Art In The Byzantine Empire

Art In The Byzantine Empire
Art in the Byzantine Empire
Early Christianity and Byzantine art started after Jesus's death in the first century. The art made
during this period was kept a secret because Christianity was not allowed to be a religion but many
people were Christian throughout Europe. The Romans and the rest of Europe killed Christians so
the artist disguised their work so they would not be found and killed.
The Byzantine's Art is beautiful and extravagant art. All the art is unique and very important because
it helped keep people busy; much like today when they put art up to show. The Byzantines art has
great value. The capital of the Roman Empire is Byzantine. They renamed Byzantine to
Constantinople.
All of Byzantine art was flat. There was no three–dimensional
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Advanced Technology In The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was one of the many great nations in human history. The Byzantine empire
was formed in 330 A.D when Constantine moved the Roman Empire capital from Rome to the
Greek city of Byzantium, in what is now modern day Turkey. Constantine eventually changed the
name of the capital city to Constantinople. Constantinople remained the capital of the empire for the
rest of its days. The movement of the capital, however, led to the division of the Roman Empire into
Western and Eastern Rome. Although the west fell, the east survived and eventually became the
Byzantine empire, which would last for hundreds of years. A combination of advanced technology,
specialized workers, complex institutions, advanced cities, and record keeping made the Byzantine
empire one of the leading civilizations of its time.
The first aspect that defines a civilization is having advanced technology. Many of these
technologies are portrayed in the city of Constantinople in its architecture and the city's defense.
One example of these defensive technologies was the use of defensive chains in several waterways,
such as the Golden Horn. These incredibly sturdy chains were set at the mouth of the waterways in
order to prevent enemy ships from sailing through the passages. Towers were another example of
defensive technology built along the city's outer walls. These towers helped to create stability in the
walls and were excellent lookout posts and great spots for archers to mount during an invasion

Byzantine Empire Derivation
The derivation of the expansive civilization also known as the Byzantine Empire can be traced as far
back to 330 CE. It started when the Roman Emperor Constantine I dedicated a site located in the
Ancient Greek settlement, Byzantium, to the empire and as a result the location was declared "New
Rome". Although, in the later centuries, the western side of the Roman Empire dissolved in 476, the
eastern side remained intact and survived for at least another ten centuries, which resulted in the
spawning of enriched artist tradition, literature and learning, that served as a militia buffer between
the newer European States and the threat of the Asian States invasion. Despite there stronghold and
tactfulness, the empire fell in 1453 after the Ottoman ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
With the location of the destination on a strait – it was rather difficult to breach the defences of the
capital. In addition to this, the eastern empire had much shorter frontier with the rest of the
European empire. The Eastern Emperors learnt from the mistakes of their Western brothers, and
were able to exert more control over the economic resources of the empire as well as muster the
sufficient amount of manpower required to combat against invasion from all sides. As a result of
these advantages, the Eastern sect of the Roman Empire was able to survive for centuries after the
corrosion of the Western

The Roman Empire : The Fall Of The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine era was the era that shaped our world and made it what it is today. They influenced
modern decisions and they were a very advance civilization in that age. The Roman emperor
Constantine and his successor moved the Capital to the Eastern Mediterranean and they rebuilt the
city called Byzantium and called it Constantinople. The empire grew out to the Middle East and to
Northern Africa. The Eastern side of the Roman empire became too known as the Byzantine empire.
The empire held its power for 500 years after it collapsed. There are a lot of reasons why the empire
fell and one of them are that they were attacked by barbaric tribes like the Goths. The roman empire
also fell because they overly relied on peasants who were the farmers and the soldiers in the
military. The roman empire was also attacked by the Arabs in the 600s and the 700s and overall
these 3 reasons were one of the few reasons why the roman empire came to an end. Even if the
roman empire fell it impacted the world a lot even to this day the ideas they made are still being
used. There are a lot of reasons why people should study about the Byzantine era and one of them
are that they were skilled and very advanced in military and in economic power for back then. They
had a very different approach to military as the peasants formed the backbone of the empire as they
were the ones basically doing everything. "Peasants formed the backbone of the empire, working the
land, paying taxes and providing

The Byzantine Empire Essay
The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, the survivor of the Roman empire, flourished into the oldest and longest
lasting empire in our history. It began with Constantine the Great's triumph of Christianity. He then
transferred his capital from Rome to the refounded Byzantium in the early 4th century, year 330 AD,
and named it
Constantinople after himself. This city became the surviving safe spot after the breakup of the
Western Roman empire by the 5th century. It was by far the largest and richest city in Christendom
during the Middle Ages with a population of about one million people. (Encarta) Constantine the
Great had established a criterion for the empire to follow throughout its history. It included the
harmony of the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
(Great Ages) The Greek language led to a Greek culture. The Byzantine empire stood out for their
Christian religion and their expression of it in their artwork.
These Romans carved exquisite ivories, illuminated manuscripts, and formed mosaics out of glass
and stone. Mosaics were pictures formed from these objects with the intent to stimulate profound
religious thought. The mood of these mosaics was always honoring and respectful of Christianity
and its components.
Another form of Christian expression was in the form of icons. These were parts of the Gospel
played out into visual pictures. The icons portrayed prayers, hymns, and sermons in color. These too
created a reverence for worshippers to follow. That was the first goal of icons. The second goal was
to form an existential link between themselves as worshippers and God. These are only a few ways
that Byzantines use art as a part of their religion. (Great Ages) Religion was a great part of the
Byzantine empire. To form a bigger
Christian kingdom, Christian Justinian the first attempted to bring the west and east Byzantine
empires together in 527 AD Justinian became the second emperor of Byzantine at that time. Him
and his wife, Theodora, set a goal to restore the former majesty. (Oxford History) They wanted to
improve the intellectual quality and their geographical limits of the Roman Empire. At a great cost,
they reconquered North Africa,

Essay On How Did The Byzantine Empire And The Spread Of...
In the 10th century between the years of 1237 to 1480 B.C.E., Russia converted to the Christian
religion but did not convert to the Catholic Church practices. Russia was a member of the Byzantine
Eastern Orthodox Church. The religion of the Byzantine power was founded by Constantine, but it
ended in 1453. The major differences in the Catholic and Orthodox churches were church
governors. In the Catholic Church, the pope was in charge of Catholics, and the patriarchs (who
functioned as arch bishops) governed the Byzantines. The practice of Caesaropapism (emperor of
head of church and state...no pope) was introduced to Russia and was a legacy in the Byzantine
Church, and Russia applied it to their government.
After the great Mongolian invasion ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Elizabeth I came to power and was also concerned with Russia's culture. She indulged and splurged
on building projects and wars. She is the creator of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. She ignored
the conditions of the serfs (peasant) of Russia (will backfire on the Romanovs), and she was killed
by her own soldiers eventually. She was succeeded in death by Peter the 3rd. Catherine the Great
was then named the tsarina of Russia. She improved the economy, law code, and education system
during her rule. She also abolished capital

Justinian And Theodora And Byzantine Cultures In The...
World Changers
Justinian and Theodora ruled the Byzantine Empire from 527 to 565 AD, in their time they
influenced not only the art of the era, but also the architecture and the church. Byzantine was an
extremely diverse culture. It included members from groups around the entire known world at the
time and this region brought them together (Brooks). This diversity did lead to conflict once
Justinian became emperor due to his intolerance for what he considered paganistic rituals. This lead
him to end the Academy and for him or even go so far so to put in place measures that limited the
Semitic lifestyle. Theodora was one of the most powerful empresses of the Byzantine era and was
wife of Justinian. In her youth she was a prostitute and dancer and this translated into her adulthood
as her fighting for women's rights. Justinian claimed to be a "Christian Emperor" and accomplished
many achievements with both the church and with law. The goal of their reign was to restore Rome
to its previous vigor through their influence in the culture that was portrayed through mosaics and
churches. While they did not achieve the full life of Rome again, they did influence it and bring it
out of the darkness that it was beginning to fall into.
There is a mosaic located in the San Vitale church located in Ravenna. This mosaic depicts Justinian
and a court of clergymen in the chancel of the church. In this art there are many symbols. According
to Khan Academy in this mosaic Justinian is seen in

Byzantine Empire
Characterized by the existence of their efficient economy, the Byzantine empire is regarded as one
of the most successful imperiums to thrive on the face of the earth. With countless factors
contributing to their prosperity, the fundamental cause for their success was the amount of wealth
they possessed throughout their reign. Compared to western culture, the Byzantines were
unsurpassed, possessing a large amount of visible wealth. The lively markets and active traders were
able to develop the economy as a whole. Metropolises such as Constantinople and Thessalonica
were able to attract foreigners, who introduced new ideas, traditions, and materials into the empire.
This exchange was primarily made through local, regional, and international ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
The system was categorized into three forms of trade, local, regional, and intercultural trade. Each
of them having specialized merchants, who were accustomed to the goods and the environment of
the market. Defined by the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library, local trade is a "one–day transit time,
or within a radius of less than about 50 Kilometers by land or the distance of one day's sailing."
Merchants who specialized in local trade were exchanging low–cost goods that customarily were
self–produced. Linen, woven cloth, grains, and ceramics were commonly traded items on these
routes. Local trade was able to increase the stature of proletariats by providing wealth and materials
to the local population. Moreover, transactions made "below ten days' travel is the regional level.
Regional travel also involves professional traders, whereas local trade is still partly or mostly in the
hands of the local producers themselves." Comparable to local trade; Regional trade carried
everyday constituintes and nourishments, but it also handled raw materials such as iron, wood, and
charcoal. Beyond this boundary, intercultural trade, "connects two different regions that each have a
radius of 100 to 300 kilometers," allowing individuals with different backgrounds to interact,with
the interaction came the exchange of intellectual ideas and traditions. As cultural exchange took
place across the

Byzantine Empire Religion Essay
Religion in the Byzantine empire was used as a means for war, but it also caused internal conflicts in
the empire, and it was used as a way to get political power. With the Islamic Caliphates, religion was
also used as a means for war, but the Caliphates were not considered priestly and were more of a
military general, the Caliphates were also tolerant to the people they conquered if they were a part of
an Abrahamic religion.
In both the Byzantine Empire and, with the Islamic Caliphates, religion was used as a means of war.
In the Byzantine Empire, in the middle of the 11th century, its borders began to be overrun by
Turkish invaders. The ruler of the Byzantine Empire turned to the Pope for help against these
Turkish invaders. In response to this, in 1095CE Pope Urban II launched the first crusade. His goal
was to push back the Turks from the borders of Byzantine but he also hoped he could reclaim the
holy city of Jerusalem. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In Islam this was different. The caliphs were still considered somewhat priestly, because the first 4
were directly related to Muhammed but after that point they were more used for military purposes.
The caliphs whole goal was to spread the religion of Islam by conquest. This in and of itself is
directly related to military purposes. The caliphs were very good at their purpose too. Islam is one of
the fastest growing religions in history because of its wide appeal and because of the caliph's ability
to expand Islam territory. Islam was essentially a power house from 661 to 717 under the Umayyad
Dynasty. They conquered a lot of land and vastly grew their territory. They were stopped in 717 by
Byzantine when Islamic armies failed to take the capital, Constantinople, twice. The position of
caliph changed from a priestly one, when they were directly related to Muhammed, to a more
military oriented one when they needed to expand territory and grow the

Rome: The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was an Eastern Roman that was located along Europe and Asia during
375CE. The Byzantine was a rural population. They grew fruits, wheat, and cotton. The degree of
farming mainly depended on the location. The Byzantine Empire's capital is called Constantinople,
which was founded as the second Rome. The official language spoken among the Byzantine was
Greek, to Justinian, an emperor, preserving the greek and latin language was important. Justinian
came to power in 527 CE–565 CE as an absolute power emperor. Justinian improved Constantinople
by adopting Roman architecture and building the Hagia Sophia. The architecture of the empire was
advanced as seen from the Hagia Sophia, this shows the prosperity of the empire. During

The Roman Empire And The Byzantine Empire
After reading the text book about the Roman Empire. I found that the Roman Empire was divided
into two parts. The Western half, ruled by Rome, fell to the tribal Germanic peoples in the 5th
century. The Eastern half, known as the Byzantine Empire, until it began to decline in power, the
Byzantine Empire was one of the leading civilizations in the world. The first Christian emperor
became sole ruler of the Roman Empire. He set up his colony of Byzantium. The city, renamed
Constantinople after its founder, It became the capital of the Byzantines after the Roman Empire
was formally divided.
The eastern is differed from the western in many aspects. During the Hellenistic civilization, some
elements dating back to the conquests of Alexander the Great, showing more urban, and richer than
the West, and its emperors, who in the Hellenistic tradition combined political and religious
functions, had firmer control over all classes of society. They also were more skillful in defending
off invaders, through warfare and diplomacy. With the Byzantine emperors, who still considered
themselves Romans, and support the dream of control the barbarian kingdoms of the West and join
up the empire.
The greatest of these emperors was Justinian who prepared for the conquest by defeating the
Persians on the eastern frontier and divided the Roman Catholic church. The weakened of his
empire, preoccupied with internal problems, grew less and less concerned with the West. Although
its rulers continued

The Roman Empire And The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the successor of the Roman Empire during the time period of Late
Antiquity and the Medieval Ages. The Byzantine Empire was also called Eastern Roman Empire, so
this proves that it was a continuation of the Roman Empire, but they were speaking Greek, and did
not forget about the Greek tradition. According to Browning, the physicians during the Byzantine
Empire like Oreibasios, who was "the Emperor Julian's physician and friend", use the scientific and
old version of Greek medicine to treat patients, and this means that medical doctors did not forget
about their Greek roots. Starting from Basil I, a Byzantine Emperor between 867 and 886, the
Byzantine Empire entered its Golden Age, and according to Browning, Basil I established a very
good Empire time that would last two centuries with his precious energy and rules. After decades,
this Golden Age began to give place to decline because, according to Browning, within the eleventh
century, the attitudes and the thoughts that were primitive, spoilt, and lack of imagination of the
future of the Empire began to become strong among the aristocratic society, and this began to harm
Byzantine's economic and military power. This kind of harm to the centralized government of the
Byzantine Empire did not show itself as a poisonous snake till 1060 because the Empire could not
function itself as usual. Therefore, the enemies of the Byzantine Empire took an advantage of this
weakness. Hungarians took Belgrade

Innovations In The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire strengthened through legal innovations such as the creation of the Code of
Justinian. The code was a collection up many edicts and rulings regarding law by previous
emperors, which unified and organized the empire. Prior to the code, the Byzantine Empire's laws
were multitudinous and very confusing. Furthermore, military innovations saved the capital from the
Arabs who laid a major siege. A napalm–like weapon called Greek fire was used to destroy Arab
ships at the coasts. This new weapon contained chemicals that ignited as it touched water. It helped
drive back the Arab naval forces. Also, the empire expanded religious innovations through the
building of new churches such as the Hagia Sophia. It was an achievement for Christianity and
engineering. No other building in the world at the time could support a dome so large. However, it
later became a mosque when the Ottoman Turks conquered the Byzantine Empire. Caesaropapism
became evident in Byzantine Empire as it incorporated the state and the church in society. However,
the state was superior than the church. For example, the emperor appointed the leaders of the church
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The government became an important factor that impacted the Byzantine Empire's trade. The
government controlled special interest rates on popular items such as silk. Silk was only bought
from China at the time; however, silk worms were smuggled and the Byzantine Empire took
advantage of this. The state made a government monopoly through the manufacturing of silk in
imperial factories. They became the sole provider of silk in the Byzantine Empire. However,
merchants were allowed to buy silk outside of Constantinople, but they were not allowed to travel
outside of the city. Finally, coinage played a huge role to the empire's trade, because it allowed
organization within the empire that contributed to the economic

The Reign Of The Byzantine Empire
1) The Byzantine emperors were more powerful than previous Roman emperors because the
Byzantine emperors inherited imperial law, which were only provincial forms of Roman law that
survived in the west. Also, the emperors were able to transition smoothly into the role of all
powerful Christian monarchs.
2) The Byzantine Empire post 600 CE can be categorized as a "beleaguered" empire because they
only had a single ruler who endowed with supreme legal and religious authority was able to prevent
the breakup of the Eastern Empire. Also, the loss and decreased of the populous provinces lessened
the power of the empire. The Byzantine emperors then were encountered with new enemies from the
north and south, while the relations worsened between the emperor and the popes and kings of
western Europe.
3) Political, economic and social transformations that were caused in the Byzantine Empire by "the
plague of Justinian", the 7th century epidemics, and the loss of Egypt and Syria had a long effect on
the empire. The plague of Justinian was a bubonic plague that spread throughout the community,
while killed most of the population of the empire. The 7th century epidemic went through a gradual
and less conspicuous social transformation. Lastly, the loss of Egypt and Syria was also caused by
the gradual and less conspicuous social transformation that has set in.
4) Similarities that existed in the 7th century between the treatment of women in the Byzantine
Empire and women bordering

The Ottoman Of The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine army was a very large and successful army that brought the Byzantine Empire into
the middle ages. The army flourished because of their new developments in warfare, and their
organized battle tactics. The fall of the Byzantine Empire was due to the Ottoman Turks, who had
been pushing borders constantly. The Byzantine Empire never had complete military peace
throughout their entire 1000 years. This lead to several influential developments in their civilization.
Through this paper, I will discuss various types of troops and formations that the Byzantine Army
used for many years as well as the overall organization.
After the fall of Rome, and due to Diocletian 's efforts, the land was split up into two parts, East, and
West. The western part was claimed by the Goth's and other enemies. A city in the eastern part of the
territory called Byzantium was reclaimed by the people inhabiting the area, mainly Greeks.The
civilization of Byzantium was formed as a result. Constantine the Great, an Emperor of the Roman
Empire made a city in Eastern Rome called Constantinople (now known as Istanbul), and this city
later became the capital of the Byzantine Empire, as well as the capital of ancient Christianity. In the
early days of the Empire, the Byzantine army was still fighting in the old, Roman ways. Their
strategies were not working well, as they had too much land to govern from one location. Their
military was small, because they did not have enough money from tax, a

Byzantine Empire Dbq
The fall of the Roman Empire in 476 C.E resulted in many tragedies, as history "replays" itself, this
fall led to starts, the land that was once known as Rome split into two pieces, the eastern part known
as the Byzantine Empire and the western part known as medieval Western Europe. However, the
empires wasn't one that overtook Rome, the Byzantine Empire was rather known as a continuation
of the Roman Empire, which was known to be more politically centralized than Western Europe,
and the two empires were known to have different religious aspects as well, though there are
differences in these empires, being both emerged from Rome led them to having similar aspects in
many ways as well. Though both the Byzantine Empire and Western Europe

The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was a primarily Christian empire whose reign started in 330 A.D and ended
in 1453 A.D with the capturing of the its capital Constantinople by the Muslim Sultan Mehmed II.
In the years following the fall of the Byzantines, many of the Christian basilicas were transformed
into mosques for Islamic worship, inspiring many artists to create works that embodied their
religious politics. One of the pieces created following the fall of the Byzantine Empire is Yusuf
Fleeing Zulayhka, created in 1488 by Kamal al–Din Bihzad, a famous Persian painter who worked
under the patronage of several Persian sultans. The illustration depicts Yusuf's struggle to escape his
master's wife Zulaykha as she chases him through her elaborate palace in an attempt to seduce him.
The representation was made using paint, ink and gold, and features jewel–like colors in order to
portray the extravagancy of the palace Zulayhka has built specifically for the seduction of Yusuf
(Stokstad 286). Bihzad places strong emphasis on the complexity of the palace's architecture which
he has adorned with colorful ornaments and emblazoned with gold. Each room is decorated with
rugs and tiles featuring complex floral and asymmetrical patterns that cover each chamber from
floor to ceiling. The palace appears to be three stories tall and features a balcony on the left and a
zigzagging staircase on the right. The asymmetrical style of these two architectural features gives
the impression of the work

A Summary Of The Ancient Greek And The Byzantine Empires
Both the Ancient Greek and the Byzantine Empires have a long and familiar history with warfare,
acclimated to crushing losses and sweeping victories. In Greece, military action has fended off the
Persian invaders and brought warring city–states deep–set rivalries. Within the Byzantine Empire,
conquest has brought Rome back into the Roman Empire. Despite both civilizations' high esteem in
military conquest and glory, they had contrasting views of warfare and how their respective armies
went to work. The Greek Classical Terracotta volute–krater, attributed to the Painter of the Woolly
Satyr, illustrates two messy front line battles in separate registers. Meanwhile, from the Early
Byzantine period, the silver Plate with the Battle of David and Goliath depicts not so much a battle
between two armies, but rather a dramatic yet organized duel, over the course of 3 registers. From
these two pieces, one could all but assume one statement: of the artists and commissioners of the
terracotta volute–krater and the Plate with the Battle of David and Goliath, only those of the former
have seen battle. In the terracotta volute–krater, the viewer immediately sees from any angle that
there is indeed a raging battle afoot in the register occupying the body of the vase. The
amazonachae, a battle between the mythical Amazon (a race of warrior women) and Greeks, were a
popular subject of works, particularly in Athens. On one face of the neck of the vase, there rages a
fight between centaurs and Lapiths. Meanwhile, the Byzantine Plate with the Battle of David and
Goliath depicts the titular duel from the holy text. Despite drawing the viewer's eyes to the larger
middle register depicting the biblical fight, the silver plate's top register begins the plate's narrative:
David is confronting the giant Goliath. More importantly, among the two holding their hands out in
blessing (thumb to ring finger), David has the the blessing of God (depicted as a hand descending
from the sky). In this narrative, David's victory is assured; after all, he has the approval of God; such
is not the case in the amazonachae nor the centauromachia depicted on the volute–krater, in which
victory is still uncertain. Needless to say, these works of art do not

The Axum Empire, Byzantine And Aztec Empires
In many societies, the elites or aristocrats are given the chance to have a more luxurious life than
everyone else. They are handed more political, economic and social power. Specifically in the
Indian, Byzantine and Aztec empires, elites were allowed to have almost complete control over the
people of the land. They are allowed to make, break and enforce rules to their discretion. The
aristocrats were given respect, land, food, and care far superior to anyone else in the region.
The Axum kingdom illustrated the potential of trade to boost economic development and support
political development. Axum was originally a small kingdom whose merchants traded from the port
of Adulis on the Red Sea. While Axumite merchants traded with Muslim merchants on a regular
basis, they were challenged by Muslim forces. However, they were able to maintain independence
and prosperity because of its large participation in trading routes of the Indian Ocean. The term caste
refers to a social class of hereditary and usually unchangeable status. When the Aryans first
implemented the caste system in India, they used the term varna, meaning "color, to refer to major
social classes. There were five main varnas: brahmins (priests); kshatriyas (warriors and aristocrats);
vaishyas (cultivators, artisans, and merchants); shudras (landless peasants, and serfs); and
untouchables (people who performed unpleasant tasks such as handling dead bodies or butchering
animals). As society became more complex and

Origins Of The Byzantine Empire
Culminating Activity Board Information Origins of the Byzantine Empire (330–1453 CE)
The Byzantine Empire is another word for the eastern half of the Roman Empire. It was born after a
series of events that led to the fall of the western half of the Roman Empire. In 285 A.D., Diocletian
decided to split the Roman Empire in half because the rapidly growing population was becoming
too large to govern for a single person. This decision is considered to be one of the main acts that led
to the downfall of the Western Roman world. The Byzantine Empire began to take shape after
Constantine I took control of the Western Roman Empire after winning the Battle of the Milvian
Bridge in October of year 312 A.D. Around 324 A.D., the Constantine I, defeated his co–emperor,
Licinius, in a battle. Constantine became the first Christian emperor the Roman Empire ever had. In
330 A.D., Constantine I relocated the capital of Rome and chose to establish it in the city on the
east, known as Byzantium. The new Roman capital became known as Constantinople. The Western
Roman Empire began to slowly disintegrate as Germanic tribes, like the Vandals began invading the
Western Roman Empire. In 476, the barbarian Odoacer invaded Rome and overthrew the last
emperor, Romulus Augustus, and Rome fall. The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 separated
the prosperous eastern half of the Roman Empire and spawned a "new" Rome with a rich culture
and the most powerful economy in all of Europe. The capital

Byzantine Empire Dbq Analysis
Another way the crusades led to the fall of the Byzantine Empire was the presence of weak
leadership. For instance, Emperor Alexius is anxious to gain loyalty and strength because his empire
is weaker internally; therefore he forces loyalty oaths. Alexius's need to make other leaders take an
oath proves he was not a strong enough leader to deserve the respect of the people, therefore
resulting in the people revolting, causing everlasting internal damage (Doc 2.) A chronicler is a
person who writes accounts of important or historical events or people. Therefore, it is Anna
Comnena's job to write down her father's actions and interactions, she is unbiased because she
shows the weakness of her father and does not write to boast about how great her father is. All in all,
Anna writes in a ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The Hagia Sophia was one of the greatest Orthodox churches built by Justinian. Alexius IV in other
words destroys the empire and lowers religious values. The empire and the emperor must be so
vulnerable and powerless to have to burn religious icons in order to pay enemies. In essence, the
melting of religious icons demonstrates the emperor's weakness to sustain society. The turning
against religious values made the citizens of the Byzantine Empire revolt, causing more internal
conflict, which allows the Turks to devise ways to conquer the "holy lands" (Doc5.) Jonathon's
Phillips secondary source includes a primary a source where the tone is miserable and the person
who is watching this empire crumble is in horror and complete sadness. This document shows
Alexius IV has come to his last resort and began to destroy his one unifying element in his society.
Alexius IV had to choose religion or the protection of his empire, and as most emperors would, he
chose to protect society rather than preserving religion. The excerpt from The Letter of Alexius, the
reader can clearly see the vulnerability of the

The Word Iconoclasm In The Byzantine Empire
The Word Iconoclasm refers to the destruction of images or hostility towards visual representations
in general. This word more specifically is used for the iconoclastic Controversy that shook the
Byzantine Empire for more than 100 years. The Hostility towards religious representations began in
726 when Emperor Leo publicly opposed the icons. The word icon refers to many different things
today. "It can refer to graphic symbols in our software and to powerful cultural figures."(Dr. Davor
Dzalto). However, the original meaning comes from the Greek meaning for image. In the medieval
era, it meant a religious image on a wooden panel used for prayer and devotion. "More specifically,
icons came to typify the art of the Orthodox Christian Church. ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Another theory suggests that the prohibition was an attempt to keep the growing wealth and power
of the monasteries. They produced the icons and used them as a primary target of the violence of the
Iconoclastic Controversy. Others say the prohibition was religious, and an attempt to correct the
right practice of worshiping images. Leo the third's prohibition may have been because of the huge
volcanic eruption in 726, thought to have happened because of God's anger over the dedication of
the icons. The original theological basis for iconoclasm was weak, they relied mostly on the Old
Testament prohibition. But it was clear that it was not absolute because God gave instructions on
how to make a three–dimensional Cherubim for the Ark of the Covenant, which was quoted in the
Old Testament, a couple of chapters after the passage that prohibits images. Emperor Constantine V
gave a slightly different theological approach for iconoclasm. He claimed, " He claimed that each
visual representation of Christ necessarily ends in a heresy since Christ, according to generally
accepted Christian dogmas, is simultaneously God and man, united without separation, and any
visual depiction of Christ either separates these natures, representing Christ's humanity alone, or
confuses

Defending The Byzantine Empire Essay
Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus has asked Pope Urban II for assistance in defending the
Byzantine Empire. The Pope has called together the Council of Clermont in France. He is asking for
a military expedition to retake the Holy Lands!
Peter the Hermit, a French Monk, pulled together a small, disorganized army of peasants and
soldiers with the use of his sermons. While Peter was in Constantinople, his army was defeated in
Anatolia by Turkish soldiers. This will be known as the People's Crusade.
Peter the Hermit, a French Monk, pulled together a small, disorganized army of peasants and
soldiers with the use of his sermons. While Peter was in Constantinople, his army was defeated in
Anatolia by Turkish soldiers. This will be known as the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Saladin easily recaptured Jerusalem from the Christian armies. Another call went out across Europe
for another Crusade. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany, King Phillip II of France, and King
Richard I of England stepped forward.
After much fighting, Richard the Lionheart and Saladin have created a peace treaty. According to
this treaty, The Muslim Empire may keep control of Jerusalem but Christian pilgrims had the right
to visit the city. The Crusaders also keep control of their lands north of Jaffa.
After Pope Innocent III called for a new Crusade in 1198, Crusaders led largely by French knights
marched for the Holy Land in 1202 only to be distracted by Venetian lords. These Lords convinced
the Crusaders to attack Constantinople, a Christian city! The Crusaders only managed to take
Constantinople and further weaken the Byzantine Empire.
The final stronghold of Christendom in the Holy Land, Acre, had fallen to the Mamluk Empire after
the 5th, 6th, and 7th Crusades. The only accomplishment during these three was the recapturing of
Jerusalem in after the 6th Crusade but it was later recaptured due to civil war. It seems the Holy
Lands will never again be under Christian

How Did The Crusaders Influence The Byzantine Empire
Pope Urban was seeing an opening for power in the year of 1095. He had decided to help the leader
of the Byzantine Empire by killing the Turks. While the Turks are Muslim and Pop Urban is a
Christian, he wants to stay elsewhere and not around people who don't practice his same religion.
Peter the Hermit was a French monk who created an unorganized army. His 1096 army consisted of
not only soldiers, but peasants, too. Peter and his army started the People's Crusade. Peter pushed
people to fight against the Muslims for the Holy Land.
In 1097, a powerful army was constructed by the combination of the Belgium, the German, the
French, and the Italian. The army consisted of over 30,000 soldiers! The Pope made them a promise
that any of the lands ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Baldwin was the creator of the first Crusader State at Edessa. In August 1098, the crusaders reached
the Jerusalem. When Godfrey passed away, Baldwin became the first king of the Christian
Kingdom.
European lords worked hard to maintain the control over the crusader states. The Holy Order of
Knights fought back when a crusader state was being charged at. Emperor Conrad III and King
Louis VII wanted to overtake Damascus rather than defending Edessa.
King Richard tried to get control of Jerusalem for one year. He decided to form a connection with
his one and only enemy, Saladin. Richard ended up making an agreement with Saladin. Their
agreement was that Christians could be allowed to go to the Holy Land and visit their worshipping
shrines.
The fourth crusade did not hold as much power behind it as the others. In 1202, the crusaders made
their way to the Holy Land lead by the French Knights. On their journey, they were side tracked by
the Venetian Lords. These lords tried to convince them to take control over the Eastern Orthodox
Constantinople. The Pope was not a Greek Orthodox ruler meaning that would make him selfish to
want to rule another Christian

Justinian And The Byzantine Empire
In 527 AD, Justinian took control of the Byzantine Empire. Although it is currently referred to as the
Byzantine Empire, many citizens and leaders, including Justinian, considered themselves to be
Roman and part of the Roman Empire. This mentality led to the revival of the Roman Empire in
Byzantine and in its capital, Constantinople. During his rule, Justinian led the empire to its greatest
size both in the amount of controlled land and influence over groups in Europe and Asia. He also
contributed to the spread of Christianity both within the Byzantine Empire and without. Finally,
Justinian preserved Roman laws for the Byzantine Empire and other European systems of
government. Justinian's successful emulation and revival of the Roman Empire through his
beautification and improvements on Constantinople and other parts of the Byzantine Empire, strong
support of Christianity and role in its growth as a major religion, and his codification of Byzantine
law benefited the Byzantine Empire and the surrounding regions.
Justinian enhanced Constantinople's status through the preservation of Greco–Roman culture and
structures in his building projects, and expanded the Byzantine Empire to heights no other ruler
could reach afterwards, both of which brought glory to the empire and continued the precedent set
by the Western Roman Empire of power and control. Constantinople's buildings were influential in
bringing trade to the city. In a map of Constantinople during Justinian's rule,

The Byzantine Empire : The Fall Of The Roman Empire
My chosen topic is the fall of the Roman Empire and reasons that it fell, including looking at the
reasons for the split in the Empire in c. 312– 395 CE and how the eastern half managed to survive
for so much longer before finally falling. I am interested in this area as before when learning about
the Roman Empire we never cover that it had broken in two and the Byzantine Empire was what
remained of the Roman Empire, we also never look into how the empire stopped, just that it did. The
fall is mainly attributed to the weakness of the Roman army against the surrounding who were
growing stronger and managed to invade the city of Rome and kill the last Emperor, Romulus
Augusts, but this is only the end result of the many factors that lead to the weakening of the Empire.
The death of Romulus Augusts however led only to the fall of the western Roman Empire, the later
named Byzantine Empire lasted until the 15th Century.
Another reason I chose do the impact of Christianity on the Roman Empire, is because I was
interested in seeing how Christianity rose from being prosecuted to becoming the main religion of
the Empire. Also, to see if there was any correlation between the rise of Christianity and the fall of
the Empire. That is the reason that Christianity is the factor in my question as a believe it has a big
impact on the fall of the Empire, while I do not think that it was the final cause I think it defiantly
had a part to play. My aim to learn what factors played a role in the

The Reign Of The Byzantine Empire
Throughout the reign of the Byzantine Empire, sculpting and architecture were the pinnacle of
ancient Byzantine art; leaving a vast collection of masterpieces for later cultures to admire, and even
adopt their majestic styles and techniques. A focal period during the lifespan of the Byzantine
Empire was the reign of Justinian the Great (527–565 A.D.), which is also referred to as the Golden
Age. It is during this time that architecture and sculpture begin to flourish, along with other
mediums of art such as mosaics, murals, and illuminative manuscripts. Very many religious works
of art were created during this time as well, however very few survived the onset of the iconoclast
uproar in 726.
One work of art that managed to remain unharmed by Islamic efforts to destroy religious images is
Archangel Michael, an ivory diptych from the early sixth century. The artist of this sculpture is
unknown; however it is presumed that it was created in the court workshop in Constantinople.
Artists were usually servants to the court and created many pieces of art including byzantine crosses,
and illuminative manuscripts. The diptych consists of two carved panels, usually made of wood or
ivory, that are hinged together in efforts to create a book–like appearance. With roots stemming back
to the ancient Roman Empire, the diptych was used as a political as well as an informative device.
Upon being elected to the post of consul, Roman politicians would send these carvings to very close

The Differences Of The Roman Empire And The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was a vast powerful empire dating from 330–1453. The capital was
Constantinople (modern–day Istanbul), first known as Byzantium. To begin with, the Roman Empire
was split up into two halves by Emperor Diocletian in A.D. 285. The empire was divided into the
Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire (The Byzantine Empire). The Eastern
Roman Empire was similar to the Western Roman Empire but had some prime differences. These
differences included language, acceptance of Christianity, and influences from Middle Eastern along
with Greek Culture. During most of the Eastern Roman Empire's existence, it was the political,
military, and financial powerhouse of Europe. When Justinian I (Widely known as Justinian)
became ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This shows that Justinian is a vicious bloodthirsty man, who did not value the lives of his citizens.
Justinian ruled such as Roman emperors Nero and Caligula in the fact that he was mentally
disturbed and unhinged. He ruled parallel to those emperors because he was bloodthirsty and had no
limits to his extreme tyranny. "He recklessly killed all who dissented, and this too he did in the name
of piety. For he did not call it homicide when those who perished happened to be of a belief that was
different from his own." This is another excerpt from the Secret History by Procopius. It once again
shows that Justinian had no limits to what he viewed as acceptable, ruthlessly murdering all who
stood in his way. Justinian had no limits, as did many Roman emperors. Roman emperors such as
Tiberius, Caligula and, Nero. The last two out of three had an extreme authoritarianism, making the
innocent suffer at any chance they could, such as Justinian. "... So while he was Emperor, the whole
earth ran red with the blood of nearly all the Romans and the barbarians. Such were the results of the
wars throughout the whole Empire. During this time. But the civil strife in Constantinople and in
every other city, if the dead were reckoned, would total no smaller number of slain than those who
perished in the wars, I believe." This excerpt from the

The Roman Empire: The Decline Of The Byzantine Empire
The Roman Empire finally fell in 1453, when the remaining remnants of the once great imperialistic
superpower succumbed to the attack of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks. The decline of the
Roman Empire began after a two–century period known as the Pax Romana, or the Golden Age of
Rome, ended in 180 A.D. Beginning with a weakening economy and through the Empire being
unable to effectively keep control in areas far from Rome, its citizens lost confidence in the Empire
being able to maintain to maintain its people. Other groups of people realized the power vacuum
that existed and slowly took away the territory of the Roman Empire, until the mid–15th century,
when the last remaining Roman government was overthrown. The decline of the Roman ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
with Emperor Justinian using military force to regain "all of the territory that Rome had ever
ruled,"B but begins to experience decline once again during the events surrounding Justinian's death.
"The first crisis actually began before Justinian's death[,] ... the bubonic plague. Historians estimate
that in 542, the worst year of the plague, 10,000 people were dying every day ... until around 700,
when it finally faded. By that time, it had destroyed a huge percentage of the Byzantine
population,"B and had weakened the power of the government. Throughout the rest of Byzantine
history until the mid–1400s, Eastern Roman territory was constantly being invaded by neighboring
countries. The Eastern Empire was also involved in the Crusades, a sequence of wars fought
between the Christians and the Muslims, which spanned from about 1100 to 1300 A.D. After the
Crusades ended, the economy dropped dramatically and was in a dire need of restoration, as
neighboring civilizations continued to infiltrate the Eastern Roman land. "By 1350, it was reduced
to the tip of Anatolia and a strip of the Balkans. Yet thanks to its walls, its fleet, and its strategic
location, Constantinople held out for another 100 years." In the mid–1400s, the Ottoman Turks from
western Anatolia invaded the capital city of Constantinople. The remaining remnant of the Roman
Empire fell in

Byzantine Empire Religion
Byzantine The important thing about the Byzantine Empire is that it prospered for another 1000
years after the fall of Rome. The Roman Empire was split into the Byzantine Empire(East Roman
Empire) by Diocletian to make it easier to rule the huge territory. The Emperor Constantine moved
the capital to Constantinople, a city where many trade routes pass through. As a result,
Constantinople was a rich and prosperous city and so was the empire. Emperor Justinian made a set
of laws for all in the empire to follow called the Justinian Code. It covered almost every topic such
as robberies, marriage, wills, and etcetera. Later in 1054, the Great Schism occurred splitting
Christianity into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church which was used in
the Byzantine Empire. But the important thing about the Byzantine Empire is that it prospered for
another 1000 years after the fall of Rome.
Medieval Europe ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Feudalism is based on an agreement or exchange between each social class, such as knights fight for
lords in return for land. Knights followed a code of chivalry. It started around the fall of the Roman
Empire and the rise in power of the Germanic tribes to the beginning of the Renaissance in the
1500s. The Black Death, also known as the bubonic plague, occured in the 1300s wiping out one–
third of the population in Europe. Right around the time the Hundred Years War took place to fight
for the thrones of France and England. But The important thing about Medieval Europe is that it had
a government system called

The Byzantine Church : The Christian Church In The...
Kacie Lee
Tomasetti
AP World P.6
10/19/17
AP World ID #7
1. Byzantine Church (186)
The Byzantine Church was the Christian church in the Byzantine empire that was closely
intertwined with the government. The rulers of the Byzantine empire regarded the Byzantine Church
as a division of state. A person was chosen to be leaders of the capital (which was the highest
position in the church comparable to the pope), and they had the authority to direct others to give
sermons that encouraged royal rule. This form of rule was called caesaropapism, and it was a origin
of continual dispute between the royal and priestly rulers, and between the emperor and the people.
Byzantine Christianity also displayed the continuous effect of tradition philosophy of Greece.
2. Byzantine Empire (178–191)
3. Constantine (169–180)
4. Cyrillic Alphabet (190–191)
The Cyrillic Alphabet was created during the missionary acts of Cyril and Methodius for the then
unlettered Slavic folks. The alphabet was derived from Greek, but was modified to be more accurate
for the Slavic discourse, and it was commonly used in Europe until the rise of the Roman alphabet,
however, in Russia, the Cyrillic alphabet is still used to this day. This alphabet encouraged change to
the Orthodox Christian religion. Evangelists used the Cyrillic alphabet to convert the Christian
works into the Slavonic language, which helped more people to convert. As an outcome, the Slavic
ethnic customs were impacted by Orthodox Christianity.

Iconoclasm In The Byzantine Empire
When researching iconoclasm during the Byzantine Empire and today's Middle East, one can easily
see the end result of the two ages is similar – the destruction of valuable religious artwork. However
it is important to analyze the reasons and intent behind the destruction. By doing this, a person can
better understand the motivation for the artwork's destruction and even determine if history should
treat the two eras differently.
With respect to the Byzantine era, the reason behind the destruction of icons was a theological
debate within the Christian religion. During this time, the creation of icons was believed to be
divinely inspired by God. Iconophiles, those that like and approve of icons, were devout Christian's
who prayed at an icon because of what it represented – God. However Iconoclasts, those who work
to destroy icons, were also devout Christians. Iconoclasts feared that in praying before the icons
Christians were actually worshiping the icons. They were concerned that Iconophiles believed the
icons had the ability to perform miracles. In this way the use of icons became idol worship and was
against God's commandment and must be destroyed. In fact, when ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
For Isis, iconoclasm is motivated by hate and politics. Specifically, as noted in the Anderson article,
they want to destroy the physical evidence "that any other faith worth valuing existed before their
own." This devaluation of another faith's artifacts minimizes that specific religion and, more
importantly, the people who practice it. Also, as stated in the article by Chitwood, ISIS destroys
religious artifacts to combat "shirk" which the sin of worshipping anything other than Allah. Even
more alarmingly, Chitwood links iconoclasm to the toppling of the World Trade Center as it was an
act against the idolatry of Western

Byzantine Empire Strengths
The definition of Byzantine is "of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient city of Byzantium".
(cite def.) The Byzantine Empire was an Empire located in Constantinople, Rome. This Empire had
a heavy influence on politics, economics and religious issues. The Byzantine Empire had many
strengths and weaknesses. Some strengths were political, military and economic strengths. The
strengths benefited the empire in many ways. One way the Byzantine Empire was benefited by their
strengths was by the ability to survive. The weaknesses were the conflict that devastated the empire
such as the iconoclastic controversy. The iconoclastic controversy pulled the Byzantine Empire apart
and created a rebellion. Another weakness was the dependency the Byzantines had on their allies
this caused the collapse of the Byzantine Empire. This essay will consist of Political strength,
military strength, economic strength, the religious importance to the Byzantine people, how icons
were introduced, start of the controversy, during the controversy, after the controversy and the
collapse of the Byzantine Empire.
The Byzantine Empire's political strength was one of the reasons why the empire lasted for more
than a 1,000 years. The Byzantine Empire had political strength because the government was
unified. Even during a civil ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The people of the Byzantine empire would argue about the rituals and doctrine of the church. The
people of the Byzantine empire had discussed their concerns with the use of icons. Icons are what
some of the people from the Byzantine empire called "holy pictures". Icons were deeply admired by
the Byzantines. The Byzantines would worship icons in the churches, and in their homes. Some
Byzantines were iconoclasts and they felt that icons created idol worship, and felt that anyone who
worshiped icons should be persecuted. The iconoclastic controversy lasted for more than a century.
(history

Pope Urban II: Defending The Byzantine Empire
Emperor Alexius I Comnenus asked Pope Urban II to help defend the Byzantine Empire in 1095
CE. The Pope agreed because he wanted to secure his own power over the church and called a
military expedition to conquer the Holy Land.
Peter the Hermit, a French mock had put together an disorganized army of peasants and soldiers in
1096. His army was known as the Peoples Crusades. While he stayed behind his army crossed over
into Anatolia. There almost all of his army was killed by Turkish soldiers.
The first crusades was led by Godfrey of Bouillon and other French lords. The Crusades captured
Antioch. In August 1098 the Crusades made it to Jerusalem. When Godfrey died, Baldwin became
the first king of the Christian kingdom in Jerusalem.
The Muslims attacked ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Frederick Barbarossa died. Phillip returned to Europe after the capture of Acre in 1191. Richard led
many organizations against Jerusalem. He also failed to retake the city. The peace treaty was that
Saladin's Muslim empire kept control of the Jerusalem and let Christians visit the city.
Pope Innocent III called a new Crusade in 1198. It was led by French knights. They were setting out
for the Holy Land but was distracted by Venetian lords who told them to capture wealth and
splendor of Eastern Orthodox Constantinople instead. The Crusades control Constantinople.
Nicholas of Cologne and Stephen of Cloyes said that god gave them a message to retake Jerusalem
for the Christians. Children at the age of 12 were gathering other children's to fight in the war. Most
of the Young children were peasants. Nicholas led his young soldiers to Rome. The children's that
survived the journey over the Alps some of those children went back home, The ones that stayed
continued to the Port city of Genoa. Some stayed there and made homes. Stephen took his first
group to Paris then they went to Marseilles. The children that set sail in the city have ended up in a
slave market of North Africa.
Short

Controversy: The Byzantine Empire
Third response paper The Byzantine Empire, the successor of the Roman empire, is one of many
religious civilizations that existed in the first millennium. While it was a Christian realm,
simultaneous empires were to be found with other religious–political doctrines, such as the Islamic
Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid empire and Buddhist China. This high diversity of beliefs, which
shaped the entire societal and political structure, has undoubtedly influenced each others at a certain
extent, and it was the case of Byzantium, which, after several moments of rise and decline, saw
several political and religious reforms in an effort to centralize worship characteristics and create a
more homogenous population. Perhaps one of the most significant of these refinements and one
feature that displays the relevance of external influence is the beginning of Iconoclasm. Meanwhile,
in the Asian continent, and particularly in China, a new religious–political dogma was emerging,
known as Neo Confucianism. In this paper I shall discuss the iconoclast controversy, as an attempt
to unify religious practices and beliefs, and its ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Iconoclasm is the ban of religious images, statues and icons for religious or political motives. In
Christianity, Iconoclasm was the result of a literal interpretation of the Ten Commandments, which
suggests that worshipping holy figures, pictures or graved images is prohibited. The Byzantines saw
two eras of iconoclasm, the first Iconoclast period was from 726 to 787 CE, when Leo III, the
emperor of Byzantium at that time, ordered the removal of religious images of the Christ, Mary, and
every single form of art representing the divinity in Christianity (fig 1). The second era of debating
either the censorship or the advocacy of religious art was from 814 to 842

Byzantine Empire Dbq
People say that the Byzantine Empire is compared to an accordion. Well, it is. Comparing all of the
civilizations and empires we learned about, I find that the Byzantine has a history, where people
living in that empire rise at on time and fall inconsiderably during another time. The Byzantine
Empire is an empire ruled by Emperor Justantine, and Constantinople was the imperial capital of the
Byzantine world until it was invaded by the Turks in 1453. Now, how does the imperial capital,
Constantinople, Hagia Sophia, Justinian, and the Crusaders involve in the Byzantine Empire? I find
that geography and the achievements of the Empire can be two strong reasoning's on how and why
we should study the Byzantine Empire. The geography of the Byzantine Empire is quite a lot. I find
that Constantinople was located on a peninsula, and it was surrounded by harbors. So, we could
infer that they chose to change the capital of the Byzantine Empire in order to get protection. So,
you can understand that the Byzantine Empire was located near the eastern frontier for more
protection. Plus, if Document A very closely, you could see a map of the Byzantine Empire in 1050.
During 1050, you could tell there was a spot ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
If you discover and analyze the documents, you could discover about their famous Byzantine
church, Hagia Sophia. With their achievement of building their church, you could further research or
investigate how the church was split into the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
You could investigate about how the Roman Catholic was headed by Pope, and the Eastern
Orthodox Church was headed by Patriarch. If you look closely at document D, we observed that
Byzantine Emperor, Justantine has created the Justinian Code to reform the Roman Law. With
greater, specific achievements that were achieved in the Byzantine Empire, we could learn more
about how and why we should study the Byzantine

The Byzantine Empire : The Fall Of The Roman Empire
My chosen topic is looking at the fall of the Roman Empire and the reasons for the fall, including
looking at the reasons for the split in the Empire in c. 312– 395 CE and how the eastern half
managed to survive for so much longer before finally falling. I am interested in these areas as before
when learning about the Roman Empire we never cover that it had broken in two and I was also
interested to learn that the Byzantine Empire was what remained of the Roman Empire, we also
never explored how the empire ended, just that the Empire fell and consequently Europe went into
the Dark Ages. The fall is mainly attributed to the weakness of the Roman army against the
surrounding tribes, these tribes were growing stronger and looking to expand eventually managing
to invade the city of Rome and kill the last Emperor; Romulus Augusts, however his death was only
the end result of the many factors that lead to the weakening of the Empire. It led only to the fall of
the western Roman Empire, the later named Byzantine Empire lasted until the 15th Century.
Another reason I chose this topic was because I was interested in impact that Christianity had on the
Roman Empire, especially in seeing how Christianity rose from being persecuted to becoming the
main religion of the Empire. Additionally, I also wanted to explore any possible correlation between
the rise of Christianity and the fall of the Empire. That is the reason that Christianity is the factor in
my question as while I believe

The Crusades : The Byzantium Empire And The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantium Empire had lost considerable territory to the Seljuk Turks. In 1095, Alexius 1 of the
Byzantine empire sent envoys to Pope Urban II asking for mercenary troops from the West to help
confront the Turkish threat. The relations between Christians in the East and West had long been
fractured, but Alexius's request came at a time when the situation was improving and Pope urban the
second agreed to send help. (History.com)
At the Council of Clermont in southern France In November of 1095, the Pope called for Western
Christians to take up arms to aid the Byzantines and recapture the Holy Land from Muslim control.
His plea was met with an incredible reply, by the military elite and ordinary citizens. (History.com)
The first crusade took place from 1096–99. Four armies of Crusaders were formed. They were led
by Raymond of Saint–Gilles, Godfrey of Bouillon, Hugh of Vermandois and Bohemond of Taranto.
(History.com)
A group of Crusaders, led by Count Emicho, carried out a series of massacres of Jews in various
towns in the Rhineland in 1096. This caused widespread outrage and causing a major crisis in
Jewish–Christian relations. When Jerusalem fell to the crusaders hundreds of men, women, and
children were slaughtered. (History.com)
In 1144, the Seljuk general Zangi captured Edessa. This lead to the loss of the northernmost
Crusader state. The news of Edessa's fall stunned Europe and caused Christian authorities in the
West to call for another Crusade. It was led by King

Byzantine Empire Impact
Although not as well–known as the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire was among one of the
most influential empires in the ancient world because of its contributions in government and
religion. The Byzantine Empire outlived the fall of the Western Empire by over a thousand years
(Watts) through its strength, organization, and efficiency.
The Byzantine Empire was successful after the fall of the Roman Empire because of its shrewd
leaders, mainly Justinian the Great and his wife Theodora. One of the major political contributions
of Justinian was the creation of a system of laws to govern his whole empire, known as the Justinian
Code. The Justinian Code was a culmination of functional Roman laws, settling civil disputes, and
how to interpret law ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The Hagia Sophia is the most memorable restoration completed during Justinian's reign. The
cathedral was in the capital of the Byzantine Empire and was named after a church that was
destroyed during the Nika revolt. Incredible domes and stunning interior decoration leads it to be
"the paramount achievement of Justinian's building campaigns" ("The Byzantine State"). Justinian
also preserved Greek and Roman teachings and culture in his empire by emphasizing classical
learning (Livius). Much of what historians know today about the Greek and Roman empires,
including Homer, Euclid, and other important figures, was because of the Byzantine Empire. Finally,
the Byzantine's use of icons in religious subject matter increased the church's power and marked the
beginning of its split. Eastern Christians believed that icons were sin to be used to aid in devotion,
but Western Christians supported icons to spread Christianity. The pope and the patriarch butted
heads for decades until Empress Theodora legalized icons ("Icons and Iconoclasm"). However, the
battle continued until the church split into the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.
The Byzantine Empire's impact of the arts led to these achievements and the division of the

Art In The Byzantine Empire

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