Unit 1: The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire
Justinian
Justinian Code
Hagia Sophia
Patriarch
Icon
Excommunication
Cyrillic alphabet
Turkish Empires Rise in
Anatolia
Seljuks
Vizier
Malik Shah
The Ottomans Build a Vast
Empire
Ghazi
Ottoman
Sultan
Timur the Lame
Mehmed II
Suleyman the Lawgiver
Devshirme
Janissary
I. The Byzantine Empire
After Rome split, the Eastern Empire, knows as Byzantium, flourished for a thousand years. Byzantine
culture deeply influenced Orthodox Christianity, a major branch of modern Christianity.
A New Rome in a New Setting
The Eastern Roman Empire
Roman Empire officially divides into East and West in 395
Eastern Empire flourishes; becomes known as Byzantium
Justinian becomes emperor of Byzantium in 527
His armies reconquer much of former Roman territory
Byzantine emperors head state and church; use brutal politics
Map Study: The Byzantine Empire Under Justinian, 527–565
Under the rule of Justinian, the Byzantine Empire recaptured much of the glory and greatness of the old
Roman Empire. When he succeeded to the throne in 527, Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium, was
crumbling from the lack of repairs. He ordered a massive construction program, repairing or building new
churches, palaces, schools, and the massive walls and towers that protected the city from attack. In addition,
Constantinople, located on the western side of the narrow strait called the Bosporus, became a vibrant
commercial center once again. It bustled with traders, travelers, and street entertainers from across Europe,
northern Africa, and Asia. Justinian also reconquered regions of the western Roman Empire that had fallen to
Germanic tribes. After 16 years of fighting, Justinian’s troops had reclaimed significant lands bordering the
Mediterranean Sea that had been part of ancient Rome.
1. What two bodies of water does the Bosporus connect?
2. What two bodies of water does the Dardanelles connect?
3. On what type of geographic landform is Constantinople located?
4. List at least five countries, empires, or regions with which Constantinople traded.
5. Identify the lands reconquered by Justinian.
6. Make a list of the commercial and military advantages and disadvantages of the location of Constantinople.
Life in the New Rome
New Laws for the Empire
Justinian seeks to revise and update laws for governing the empire
Justinian Code-new set of laws consisting of four main parts
Code regulates much of Byzantine life; lasts for 900 years
Creating the Imperial Capital
Justinian launches program to beautify capital, Constantinople
Constructs new buildings; builds magnificent church, Hagia Sophia
Byzantines preserve Greco-Roman culture and learning
Constantinople’s Hectic Pace
City becomes trading hub with major marketplace
Giant Hippodrome offers chariot races and other entertainment
Racing fans start riots in 532; government restores order violently
Empress Theodora-powerful wife and advisor to Justinian
Comparing Seven Empires
Throughout history, people in Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Americas have spread their influence
over vast regions and built powerful empires. Often they have included millions of people from diverse ethnic,
religious, and national groups within their borders. This visual combines three bar graphs to show the length,
territory, and population of seven empires that students either have already studied or will encounter in the
next five chapters.
1. Which of these empires lasted less than two hundred years? Which lasted over a thousand years? Which
empire represents the oldest civilization? Which is the youngest?
2. How do the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire compare in length and in the extent of territories and
population?
3. Compare the extent of the two empires that are closest in age.
4. Compare the statistics about the Mongol Empire with the Egyptian Empire. What do these figures suggest?
The Empire Falls
Years of Turmoil
Justinian dies in 565; empire faces many crises after his death
The Plague of Justinian
Bubonic plague repeatedly sweeps empire; kills many residents
Attacks from East and West
Byzantium faces attacks from many different groups
Empire survives through bribery, diplomacy, and military power
Constantinople falls in 1453; brings an end to Byzantine Empire
The Church Divides
A Religious Split
Christianity develops differently in Eastern and Western Roman Empires
Two churches disagree over many issues, including use of icons
Icons are religious images used to aid in prayer
Leading bishop of Eastern Christianity known as patriarch
In the West, pope excommunicated emperor-banished him from the Church
Pope and patriarch excommunicate each other over religious doctrines
Eastern and Western churches officially split in 1054
West-Roman Catholic Church; East-Orthodox Church
Byzantine Missionaries Convert the Slavs
Eastern Orthodox missionaries seek to convert northern peoples, Slavs
Missionaries create Cyrillic alphabet-basis of many Slavic languages
Alphabet enables many groups to read the Bible
Roman Catholic
Similarities
Eastern Orthodox
II. Turkish Empires Rise in Anatolia
Turkish people converted to Islam and founded new empires that would renew Muslim civilization. In the
20th century, the collapse of the Turkish empire left ethnic and religious hostilities that still affect the world.
The Rise of the Turks
Decline of the Abbasids
Powerful Abbasid Empire faces many attacks during 700s and 800s.
Persians conquer Abbasid capital, Baghdad, in 945
The Conquering Seljuks
Turks are a nomadic group living along western border of China
Group led by Turkish family-the Seljuks-seizes Baghdad in 1055
In 1071 Seljuk sultans crush Byzantine Empire at Battle of Manzikert
Seljuks take most of Anatolia; bring Turks close to Constantinople
Baghdad During Its Golden Age, 765–950
In 762, the leader of the Abbasids, Caliph al-Mansur, chose a site on the west bank of the Tigris River upon
which to build a new city. This new city, now known as Baghdad, would serve as the capital of the empire.
Besides choosing a location near trade routes, al-Mansur had personal reasons for choosing the site that he did.
Fearing attacks on his life by his rivals, he wanted a palace that was easy to defend in a city large enough to
house several thousand soldiers ready to protect him at all times. The caliph was able to take up residence in
Baghdad in 765. According to legend, al-Mansur predicted that Baghdad would become “the crossroads of the
universe.” It quickly did. Merchants from northern Africa, Europe, and many parts of Asia traveled in and out
of the city. By 900, Baghdad had a population of nearly one million people, far surpassing the size of any city in
Europe. Baghdad developed into one of the greatest centers of learning in the world, home to leading scholars
in literature, science, medicine, philosophy, and religion.
1. Describe the obstacles invaders would have to cross to reach the palace in the center of Baghdad.
2. How many gates led into the center of Baghdad?
3. Approximately what was the distance across the living space for officers and loyal followers of the caliph?
4. Identify the buildings placed at the center of Baghdad and explain their significance.
5. Explain why al-Mansur may have wanted a wall separating the shops region from the area where his palace
was located.
The Turks Secure Persian Support
Turks seek support of Persians and embrace Persian culture
Give Persians key posts, including that of vizier, or prime minister
Adopt Persian language and religion-Islam
Malik Shah was one of the most famous Seljuk rulers, or shahs
He and other shahs support Persian artists; build mosques
Seljuks Confront Crusaders and Mongols
Malik Shah Dies
In 1092 Malik Shah dies; no capable shah replaces him
Seljuk Empire disintegrates into loose collection of minor kingdoms
The Seljuks and the Crusaders
Crusades begin in 1095-Christians drive Turks out of Anatolia
In 1099, Crusaders capture Jerusalem; massacre Muslims and Jews
Fragment of Seljuk Empire fights back, Muslims recover Jerusalem
Captain Saladin allows Western pilgrims access to Christian holy places
Seljuks Face the Mongols
Mongol armies under the leader Hulagu capture Baghdad in 1258
Hulagu, Genghis Khan’s grandson, burns palace, kills Abbasid caliph
Ends Turkish rule with much bloodshed
III. The Ottomans Build a Vast Empire
The Ottomans established a Muslim empire that combined many cultures and lasted for more than 600
years. Many modern societies, from Algeria to Turkey, had their origins under Ottoman rule.
Turks Move into Byzantium
Turkish Warriors
Many Turks live in Anatolia, on edge of Byzantine Empire
Many see themselves as ghazis-warriors who fight for Islam
Osman Establishes a State
From 1300 to 1326, Osman, successful ghazi, builds state in Anatolia
Europeans call him Othman and follower Ottomans
Ottomans win battles because they use muskets and cannons
Successors expand state through alliances and land buying
Orhan, Osman’s son, declares himself sultan-overlord
In 1361, Turks conquer Adrianople
Ottomans rule fairly over conquered peoples
Timur the Lame Halts Expansion
Timur the Lame-Tamerlane-rises to power in Central Asia
Timur defeats Ottomans in 1402, burning Baghdad
Powerful Sultans Spur Dramatic Expansion
Murad II
Murad II begins expansion
Mehmed II Conquers Constantinople
Murad’s son, Mehmed II, conquers Constantinople in 1453
Opens city to Jews, Christians, and Muslims and rebuilds
Ottomans Take Islam’s Holy Cities
In 1512, Selim the Grim, Mehmed’s grandson, comes to power
He defeats Persian Safavids and pushes into North Africa
Conquers Mecca, Medina, and Cairo: important Muslim cities
The Fall of Constantinople, 1453
In April 1453, when the forces of Mehmet II attacked Constantinople’s 13 miles of protective walls, the
Byzantine city was past its prime. Its population, once over 1 million, was now only 50,000. Still, its location
was strategically important. Whoever controlled the city could choke off traffic between Ottoman territories in
Asia and Europe. At first, the defenders of Constantinople fought off the land and sea attacks of the Ottomans’
100,000 soldiers and 125 ships. To prevent those ships from bombarding Constantinople from the north,
Emperor Constantine XI’s forces strung a huge chain across the waterway that connected Constantinople with
Pera. The Ottomans, though, got around the chain by dragging ships overland on greased runners. Cannon fire
soon hit Constantinople from three sides, but the weakened city did not surrender. Then five weeks later came
the crushing blow. The Kerkoporta gate, a small opening where two walls came together, was mistakenly left
open one night. Turkish soldiers noticed the opening and quickly poured through it. The smaller Wall of
Constantine was no deterrent. Constantine XI died in the fighting as the city was conquered. Soon the mosaics
of the Hagia Sophia were painted over, the cathedral became a mosque, and Constantinople was renamed
Istanbul.
1. On which continent was Constantinople located?
2. From what bodies of water was Constantinople vulnerable to cannon fire after the Turks dragged their ships
behind Pera?
3. About how far across land did the Ottomans drag their ships to get into the Golden Horn?
4. Describe the location of the Kerkoporta gate.
5. Have students use this map and the account of the battle in their textbook to write a diary of the attack
as it might have been viewed by an Ottoman soldier. Students should describe the key events of the attack
and how the soldier might have felt about each one.
Suleyman the Lawgiver
A Great Ruler
Suleyman the Lawgiver, Selim’s son, rules from 1520 to 1566
The Empire Reaches Its Limits
Suleyman conquers Belgrade (1521) and Rhodes (1522)
Ottomans control eastern Mediterranean
Turks take North African coastline, control inland trade routes
Suleyman’s forces advance to Vienna
By 1526, Ottoman Empire is the largest in the world
Highly Structured Social Organization
Suleyman creates law code, reduces bureaucracy, simplifies taxation
Army uses devshirme-drafts boys from conquered lands
Trains 30,000 elite soldiers-janissaries-loyal only to the sultan
Jews and Christians allowed to practice own religion
Cultural Flowering
Suleyman’s broad interests lead to flourishing of arts, learning
Sinan, brilliant architect, designs magnificent Mosque of Suleyman
The Empire Declines Slowly
Gradual Fall
Suleyman kills one son and exiles another
Third son inherits throne but rules weakly
Later sultans kill their brothers and leave their sons uneducated
Long line of weak sultans leads to empire’s eventual fall
Visual Summary
After the fall of the western half of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine and Islamic empires came to dominate
much of the Mediterranean world. The Byzantine Empire preserved the heritage of Rome. However, the
Eastern Christian Church, centered in the empire’s capital, Constantinople, gradually grew apart from the
Western Roman Catholic Church. A split occurred in 1054, dividing Christianity between the Roman Catholic
Church in the West and the Orthodox Church in the East. In the meantime, Byzantine culture spread east to
Russia. Around 1070, an Islamic people known as the Seljuk Turks conquered the eastern part of the Byzantine
Empire, and the two groups shared power in the region.
1. What event took place in Byzantium 17 years before the Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantines at Manzikert?
2. Identify the dates on the time lines that show interaction between two of these groups.
3. What event occurred in the Seljuk Empire at almost the same time that the Christian Church divided in
Byzantium?