...The Byzantine Empire was the successor of the Roman Empire; also known as the eastern Roman Empire. After the fall of the Roman Empire in 410 C.E, Constantine I had created the new capital of the Byzantine Empire named Constantinople in 330. During its existence the empire was composed of the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor. The empire was using the roman political tradition, Hellenic culture and Christianity as religion. The common language used in the empire was Greek. The byzantine empire was very influencal in Asia specially in russia because The Rus Kiev ‘began as a group of Scandinavian merchants who traveled south through Byzantine through Russian territory. The prosperous trade and luxury goods of Constantinople (and of...
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...The Ottoman Empire was founded in the year 1299, at this time only a small Anatolian state. However, the country had greater ambitions and sought to bring down the ailing Byzantine Empire. In 1453 they would realise this goal when Ottoman forces stormed the walls of Constantinople, declaring the great city as their new capital. Since then, the country entered a period of relentless conquest and expansion. The country reached its peak in the late 16th century under Suleiman the Magnificent, boasting a vast empire that stretched over three continents. However, after the failure of the Ottoman plot to seize the Austrian capital, Vienna, the empire entered a gradual decline. Over the course of 4 centuries, the Ottomans would lose grip over their conquered territories, its borders creeping closer and closer to Constantinople. Nevertheless, the Ottomans remained a force to be reckoned with and an empire of enviable size. Throughout the mid to late 19th century, the Ottoman government would oversee an era of widespread social, political and economic reform known as Tanzimat, Turkish for reorganisation. Some of the key reforms included emancipation of non-Muslims, reorganisation of the military and financial system, the building of rail and telegraph infrastructure and a boom in the size of the Ottoman bureaucracy. In 1876 an Ottoman Constitution was introduced. While...
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...“Why Byzantine economy remained one of the most powerful in Europe through Early Middle Ages?” The Byzantine cconomy was one of the largest systems throughout Europe and the Mediterannean for many centuries. Both local and international trade were of huge importance for the Byzantine Empire. Lower class, including traders, depended on the upper class. Their need of the foreign goods in order to stay in Local trade was much less popular. Throughout the fourth and sixth centuries, long-distance trade was operating successfully, until the plague appeared, which killed around one-third of the citizens in the Byzantine Empire, and ruined the trade networks. The Byzantine economy had recovered in the tenth century, and Italian merchants contributed to its steady growth in the Mediteranian through the tenth and eleventh centuries (Katz 27-39). To begin, the decades of instability as well as foreign invasions mostly by Germanic tribes, led to an establishment of a new military, political, and administrative framework under Diocletian (284-305), and Constantine I, which also led to a new economic power in Byzantine and Constantinopole. From 395 to 476, the Empire was in a big crisis until the Germans left the territory. Emperor Justinian I provided the growth of the economy, but also the growth period ended with the “Justinian Plague” that broke out in Egypt in 542, and reduced the population in all provinces of the empire. The “Justinian Plague” continued until the 8th century. At...
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...After capture by crusaders of Constantinople (1204), the empire broke up to parts and power of the centralized state sharply fell. Feudal lords started being exempted from its guardianship, and in Byzantium the feudal ancestral lands close to the West European was formed. Even after restoration of unity of the empire and return of Constantinople (1261) states hadn't any more forces to resist to sharply increased power of the feudal aristocracy. The empire was more and more split up for destinies, and functions of the government gradually passed to feudal lords. But even in the period of feudal dissociation the central power didn't lose completely the positions, because of constant military danger. Why the term feudalism in relation to Byzantium raises doubts? And why we can't tell about the Byzantine feudalism, how about primary concept of feudalism?...
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...The Roman Empire deteriorated in the year 476 C.E. after suffering several invasions, poverty, different leaders, and political instability which lead to the split of the empire (Western and Eastern). The Eastern Empire was lead to be known as the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire, even though it became its own independent empire after the Roman fell, it can be considered a partial continuation of Rome. The Byzantine Empire kept most of the characteristics of the Roman Empire’s government with some slight modifications. It had a system of aristocracy (few people hold power) and bureaucracy (state officials that make important decisions, they aren’t elected). At the head of the government was the Emperor, just like in the Roman Empire, and beneath him were a multitude of officials and court officers. They helped the emperor administrate the vast empire. In addition, the emperor...
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...century. At the time, the Byzantine Empire, which rose from the fall of the Roman Empire hundreds of years, was in controlled the region. The Ottomans after the came into existence started to continuous expand, during which they spread from the small northwestern to cover most of Anatolia and southeastern Europe The Seljuk Turks controlled the Anatolia and the Middle East at the time, a more vast area than what the Ottomans controlled. However, an army led by Osman I went ahead and expanded into the vast majority of Anatolia, In 1299, Osman announced himself sultan, becoming the first ruler of the Ottoman Empire The defeat of the Seljuqs in 1293 by the Mongols, Osman became the first ruler of the Ottomans where he went to war and and expanded by taking over Byzantine Bithynia in Anatolia, commanding islam warriors referred to...
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...messenger runs towards the Ottoman camp. The mighty Byzantine Empire has fallen, the emperor is slain, Mehmed smiles; for he finally, after months of siege, conquered Constantinople and put an end to the Byzantine Empire. He sees the Ottoman colours waving in the city, the mighty three crescent flag flies over a destroyed empire and the beginning of a new age. The Byzantine Empire was an influential,fluctuating empire throughout history and it changed the world forever. In 285 CE ,after the death of Constantine I, the empire split into two,west and east. The west would collapse within 100 years but the east would survive for more than a thousand and became known as the Byzantine Empire. In the early years the empire usually did...
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...Cris Serrano Peter Hannon Culture and Civilization 1 October 30, 2015 Essay Question 1 The Byzantine Empire was a predominantly Greek speaking part of the Roman Empire. One of the most notable features was the massive wall that surrounded and protected the city. The wall was so grand that just the sight of it made any potential attackers change their mind and leave. After an Earthquake, the wall was quickly rebuilt as it left the city open to attacks. After the rebuilding, the walls were built stronger and new features were added. The Byzantine Empire was also known for the incredible architecture. Mosaic art lined the interior of almost every major building. They also built the Haghia Sophia. It was built in the 6th Century by Emperor Justinian....
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...The thriving center of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople was the center of commerce for all of medieval Europe. The city was a central point that all products passing between the East and West went through. Silk, ivory, spices, and other fine goods from the East traveled through Constantinople before being distributed to the rest of Europe. Raw materials were also imported to support Constantinople's local industry. The city developed a thriving silk market after silkworms were smuggled in from China. As a result of all these factors, Constantinople became the center of a powerful trade empire. Prior to the reign of King Phillip II Augustus, rulers of France, known as Capetians, had very little actual power. The Capetians ruled a very small portion France and were often less powerful than many of the dukes. During his time as king, Phillip fought against the English for the control of several French provinces. He gained a large portion of these lands and inspire future Capetian kings to continue to expand the royal domain. The expanded territory made the monarchy grow significantly more rich and powerful than it had been in the past....
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... | | Byzantine Empire 330 C.E. to 1453 C.E. --- Only in the eastern Mediterranean did a classical empire survive. The eastern half of the Roman empire, known as the Byzantine empire, withstood the various problems that brought down other classical societies and survived for almost a millennium after the collapse of the western Roman empire in the fifth century C.E. --- The Byzantine empire was a political and economic powerhouse of the postclassical era. Until the twelfth century, Byzantine authority dominated the wealthy and productive eastern Mediterranean region. The Byzantine empire also deeply influenced the historical development of the Slavic peoples of eastern Europe and Russia. Byzantine missionaries and diplomats introduced writing, Christianity, codified law, and sophisticated political organization into lands settled by Slavic peoples. Because Byzantine political, economic, and cultural influence stretched so far, historians often refer to it as the “Byzantine commonwealth.” Just as Greek and Roman initiative brought Mediterranean lands into a larger integrated society, Byzantine policies led to the formation of a large, multicultural zone of trade, communication and interaction. --- The Byzantine empire takes its name from Byzantion - latinized as Byzantium – a modest market town and fishing village that occupied a site...
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...Two empires arose during the postclassical period, before 1450, the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic Caliphates. The Islamic Caliphate was influenced by Muhammad’s teachings and the Byzantine Empire was influenced by Christianity and each established their rule through their dominant religion. Christianity became the Byzantine Empire’s state religion as did Islam for the Islamic Caliphates. Both empires established their political leaders as their religious leaders so they would have more power over the citizens. They used religion to unite the people and to justify expansion for their government. However, these empires did not have similar legal systems. The laws of the Byzantine Empire were based off of Roman laws and the Islamic Caliphates centered their laws on the Quran. Neither empire failed to acknowledge the importance of religion in each society. Because of the importance, the leaders of both empires, the Emperor in the Byzantine and the Caliph in the Caliphates, were set as the head religious figures. This similarity between the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic Caliphates shows how they each empowered their leaders by relating them with the beliefs of the...
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...structural weaknesses or other factors that caused the collapse of the Byzantine Empire we must first establish whether its strength was actual of merely perceived strength. Being one of the leading empires in the world, to have survived it must have had real strengths. As it relied heavily on diplomacy instead of fighting in times of military threat it had to have skilful diplomats and efficient administrators. However it is more likely that the increase in military and political strength of its neighbours, such as the Persians, Turks and Arabs was the reason for its eventual collapse, and not its own weaknesses. Although one could look on the contrasting strength of opposing nations, and the lack of progression of Byzantine as a structural weakness of the Empire, therefore contradicting the argument. In the 11th century Byzantine began to degenerate steeply due to a few major factors, its military, economics and the European renaissance. Individually these problems may not have been so costly, and perhaps would have been solvable. However they all occurred in the 11th century, referred to as the 11th century crisis, culminating in an accelerated decline in strength and finally collapse. The Byzantine army was huge, in the 4th century numbering 645,000 soldiers. However although this clearly shows military strength, for the soldiers to be paid tax was very high. As Warren Treadgold states in his book Byzantine and its Army, 284-1081, “In an economy that consisted chiefly of subsistence...
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...had obliterated the Roman Empire in the West. The wisdom of the lost Empire was nothing more than a memory. The Crusades offered endless opportunity and provided exposure the knowledge, culture, and resources that fueled the European progression into the Renaissance; a fortuity that shifted both cultural and religious power in the modern world. By the end of the 10th century, Western Europe was destitute. The inhabitants could not farm their land properly, and soon a cycle of famine, flood, and disease began to dictate the lives of the people. The only surviving institution was the Western Church in Rome. Roman popes soon began to challenge the Byzantine emperors for ultimate control of the church. Tension grew between the two branches of Christianity, which lead to cultural, theological, and irreconcilable differences between the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe and the Greek Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire (Stalcup, 2000). This event, known as the East-West Schism in 1054, was a precursor to the Protestant Reformation (Stalcup, 2000). Meanwhile, a holy war in Spain between Christian Europeans and Muslims terrorized the outskirts of Rome during the tenth and eleventh centuries. Western Europe became very accustomed to religious war as battles between themselves and against Muslims seemed to plague the Medieval Era. Finally, a plea for help came from the Byzantine Empire. A Turkish clan, named the Seljuks, had invaded Byzantine territory in Asia Minor and...
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...History of Europe Topic: «The Byzantium Gynarchy of the Late VIII: Irene The Athenian» Professors: Vladimir Ryzhkov Elif Demirtiken Saint-Petersburg 2015 The Byzantium Gynarchy of the Late VIII: Irene The Athenian There is no doubt that the Byzantine Empire was one of the greatest civilizations in the world’s history. It lasted approximately 1120 years more than any other empire. Of course, the central figure of the Byzantine statehood was an emperor. However, it would be wrong to claim that they ruled without any external help and support. Here I mean not only the civil servants but also - and especially - emperors’ wives. Empresses, whose status had not been as different from the emperors’ as it might seem, had a significant impact on the empire’s existence. Even though it was an era of androcracy, they influenced the emperors’ decisions and sometimes even replaced them. Was it possible for women to rule the Byzantine Empire solely? Was it legitimate? The exercise of full imperial power by women was of course not common, like in the Western Europe where queens seldom attain power, as power should always be reinforced by army and, consequently, military success1. That does not mean that Byzantine women were somehow different; it is just that men themselves sometimes hired other people to deal with all the military problems. Thus, imperial women could use this tactic as well and entrust different governmental issues to civil servants - eunuchs2....
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...http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-byzantine-art.htm - Source C Byzantine paintings and icons are often recognized for their relatively two-dimensional representations. The emphasis of the artists was not on realism but on forms that could be easily identified to transmit stories from the Bible and Christian history. In this style, painted figures often look stiff and awkward. In some paintings, the subjects appear to be weightless, floating in golden ether. Typically rich in color, Byzantine artists often used deep gold, blues and greens. The use of gold expressed the glory and richness of the faith. Bright colors helped make figures in paintings and mosaics identifiable from a distance. In secular art, those colors helped to distinguish the ranks of the subjects being depicted. For many Byzantine pieces, those colors have withstood centuries of exposure and remain vibrant today. http://archaeology-travel.com/photo-album/byzantine-mosaics-in-the-art-institute-of-chicago/ Mosaic traditions in the Middle East begin in late Antiquity, and one of the largest and best preserved Roman mosaics is the now well-travelled Lod Mosaic found not that long ago in Israel. From the fifth century on, from Syria to Egypt mosaics were used to decorate both religious and secular, public buildings. The tradition comes to an end in the eighth century, after the fall of the Umayyad dynasty in 750: churches fell into disrepair and were later destroyed. The only surviving examples are...
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