The Byzantine Empire
Justinian & the New Byzantium
 Justinian (r. 527-565) = “the emperor who never slept”
 532 = consolidated political power
 Expanded territory
Justinian & the New Byzantium
 Justinian (ruled, 527-565) = “the emperor who never slept”
 532 = consolidated political power
 Expanded territory
 Justinian Code (529-534) = revised Roman law
 Cost of Empire?
 Territorial problems . . .
Justinian & the New Byzantium
 Justinian (ruled, 527-565) = “the emperor who never slept”
 532 = consolidated political power
 Expanded territory
 Justinian Code (529-534) = revised Roman law
 Cost of Empire?
 Sassanid Empire vs. Heraclius (r. 610-641)
 Spreading of Islam
 Byzantine Empire seen as the world’s only stable Christian Empire
 “to the city” = “eis ten polin”
“Individualism without Freedom”
 Byzantine individualism:
 Small, autonomous groups ruled by an Emperor
 Byzantine government:
 Emperor = THE LAW
 Autocracy
 Byzantine bureaucracy:
 25 provinces (each ruled by a general)
 Importance of eunuchs
Living in Byzantium
 “nuclear family” = most common organization
 Growing importance of privacy
 Rural communities:
 Importance of agriculture
 Private property
 Urban communities:
 Most towns were isolated
Living in Byzantium
 “nuclear family” = most common organization
 Growing importance of privacy
 Rural communities:
 Importance of agriculture
 Private property
 Urban communities:
 Most towns were isolated
 Center of manufacture
 Silk!
Orthodox Christianity
 Initially, different regional versions of Christianity
 Eventually, Orthodox became THE religion of Byzantium
 What about Roman Catholicism?
 “barbarian” control = little influence
 Orthodox Christianity?
 Combination of adoration for God and reverence for Emperor
 Conversion of Slavic peoples
 Cyril & Methodius
 864 = Kingdom of Bulgar converts
 988 = Kingdom of Russia converts
Importance of Icons
 Only autonomous religious communities = monasteries
 11th century = AT LEAST 300 monastic communities in
Constantinople
 Religious authority of icons
Importance of Icons
 Only autonomous religious communities = monasteries
 11th century = AT LEAST 300 monastic communities in
Constantinople
 Religious authority of icons
 Rise of Islam = Emperor nervous about monasteries
 Iconoclasts = “breakers of images”
 Iconodules = defenders of icons
 Iconoclast Dispute:
 First phase (726-787) = ended by Irene of Athens
 Second phase (802-843) = ended by Theodora
 Roman Christianity rejected iconoclasts