Byzantine empire

Basic Info
 330 – 1453 AD
 Created by division of Roman empire
 Eastern part of Roman empire
 Capital: Constantinopole
 Became part of the Orthodox Church
Constantinopole
 Found by Constantine I in 330 AD
 Natural harbor on borders between Asia and
Europe = control of trade
 Heavy fortification – The Theodosian Walls
 Became the richest and the most important
Christian city in the world
Emperors
 Basileus
 Absolute monarch
 needed the assistance of an expert government
 Expected to rule wisely and justly, had to be
military successful
 Could be removed by military generals
 Commander of army, head of the
Church and government
 Appointed dismissed nobles
Government
 Followed the patterns from imperial Rome
 Emperor had to consult with the senate
 Senators – men who risen through higher ranks of
military
 No elections, gained position by status
 Sacrum consistorium – Group of elite senators,
advised the emperor
Justinian and Theodora
 Justinan was an emperor with absolute power and
ruled with the help of Theodora
 Created huge Christian empire
 Byzantine empire was at its peak, Hagia Sophia was
built, Justinian Code was created
 Regained much of the lost territories of the Ancient
Rome
Justinian Code
 Corpus Juris Civilis (Corpus of Civil Law)
 Created by Justinian I
 Created by legal experts, who collected and edited
many Roman laws through many centuries and
made it into a one Corpus
 Made laws clearer for all
 Influenced legal systems of western
democracies
Society
 Big importance to family name and inherited wealth
 Land = wealth, education = higher status
 Lower class – follow profession of parents, but
could social climb
 High class – legal affairs, administration
 Middle class – craftsman, merchants, farmers
 Low class – workers on someone else´s land
 Slaves – usually prisoners of war
Byzantine Church
 Orthodox Christianity
 Affected politics, art and architecture
 Headed by the patriarch of Constantinople
 Emperor appointed patriarch
 Monasticism - Men and women retired to
monasteries where they devoted their lives to Christ
and helping the poor and sick
 Many monks were also scholars, most famously Saint
Cyril ,who invented the Glagolitic alphabet
Architecture
 Inspiration from the Near East
 The interior was more important
 Built Roman structures like aquaducts,
amphitheatres, baths and villas
Fall of the empire
 The 4th crusade took over the Constantinople
and damaged most of its buildings
 Byzantine empire failed to regain its strenght

and lost territories

 In 1453 AD the Ottoman empire took over the

Constantinople and the Byzantine empire

ceased to exist
 Constantinople was renamed Istanbul and

became capital of the Ottoman empire

Thank you for your attention!