Byzantine Empire Essay Research Paper The greatest free essay sample

Byzantine Empire Essay, Research Paper The greatest of mediaeval civilisations was the Eastern Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was divided in 395. The Western half, ruled from Rome, was ruled by the savages in the fifth century. The Eastern half, known as the Byzantine Empire, lasted for more than over 1,000 old ages. The Byzantine Empire was one of the taking civilisations in the universe. In 324, Constantine, the first Christian emperor, became the individual swayer of the Roman Empire. He set up his Eastern central office at the ancient Grecian settlement of Byzantium in 330. This metropolis, subsequently renamed Constantinople, was besides known as # 8220 ; new Rome. # 8221 ; It became the capital of the Byzantines after the Roman Empire was divided. Constantinople was located on the European shore of the Bosporus, between the Aegean and Black seas, in what is now the countryside of Turkey. The metropolis brought together people from Europe and Asia. During the 10 and a half centuries that the Byzantine Empire lasted, its boundaries continually changed. We will write a custom essay sample on Byzantine Empire Essay Research Paper The greatest or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The district that made up the imperium in 565 included Italy, Sicily, North Africa, southern Spain and Syria. At its largest during 1000, the Byzantine Empire included Greece, Italy, Egypt, Syria, North Africa, and southern Spain. The first epoch of Byzantine civilisation lasted from about 324 to 640. During this clip, the separate individuality of the imperium was established. The first great period of the Byzantines occurred during the reign of Justinian I, who took the throne in 527. Justinian had reconquered much of the district that had fallen into barbaric custodies. He besides built Constantinople into one of the most brilliant metropoliss of the universe. There was much struggle during the first old ages of the Byzantine imperium. Barbarian people, tidal bore for land and power, pushed at its boundaries during the fifth century. At first, the Byzantines attempted to organize an uneasy peace with the savages who surrounded them. Justinian I became emperor in 527, and ruled until 565. Empress Theodora, his married woman, ruled with him until her decease in 548. Justinian reinforced Constantinople into a glorious metropolis of vaulted churches, castles, and public spheres. By the terminal of his reign, the metropolis was surrounded by a 12 mile boundary line of walls. Inside, broad streets were lined with edifices of marble and alabaster. Goods from around the universe filled the stores: silk, violet fabric, and gold from Greece ; spices, drugs, and cherished rocks from India. The greatest of the public edifices was the Hippodrome, an sphere that could sit over 40,000 people. Byzantines gathered at that place to sit and watch chariot races, jugglers, circus Acts of the Apostless, and battles between wild animate beings. In a metropolis of churches, the most magnificent was St. Sophia Cathedral. Besides known as Hagia Sophia, or the church of Holy Wisdom. It was completed by Justinian in 537. It is an tremendous edifice, shaped like across, with a dome making 180 pess from the land. It has a beautiful inside of coloured marble, gold, Ag, and mosaics. Justinian contributed more so merely a fantastic metropolis. He is besides known for the Justinian Code, a aggregation of Roman Torahs from the clip of the second century. This codification was composed in 529. The codification listed all valid edicts of the clip and put the legal footing for the absolute and God-given authorization of an emperor over his topics. These Torahs had an impact on France, Germany, Italy, Russian, and Serbia. Trade thrived during Justinian? s reign, and Byzantine art and architecture flourished. But the imperium? s financess were used up by the high cost of the wars and betterments that took topographic point under Justinian. As a consequence, the imperium was bankrupt when he died in 565. The period from about 641 and 1025 is considered to be the aureate age of the Byzantine Empire. Progresss in military strength, spiritual influence, and the humanistic disciplines made the Byzantines one of the most powerful forces in the universe of the Middle Ages. Byzantine art if the Eastern Christian art that flourished during the clip of the Byzantine Empire. In the West, Byzantine art is known for vaulted churches with brilliant insides that feature a assortment of extremely crafted spiritual images. Byzantine creative persons used many dearly-won stuffs, such as gold, Ag, and lapis lazuli, to make colourful wall paintings. Many Byzantine plants of art were produced to function the Eastern Orthodox Church. Churchs are about all that survive of Byzantine architecture. Byzantine churches were built chiefly of rock, brick, and howitzer. The most good known church is the Hagia Sophia. Magnificent frescoes and mosaics decorated the insides of Byzantine Churches. Other strengths of the Byzantine imperium included a strong cardinal authorities and successful economic system. When much of the Mediterranean universe was conquered by the Arabs, the Byzantines still managed to keep onto their mainland in the Balkans and in Asia Minor. Peasants in the imperium worked difficult keeping the land, paying revenue enhancements, and supplying soldiers for the armed forces. Throughout the metropoliss in the imperium, industry and trade thrived. As Western Europe changed into a swap economic system, the Byzantine imperium managed to command a money economic system. Failings in the Byzantine imperium concluded in the loss of district. Throughout the Golden Age territories in the imperium continued to alter. Lands were lost to Islam in North Africa, Egypt, Palestine, and Syria. Arab forces troubled Constantinople in 674 and once more in 717. Slavs and Buglars threatened Byzantine lands in the Balkans. However, Byzantine leaders still managed to protect their imperium. Other events that occurred during the reign of Justinian I were anti-government public violences that destroyed much of the metropolis. Besides invasions from the E protected the remainder of west Europe. Other contending? s during Justinian times weakened defence. Christian religion was as powerful in the Byzantine Empire as it was in the Western Europe. Throughout clip differences grew between the Eastern Orthodox Church ( Byzantine Christians ) and the Roman Catholic Church to the West. In the Eastern Orthodox Church a patriarch, or highest Church functionary, was chosen by the emperor. The Eastern Orthodox Church retained the right for clergy to get married. Greek was the official linguistic communication of the church. Easter, the twenty-four hours Jesus rose from the dead, was the main Byza ntine holy twenty-four hours. Byzantine Christians rejected the Catholic Pope? s claim to authorization over all Christians. In affairs of religion a council stand foring all bishops must do determinations. The Eastern Orthodox Church? s creed provinces that the Holy Spirit returns â€Å"From the Father.† The regulations of fasting differed between the two churches. Leavened staff of life was used as the Eucharist in the Eastern church. In the Roman Catholic Church the Catholic Pope was the leader of the church. The clergy was non allowed to get married. The official linguistic communication of the church was Latin. Christmas, the twenty-four hours Jesus was born, was the main holy twenty-four hours. The Pope claimed to of had powers over the East and West churches. The diction of the credo changed to # 8220 ; From the Father and the Son. # 8221 ; Unleavened staff of life was served as the Eucharist. After 1204, the church went into a period of Scholasticism, which was analyzing the Christian philosophy in footings of doctrine. During the Middle Ages these two subdivisions of Christianity drifted apart. A battle over the usage of icons leaded to the split. Many Byzantine Christians prayed to images such as Christ, the Virgin Mary, and many saints. In 700, a Byzantine emperor prohibited the worship of icons. It was said that praying to the icons broke the commandment against idolizing # 8220 ; graven objects. # 8221 ; This misdemeanor set off violent differences in the imperium. As a consequence the Catholic Pope excommunicate the emperor. This struggle left great hatred towards the Catholic Pope. In 1054 a lasting split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church took topographic point. Both the Catholic Pope and patriarch excommunicated each other. After this the two different churches treated each other as challengers. After Justinian? s decease, savages attacked the imperium on all foreparts. Langobards from Germany took over parts of Italy, and Slavs and Avars invaded the Balkan Peninsula. Iranian invasions weakened the imperium during the late 500? s and early 600? s. Heraclius, who became swayer in 610, stopped the prostration by get the better ofing the Persians. The new enemy attacked the diminished imperium in 634, when Muslim Arabs invaded its Middle Eastern district. By 642, the Arabs had conquered Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. By the early 700? s, the imperium consisted merely of Asia Minor, the Balkan seashore, Crete and other Grecian islands, southern Italy, and Sicily. In the 700? s and early 800? s, Byzantine emperors tried to stop the worship of images of Jesus Christ and the saints. Churchs in the western portion of the imperium opposed this action. This difference about split the imperium. During the 800? s, the imperium began to spread out once more. Byzantine armies drove the Arabs back on several foreparts. From 867 to 1025, under Emperor Basil I and his posterities, the imperium achieved another major period of success. Basil began work on a new codification of Torahs. Leo VI, who came to power in 886, completed the codification and encourages creative persons and bookmans. Constantine the VII, who ruled from 913-959, continued to promote the humanistic disciplines. Basil II, who became emperor in 976, regained district in eastern Asia Minor and reconquered Bulgaria. Trade grew in add-on to this enlargement and the imperium thrived. The epoch from about 1025 to 1453 was the diminution of the Byzantine Empire. Loss of district and lickings by the reformers were reverses that the imperium could non retrieve from. By 1071, the Normans had taken southern Italy. That same twelvemonth, in Asia Minor, the Seljuk Turks defeated a Byzantine ground forces in the Battle of Manzikert. This licking began the diminution of Byzantine control of Asia Minor. Emperor Alexius Comnenus, who came to power in 1081, asked the Christians of Western Europe to assist support the imperium against the Turks. The Turks had invaded the Holy Land in add-on to the Byzantine Empire. The military expeditions of the Christians against the encroachers of the holy Land became known as the Crusades. During the first Crusade, from 1096 to 1099, reformers regained the coastal parts of the Holy Land. Subsequently campaigns resulted in increased tensenesss between the Byzantines and the West European Christians. In 1204, during the Fourth Crusade, spiritual hatred played a cardinal function in the gaining control of Constantinople by Western forces. This conquering occurred partially because merchandisers from the Italian metropolis of Venice wanted to derive control over trade in the Middle East. The Venetians and the reformers established a new imperium and kept the authorities in Constantinople. Members of the tribunal of the defeated Byzantines established bases in Asia Minor. The Byzantines recaptured Constantinople in 1261. But Ottoman Turks shortly invaded Asia Minor, and the Serbs advanced in the Balkans. Civil wars besides weakened the imperium. By the late 1300? s, Constantinople and portion of Greece were all that remained of the imperium. The imperium ended in 1453, when Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople. They last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI, died while supporting the metropolis. For centuries, the Byzantines were the most powerful and influential people in Europe and the Middle East. Their parts to the universe were many. Scholars preserved the literature of Rome and Greece through the darkest centuries of the Middle Ages. Statesmen developed open uping legal codifications, which were used as a footing for imperial monarchies for more than 1,000 old ages. Artists created a typical manner of mosaic work, picture, and vaulted architecture, which influenced the civilizations of Greece, Italy, Spain, and Russia. The Byzantine province faith, the Eastern Orthodox Christianity, became dominant in the Balkan and Russian lands every bit good as in Greece. 1.Treadgold, Warren. A History of the Byzantine Empire. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997. 2.Crawley, C.W. , Darby, H.C, Heurtly, W.A. , Woodhouse, C.M. A Short History of Greece.New York: Cambridge University Press:1965. ( pp48-76 ) 3. # 8221 ; Byzantine Empire. # 8221 ; The World Book Encyclopedia.World Book Inc. 2000. ( pp749-754 ) 4.Knoph, Alfred A. Constantinople: Birth of an Empire. New York: Harold Lamb ( Publisher ) ,1957. ( pp53-73 ) 5.Gage, Nicholas. Hellas: A Portrait of Greece. New York: Villard Books, 1987. 6. # 8221 ; Byzantine Empire. # 8221 ; Collier? s Encyclopedia. New York: Macmillan Educational Company, 1989. ( pp67-83 )