Global 10.1 The Byzantine Empire

PreviousNext

Page Index

=The Heir to Rome=


 * The Byzantine empire reached its largest size under the rule of emperor Justinian. Emperor Justinian fought to regain many of the territories that ad been lost.
 * Emperor Justinian also tried to restore the city of Constantinople to its Roman glory. His most impressive building was the Church of "Holy Wisdom," the Hagia Sopia.
 * Emperor Justinian is best known for is work reforming the law of Constantinople. Justinian codified all the laws of Rome, putting them into a code that was to be used for the city. Today this group of laws is known as Justinian's code.
 * Justinian's wife, Queen Theodora, essentially saves his throne and the Byzantine Empire when she convinced him to fight back against a revolt.
 * Theodora was a strong-willed woman who was quick to encourage improved rights for women and come to the aid of allies who were suffering, also setting up hospitals for the poor. She was also ruthless in her pursuit of her goals, often placing people who opposed her in prison.
 * After Theodora died, Justinian was distressed. Even though he ruled for another 17 years, the glory days of his reign was over.
 * For many years, the Byzantine Empire stood as a buffer between Western Europe and invaders from the Middle East.
 * The Byzantine Empire, despite being Christian, rejected the authority of the pope. The Byzantine emperor was in charge of selecting the "patriarch," the highest church official. When a Byzantine emperor decided to outlaw the use of "icons" (holy images) because it went against God's law of graven images. He was excommunicated by the pope.
 * This did not help the relationship between the Catholic Church and Byzantium.
 * Eventually the Eastern (Greek) Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Churches experienced a permanent split (or schism), resulting in the pope and the patriarch excommunicating each other.
 * With the rise of the Muslim threat in the East, the Byzantine Empire had to swallow its resentment for the Catholic Church and ask for help to defend against the Muslim armies of the Middle East. This cry for help resulted in the Crusades.
 * At one point, western Crusaders turned and attacked Constantinople, plundering the city for three days. This weakened the Byzantine Empire so much that even after they regained power over the city again, they once again soon lost it to the invading Turkish Muslims known as the Ottomans.