Byzantine Empire Overview

Overview

This lecture covers the rise, major events, achievements, and decline of the Byzantine Empire, emphasizing key emperors, military innovations, religious controversies, and the empire's lasting cultural impact.

Origins and Foundation

• Byzantium was a small city chosen by Constantine the Great as the empire's new capital, renamed Constantinople.
• Constantinople's strategic location on the Bosporus Strait made it highly defensible.
• The Eastern Roman Empire survived barbarian invasions that collapsed the West due to geography and diplomacy.

Golden Age and Expansion

• Emperor Justinian I (527–565) led campaigns to reclaim lost Roman territories in Africa, Spain, and Italy.
• Justinian financed monumental building projects, including the Hagia Sophia.
• After Justinian's death, newly conquered lands were lost and wars with the Sassanid Persians weakened the empire.

Challenges and Religious Controversy

• Emperor Heraclius I (610–641) briefly restored territories but lost them to the expanding Muslim Caliphate.
• The empire entered the Byzantine Dark Ages, facing military pressure and internal religious strife over iconoclasm (destruction of icons).
• Religious images were eventually restored by Empress Theodora, cementing icon veneration in the Greek Orthodox Church.

Macedonian Renaissance and Military Strength

• Basil I founded the Macedonian dynasty, initiating an era of artistic and educational revival.
• Emperor Basil II defeated the Bulgarians and expanded the empire’s influence in the Balkans.
• The Byzantines used "Greek fire," a powerful incendiary weapon, in naval battles.

Relations and Split with the West

• The Byzantine Empire influenced the Kievan Rus’, spreading Christianity and the Cyrillic alphabet.
• The empire’s military elite included Scandinavian Varangians, evidenced by Viking graffiti in the Hagia Sophia.
• The growing cultural and religious rift led to the 1054 schism between the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic churches.

Crusades and Decline

• Emperor Alexius I Komnenos sought help from the Pope, leading to the First Crusade and temporary recovery of territory.
• The Fourth Crusade (1204) resulted in the sack of Constantinople and temporary fragmentation of the empire.
• The Byzantine Empire was briefly restored in 1261 but continued to weaken due to invasions by Turks, Serbs, and Italians.

Fall and Legacy

• By the 15th century, Byzantium was reduced to Constantinople and small surrounding areas.
• In 1453, Sultan Mehmed II captured Constantinople using advanced cannons, ending the Eastern Roman Empire.
• The flight of Byzantine scholars and artists to the West contributed to the European Renaissance.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Byzantine Empire — The continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire from late antiquity to 1453.
• Constantinople — Capital of the Byzantine Empire, strategically located on the Bosporus.
• Iconoclasm — Banning and destruction of religious images in the 8th–9th centuries.
• Greek fire — Incendiary weapon used by the Byzantines, effective in naval warfare.
• Varangian Guard — Elite unit of Viking mercenaries serving as the emperor’s bodyguards.
• Schism of 1054 — Formal split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review the timeline of key emperors and major events of the Byzantine Empire.
• Study the impact of religious controversies on Byzantine society.
• Examine the causes and effects of the Fourth Crusade and the fall of Constantinople.