Chapter 13: THE COMMONWEALTH OF BYZANTIUM

Chapter Outline

1. The early Byzantine empire
   1. The later Roman empire and Byzantium
      1. Fifth century, eastern half of empire remained intact while west crumbled
      2. Challenges: Sasanids and Germans
      3. Highly centralized state
         1. Emperor with aura of divinity--Caesaropapism
         2. Large and complex bureaucracy
   2. Justinian (527-565 C.E.) and his legacy; Theodora (empress)
      1. Rebuilt Constantinople, including Hagia Sophia
      2. Codified Roman law Corpus iuris civilis(The Body of the Civil Law)
      3. Sent Belisarius to reconquer the western Roman empire (didn't last)
   3. Islamic conquests and Byzantine revival
      1. The emergence of the Islamic state, seventh century
         1. Arab peoples conquered the Sasanid empire and part of Byzantium
         2. Prolonged sieges of Constantinople by Islamic armies
         3. Byzantium survived partly because of Greek fire
      2. Byzantine society reorganized
         1. Provinces (themes) under generals
         2. Armies of free peasants helped agricultural economy
   4. Byzantium and western Europe: ecclesiastical and political tensions
   
   
2. Byzantine economy and society
   1. Rural economy and society
      1. Large agricultural base to support cities
      2. Economy strongest when large class of free peasants (themes) existed
      3. Economy weakened when large landholders consolidated and made peasants dependent
   2. Industry and trade
      1. Constantinople was major site of crafts and industry
         1. Glass, linen, textiles, gems, jewelry, gold, and silver
         2. Silk developed into major industry in sixth century; secrets came from China
      2. Constantinople was clearinghouse for trade
         1. Bezant was the standard currency of Mediterranean basin
         2. Western anchor of trade route revived silk roads
      3. Banks and partnerships supported commercial economy
   3. Urban life
      1. Housing in Constantinople varied widely by class
      2. Attractions of Constantinople: baths, taverns, theaters
         1. Hippodrome used for mass entertainment
         2. Chariot races most popular; Greens and Blues rivalry
   
   
3. Classical heritage and Orthodox Christianity
   1. The legacy of classical Greece
      1. Official language went from Latin to Greek
      2. State-organized school system trained workforce
         1. Primary education: reading, writing, grammar
         2. Later education: classical Greek, literature, philosophy, science
         3. Higher education in Constantinople: law, medicine, philosophy
      3. Byzantine scholarship emphasized Greek tradition
         1. Wrote commentaries on Greek literature
         2. Preserved and transmitted Greek thought to later cultures
   2. The Byzantine church
      1. Most distinctive feature was involvement of the emperor
         1. Council of Nicaea (325 C.E.) in which Arianism was declared heresy
         2. Iconoclasm controversy (726-843) was started by Leo III
      2. Greek philosophy applied to Byzantine theology
   3. Monasticism and popular piety
      1. Monasticism origins in early Christian ascetics (hermits)
         1. "Pillar saints" like St. Simeon Stylite
         2. St. Basil of Caesarea (329-379 C.E.) organized monastic movement
      2. Mt. Athos, monastery in northern Greece from ninth century to present
      3. Monks/nuns very popular with laity
         1. Provided social services to the community
         2. Opposed iconoclasm
   4. Tensions between eastern and western Christianity
      1. Constantinople and Rome: strains mirrored political tensions
      2. Ritual and doctrinal differences, such as iconoclasm
      3. Schism in 1054--Eastern Orthodox versus Roman Catholic
   
   
4. The influence of Byzantium in eastern Europe
   1. Domestic problems and foreign pressures
      1. Generals and local aristocrats allied; new elite class challenged imperial power
      2. Western Europe took parts of Byzantium
         1. Normans in southern Italy and Sicily
         2. Crusaders carved out states and sacked Constantinople (1204)
      3. Muslim Saljuq Turks invaded Anatolia, defeated Byzantines at Manzikert, 1071
      4. Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, the end of the empire
   2. Early relations between Byzantium and Slavic peoples
      1. Byzantines began to influence Bulgarian politics and culture after the eighth century
      2. Missions to the Slavs
         1. Saints Cyril and Methodius, mid-ninth century
         2. Cyrillic writing stimulated conversion to Orthodox Christianity
         3. Education and religion tied together, led to more conversions
   3. Byzantium and Russia
      1. Mid-ninth century, Russians started to organize a large state: Kiev
      2. The conversion of Prince Vladimir, 989
         1. Kiev served as a conduit for spread of Byzantine culture and religion
         2. Cyrillic writing and literature and Orthodox missions spread Byzantine culture
         3. Byzantine art and architecture dominated Kiev: icons and onion domes
      3. Princes established Caesar papist control of Russian Orthodox church
      4. Russian culture flourishes from eleventh century
         1. Moscow claimed to be world's "third Rome"
         2. Sent out many missionaries from sixteenth century on