This is part of the
Medieval European History Metanode.
The
Roman Emperor Constantine moved the
capital of his
Empire to Byzantium and renamed it
Constantinople on 11 May 330 CE. This Byzantine Empire remained strong long after
the fall of the Roman Empire. It did not suffer the
economic depression that plagued the West, and its cities remained strong. Constantinople was nearly
impregnable and well-placed for
trade. The Emperor drew
taxes and
soldiers from
Asia Minor, and maintained a strong
army and
navy. Byzantine
civilization was the synthesis of three elements:
1. Culturally, it was both
Greek and
Persian, which made it different from Western culture.
2. Its
Christianity was very Greek, with a different focus than Roman Christianity.
3. The Empire had a Roman
government, complete with very Roman Emperors.
The Emperor
Justinian (527-565) was either the last true Roman Emperor or the first true Byzantine Emperor, depending on how you look at it. He wanted to restore Roman power in the West, and sent troops all over southern
Europe and northern
Africa for that purpose. He also revolutionized the Law by instituting the
Corpus Juris Civilis, consisting of:
1.
codex, which organized 1000 years of Roman Law
2.
digest, a summary of major cases that set
precedents
3.
institutes, a summary of the Law for
laymen and students
4.
novellae, the new laws
The Corpus Juris Civilis was the primary means through which Roman Law was transmitted after the fall of the Roman Empire. It became the basis of Law in the West, and was even taught at the University of Bologna in 1050.
The Byzantine Emperors conquered and lost
Cyrpus,
Syria,
Palestine, and
Egypt. The
Muslim Arabs besieged Constantinople on several occasions, but they did not conquer it until the 15th century.
The
Iconoclastic Controversy arose in the 8th century. Emperors Leo III and Constantine IV were
iconoclasts, or "image breakers". They outlawed the use of religious
icons in worship. The "image worshippers" were known as "
iconodules". The Iconoclastic Controversy became an attack on the
monasteries, who held much land that the Emperors craved. The army was iconoclastic, and the
clergy and
laypeople were iconodules. Many assassinations and skirmishes surrounded the controversy until the reign of Michael III, who restored the use of religious images in 843 and ended the controversy. Icons are still a major part of
Eastern Orthodoxy to this day.
The Macedonian
Dynasty (867-1056) was characterized by conflicts with the
barbaric tribes of Eastern Europe. Emperors in this dynasty conquered the
Balkan Penninsula and converted the
Slavs to Christianity. One Emperor stands out as particularly nasty: Basil the Bulgar-Slayer (976-1025), who lived up to his name. He completely destroyed the
Bulgar army and sent 14,000 Bulgars home blinded. Unfortunately, he was succeeded by weak emperors.
The end of the Macedonian Dynasty marked the beginning of the decline of the Byzantine Empire. In 1071,
Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantine Army at the Battle of Manzikert. In 1204,
Crusaders diverted from their true task sacked Constantinople (see
Pope Innocent III). Finally, in 1453, the
Ottoman Turks laid a fatal
siege to Constantinople. After 50 days and many
cannon blasts to the walls of the city, Constantinople fell, and the Turkish leader Mehmed II renamed the city
Istanbul.