Chapter 9
The Byzantine Empire, Russia, and
the rise of Eastern Europe
The 2nd Rome
• Map of the Byzantine Empire during the reign
of Justinian
Building and Defending the Empire
• Justinian- Ruled the Byzantine Empire
from 527-565.
• He dreamed of restoring a United Roman
Empire
• He regained Southern Spain and parts of
Northern Africa
Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom)
Building and Defending the Empire
• Victories were short lived
• After Justinian’s death- Lombards took Italy
• Byzantines also pushed east and took Huns
• To survive brutal attacks, Byzantine
emperors become skillful diplomats
• They did not hesitate to use bribery
• They also bought peace by marrying off
their daughters to potential rivals.
Strength of the Empire
• Lasted for 1,000 years
• Emperors had absolute power- their will
was law.
• Loyal, well-trained army
• Strong Economy
• Emperor had complete control over
economy; he set wages and established
monopolies(example- silkworm)
To Byzantium on the Silk Road
Political Chaos kept the Western Empire at
a standstill while economy and trade helped
Eastern to thrive
• Eastern coins were accepted as the most
stable
• Constantinople became a center for world
commerce, primarily because of the
location on the Bosporus Straits. (See Map)
• Great division between rich and poor
Byzantine Coins
The Great Schism
• Religious Disputes and Economic Competition
strained relations between East and West
• Byzantine emperor did not recognize Pope as
the head of the church
• The emperor, as the absolute ruler, headed the
church. Clergy were considered state officials,
which were responsible to the emperor
• Patriarchs became bishops of major cities
• Greek rather than Latin was used
Roman Catholic/Eastern
Orthodox
The Great Schism
• Priests could marry
• Were tolerant of Non-Christian Religions
like Muslims
• 1054 AD- A split created the Roman
Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox
Church
• As trade revived in West, bitter rivalry
between the two regions also developed
Byzantine Heritage
• Constantinople became a blend of Roman,
Christian, Greek, and Middle Eastern
influences which was evident in Art and
Architecture
• Adorned churches with lifelike figures of saints
until 700 when icon worship was forbidden by
a Byzantine Emperor
• Preserved Greco-Roman heritage by
preserving classical works on science, math,
and philosophy.
Destruction of idols
Preserving Roman Law
• Justinian ordered scholars to summarize
all existing Roman Law and produce a
huge work known as Justinian’s Code
• Justinian kept Roman legal traditions alive
Justinian’s Code
Decline of Empire
• Internal and External pressures led to eventual
decline
• External Threats
• Seljuk Turks conquered Middle East
• Christian Crusaders- 1204
• Ottoman Turks- eventually took over.
• In 1400’s they marched through Constantinople
and went straight into the Balkans.
• 1453- They took Constantinople and changed
the name to Istanbul
Fall of Constantinople
Eastern Europe: Heir to
Byzantine Civilization
• Byzantine Empire influenced the Slavic
people
• Religion was the chief means by which
Byzantine transferred their heritage to
the Slavs
Early Russian Church
The Peoples of Eastern Europe
• Geography: Eastern Europe-From Ural
Mountains in the East to Oden River in the West,
Baltic Sea in the North to Adriatic Sea in the
South
• Slavs- Indo-European people who lived around
the region of Kiev in Russia
• They migrated to the Balkans between 200-400
A.D.
• Balkans come under Byzantine Empire
• Greek monks converted many Slavs to
Christianity
Early conversion
Kievan Russia• In the 800’s and 900’s Kiev emerged as the
center of a prosperous Slavic state known
as Kievan Russia
• Kiev was linked to Constantinople by
Dnieper River.
Kiev 900 AD
Russia Prince Vladimir decided to abandon old
Slavic gods
• He was deciding on which religion to follow Islam,
Judaism or Christianity.
• He rejected first two because those religions forbade
eating certain foods
• He chose Christianity- the Eastern Orthodox Church
• Vladimir was also attracted to Byzantine Christian because
of the magnificent churches
• Also the church allowed them to use their own language,
whereas the Pope would have insisted on Latin.
• Secular ruler headed the Church, not the Pope
Prince Vladimir
Prince Vladimir
• Christian Clergy became an important class
in Kievan Society
• They established schools
• They taught the Cyrillic (Slavic) alphabet
Mongol Invasions
• Conquered from China to Eastern Europe
• Captured and destroyed Kiev
• They were called the “Golden Horde” (tents),
ruled Russia for nearly 250 years
• Demanded a heavy tribute from Russians
• Mongol Rule cut Russia off from contacts with
Western Europe
• Commerce and industry which prospered in
Kievan Russia disappeared
• Between 1240-1500 Russians were not aware of
ideas shaping the Western Civilization
Mongol Invasion Genghis Kahn
and the Golden Horde
Princes of Moscow
• In the 1300’s, princes of Moscow gained power as
Mongol power declined
• They grew rich by keeping part of the tribute
collected by Mongols
• One prince took the title of “ Grand Prince of All
Russia”
• He persuaded the East Orthodox Church to
move its center to Moscow
• During the 1400’s Moscow became the center of
a unified Russian state
Early Prince of Russia
Ivan III (1462-1505)
• Called the founder of Modern Russia
• Announced no more tribute to the
Mongols
• Alliances with other Russian princes
• Expelled German nobles from land seized
in Western Russia
• Freed the people from foreign rule
• Established strong government
Ivan III
Ivan III
• Resembled Byzantine traditions
• He married niece of the last Byzantine emperor
• Took title of Czar (Russian for Caesar)
• Called Moscow 3rd Rome ( Constantinople 2nd,
Rome 1st)
• Adopted double-headed eagle ( Symbol of
Byzantine Empire)
• Absolute power over government and church
Ivan IV 1533-1584
• Absolute power he
claimed came from
God
• Established secret
police that brutally
enforced his
authority
• Known as Ivan the
Terrible
Feudalism in Russian lasted into
the 20th century
• In the 1500’s, Russians
renewed their contact
with the West, yet they
entered into a feudalist
society just as the West
was coming out of a
feudalist society.
• Feudalism in Russian
lasted into the 20th
century