Chapter 13 Flashcards
According to the Byzantine historian Procopus, what happened
Two christian monks from Persia set out on a journey about the middle of the sixth century CE
What ws the objective of the monks in Procopius’s story?
They introduced high quality silk production to the eastern Mediterranean. Although local crafts workers ha long produced some coarse fabrics from the cocoons of wild silkworms, the fine silks had come to the Mediterranean from China where manufacturers closely guarded their secrets
What did Mediterranean consumers obtain from China
Textiles.
What did the two monks observe?
They observed the techniqes of silk production during the course of a mission to China. They smuggled silk worms outside of China
What were the monks moives?
They maybe resented Sansanid religiouspolicy and sought to aid Christians in the Byzantine Empire. Or, they may have recieved a very good reward for their efforts
Were does the Byzantine Empire get its name?
From Byzantion, latinized as Byzantium a modest market town and fishing village tha toccupied a site of enormous strategic significance
Where was the Byzantine Empire located?
It was on the defensible peninsula known as the Golden Horn.
Byzantion had the potential to control what?
The Bosporus, the strait of water leading from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and beyond the Dardanelles, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranea.
What did the the Byzantiane Empire have
The potential to control the trade routes and the martime trade
Because of the strategic value, the Roman Emperor Constantine designated it as what
The new capital, which he named Constantinople.
What was Constantine’s reason for building Constantinople in the eastern Meditteranean
It was partly because it was the weallthier part of the Medeterranian, but also because he wanted to keep a close watch on persia and the Germanic people who lived along the lower streches of the Danube River.
The imperial capital of Constantinople after 330 CE was what?
It was a very important political and military center. Soon it was the dominate economic and conmmercial center in the mediterranea
When did the name Constantinople change?
in 1453, when the Ottoman Turks renamed it Istabul
The Byzantine Empire originated as the eastern half of the classical Roman Empire which survived the collapse of the western Roman empire in the fifth century
In the early days, what did the byzantine empire embrace?
It embraced Greece, the Balkanregion, Anatoila, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and northeast Africa
What was the land amount like in the Empire?
The Rulers occasionally took other land, and some other people took some of their land
As the western part of the Roman Empire collapsed, how was Byzantine?
It was intact and had roads, communications, and lines of authority and a set of functioning imperial institiution
What were the principal challenges that confronted the late Roman empire
The consolidation of the dynamic Sansaid Dynasty in Persia and the invasions of the migratory peopes from north and east.
The Snasanid empoerors sought to do what?
rebuild the Achaemenid empire of classical Perisa. The goal that brought them into conflict with Roman forces in Mesopostamia and Syrai. By the late thrird century, Roman armies had largely stabilized the boreder
What also menaced he late Roman empire?
The Germanic Invasions, but the Roman authorities did not have the adequate resources to resond strongly to the theat on all fronts. Roman authorities concentrated on maintaining the integrety of the wealthy eastern portion of the empire.
in the 5th century what did rulers build?
They built defensive walls to shield the City from invadors and they invested oter rsrouces in protection for other major series
What was a distinctive tradition of state craft for the Byzantine Empire
It was tightly centralized rule that concentratd power in the hands of a highly exalted emperor.
The distinctive style of the Byzantine Empire was noticealble already in the time of who?
Constantine, who built his new capital to lavish standards. It was filled with libraries, meuseums, and artistic treasures. He constructed magnificent marble alaces, churches, baths, and public builings
How did Constantine set a precedent for himsef?
He hedged his rule wiht an aura of divinity. As protector of the Christian and a baptized Christian himself, he could not claim divine status that some of his predecessors sought,
How did Constantine used divinity?
He intervened in theologial dispites and used his political position ot support his views that he considered orthodox.
What is caesaropapism?
The emperor not only ruled as secular lord, but played an active and promonante rule in ecclesistical affairs
After the 6th century, Byzantine Empire becne absolute rules. According to Roman law, what happened?
Emperors stood aboeve the law, theoreticallt rhey wielded absolute authority in political, military judicial, financial and religious matricacy,
Byzantine
Suggests unnecessary comlexity and convolution In combinationm lwa and bureaucracy produced an exceptionally centralized state
What did the emporer wear
They wore rich ark purple. Which was a color reserved for imperial use and strictly forbiddden to those who were not associated with the ruling house
What did High officials present themselves to the emporers as?
Slaves, not subjects. When approaching him, they prostrated themselves three times and then cermemoniously kissed the emporers hands and feet before taking up matters of business
WHo was the most important of the early Byzantine emperors?
Justinian
When did Justinian Rule?
527-565
Who was Justinian known as
energetic and tireess…the sleepless empoeror
Who was Justinian’s wife?
Theodora,
Where did the imperial couple come from?
Justinian was born into a Macedonian peasant family. Theodora was the daughter fo a bear keeper in the circus and worked as a striptease artist
Why did both emporer and empress come up?
THey came up because they were both intelligant, strong willed and siciplined. Justinina reieved an excellent education and found a position in the imperial bureaucracy
Like Constantine, what did Justininan do?
He lavished resources on the imperial capital. During the early years of his rule, riots against high taxes had destroyd much ofConstantinople
After Theodora persuaded him to deploy forces to crush rebellions,what did Justinian do?
He embarked on an ambitious construction programt that thoroughly remade the city
What was the most notable building that was constucted during that time? (Of Rebuilding_
The Hagia Sophoa, which was a magnificant domed structure that later became a mosque and a musueum. It is ranked as one of the words most important examplesof Christian architecture
What was Justinian’s most significant political contribution?
It was his codification of Roman law.
Where do the origins of Roman law go back to?
It goes back to the times of thekings of Rome. Justinian ordered a systematic review of Roman law.
Based on his work off of Roman Law, what did Justinian issue?
He issued the Corpus iris civilis ( Body of Civl Law) emperors updated Roman Law by adding new provisions, but Justinians code was the continued source of impirated
What was Justinians's most ambitious venture?
His effort to rconquer the western Roman empire from Germanic people and reestablish Roman authority throught the region
Who was Justinian’s general?
Belisarius on the military campaigns that eturned ITaly, Sccily, and Norhtwestern Africa. and southern Spain to imperial rule
By the end of his reign in 565, what had Justinian accomplished?
He had gotten back a good portion of the classical roman Empire
WHy didn’t Justinan’s accomlishments survive his role?
Because, byzantium did not have the resources to sustain the conquests. Re
Reconsitution of the Roman Empire would reqire what?
It would require lon erm occupation of reconquuered. This, would be very costly
What was the Byzantine headquarters?
Ravenna on Italy Adriatic coast .
Today, what does Ravenna have?
Wonderful Byzantine Architecture.
What did Justinains efforts show?
It showed. That the Roman Empire was beyond recovery.
What threatened the Byzantines?
The sansanids from the east and the Slavic people that approached from the norht. Even though Belisarius’s reconquest of the western Roman Empire was good, it was hard
Inspired by faith, what happend to the Sansanid Empire?
It was overrun by Arabs who were Muslims
By the mid 7th century, what lands were under Muslim rule?
Byzantine, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and norht Africa
When did ISlamic forces threaten th heart of the empire
When they subjected Constantinople to a siege (674-678 and 717-718)
How did the Byzantine’s resist this invasion by the Muslims?
They used a weaon known as Greek fire- a devestating military technology that would burn. It was a compound of sulphur, lime and petroleum which they launched at both the fleets. Burned even on water, so it vas very very scary
Though it was much reduced by the Islamic conqust, Byzantine was what
very compact and manageable. I
What was the theme system?
The most imortant innovation was the reograization of the Byzantine society under the theme system which Byzaine rulers had tentively experimented
What was the organization of the theme system
IT placed a theme (an imperial province) under the jurisdiction of a general who assumed responsibility for both its miltary defense and civil administration
Where did Generals get thier appointments>
From the imperial government which closely superivsed their activities to prevent decentralizeation of power and auhtority
Where did Generals get their armies?
They recruited armies form the ranks of free peasants who recieved allotments of land in exchange for serivce
The armies did what?
It streghtned the whole class of peasants which solidified the agricultural economy
What did the Theme system enable the Byzantine forces to do?
mobilize forces very quickly
During the reign of Basil II who was known as what?
Basil the bulgar slayer (976-1025)
