All About The Byzantine Empire

Hello! All of our posts consist of information about the Byzantine Empire, an empire that existed during the middle ages. Thank you for visiting, and please follow! Click HERE for our navigation page.

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Ancient Timeline Sofia Ochoa c. 5,000-3,500BC: in southern Mesopotamia. This is the achievement of the Sumerian people. c. 3500: Writing develops.At first this is based on pictograms, and takes about a thousand years to evolve into a full cuneiform script. c. 2300: King Sargon of Akkad starts conquering the first enpire in world history.The empire reaches its height in c. 2220. c. 2100: The city It soon falls into decline. This marks the decline of the Sumerians as the Amorites, a nomadic people, start moving into Mesopotamia. 1792-49: King Hammurabi conquers a large empire. Hammurabi is famous for the law code which he issues. His empire begins to decline immediately after his death. c. 1500: The Mitanni, an Indo-European people, conquer northern Mesopotamia, plus areas of Syria and Asia Minor. After 200 years the kingdom of Assyria conquers northern Mesopotamia from the Mitanni 667 B.C Byzantine founded 27 B.C Romans come to power 330A.D Byzantium becomes capital 395 Empire splits in half 527 Emperor is crowned 1185 Bulgarians rebel 1204 constantinople is captured http://www.softschools.com/timelines/byzantine_empire_timeline/81/

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Istanbul Jose Navarro Today you might learn new things about Istanbul and its changes after the fall of Constantinople. We see how the preparation of the ottomans to conquer, then i will speak about its conquest and battle , and last but not least the consequences Preparation for the conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul today) started in 1452.with a mighty fleet of 16 galleys was formed, the number of soldiers were doubled. In April 1453 ,the first ottoman frontier forces were seen in front of the city..... The conquest had begun. In that same month they launched the first attack to enter the golden horn inlet. Some fortresses from Bosphorus were conquered. The big walls were bombarded by cannons leaving serious damage, inflicted by ceaseless bombardment. Though then the ottoman army started losing on their attack for about a month then The Ottoman army launched its final assault. The first assault was performed by infantry and it was followed by Anatolian soldiers. When 300 Anatolian soldiers were killed, the Janissaries started their attack. With the presence of Sultan Mehmed, the Ottoman army was motivated and hand to hand fights started. The conquest of Constantinople has had such a historical impact in the world, some historians even marked the end of the Middle Ages. With the siege of Istanbul, the Ottoman proceeded to establish hegemony over numerous independent Turkish states (Beylik) within Anatolia (Asia Minor). The result of imperial conquest was to unify the Turkish populations in Anatolia. In turn, other non-Turkish, Muslim communities and principalities were brought together under the aegis of Ottoman leadership so that the Ottoman Beylik would eventually expand into an Empire. Afterward everything started changing,The main social effect of the Fall of Constantinople was the reduction of the Greek Christian population to a secondary status within the Ottoman Empire. Many Christians were ragged and teased in the streets.The effect of this reduction is still seen today in the hatred that Greeks have toward Turks. The Fall of Constantinople also symbolized Islam's victory over Christendom. Well thanks again for reading our posts and enjoying them, if you learned something from this post don't forget to subscribe. And as always bye

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Map of Constantinople (1422) by Florentine cartographer. The oldest surviving map of the city, and the only one that predates the Turkish conquest of the city in 1453

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Istanbul Today Valeria Cabrera Istanbul underwent huge structural change, in which most of the historical parts were replaced with highways and contemporary buildings. The city has a reputation for being cultural and for having magnificent architecture. The urban landscape of Istanbul is shaped by its various religious communities, Islam being the most popular among them. When Turkey was founded in 1923 the capital was moved from Istanbul to Ankara. "During the early years of the republic , Istanbul was overlooked in favor of a new capital"(1) The 1950's was when everything started, different buildings were being constructed and the land where the some of the new buildings and roads were gonna be placed was taken, some historical parts of the wonderful city had to be demolished. Instead of the ancient beauties that occupied the Turkish land boulevards, avenues, public squares and buildings replaced them. In the 1970's the population increased because people were looking for jobs on the new factories in the outskirt of the city. Throughout Istanbul's long history a great reputation has been acquired to the Turkish territory. As a result there are many churches, palaces, castles, etc. which are an amusing experience for the tourists. Some of this historical masterpieces include "The Column Of Constantine", which actually still has pieces of the bowl that Virgin Mary used to wash Jesus' feet, "The Column Of The Goths", which was used to calculate distances, "The Hippodrome of Constantinople", architecture that was based on the Circus Maximus, among others. During the last decades, the reason as to why the historical parts are being replaced is mainly because they need to accommodate the rapid growth on population. Office and Residential buildings have been constructed, and they are actually quite tall. Starting from the middle of the Twentieth Century the city of Istanbul has experienced a massive urban growth. As you may know by now Istanbul was once Constantinople, moved by Constantine the Great, savior and freer of Christianity. It is normal and understandable that some people might think that because of that historical event, modern inhabitants of Istanbul must also be Christians, or at least most of them. It occurs that actually the most popular and most practiced religion is Islam. "Istanbul was the final seat of the Islamic Caliphate... The supposed personal belongings of the prophet Muhammad and the earliest Caliphs"(1) can be found in various mosques in the city. Some of the other religions practiced in the region are Greek Orthodox Christians, Armenian Christians, Catholic Levantines, and Sephardic Jews. If we talk about nationwide religion, about 99% of the inhabitants practice Islam, where the remaining 1% is distributed between the religious minorities mentioned before. The Turkish government is secular, which means that everyone is free to practice the religion of their choice. To conclude I'd like to state that Istanbul is one of the most interesting places to visit if you are interested in history. Although in my opinion they should avoid destroying the ancient beauties, since they might actually include a hidden proof of a certain event in history. To be honest the pieces of architecture found in the city are amusing, including the contemporary ones. I like the fact that the government is secular, even though most of the population is Islam, they still give the people the chance to choose the religion they wish to practice. Sources: http://www.propertyturkey.com/blog-turkey/religion-in-turkey-how-diverse-is-it http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Istanbul http://euraxess.tubitak.gov.tr/services/social-and-cultural-life http://geography.about.com/od/specificplacesofinterest/a/istanbul.htm http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Istanbul.aspx

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Rachel Tuttle

(Via TURKEY EyeWitness Travel Guide, Dorling Kindersley)

INCLUDES:

EXCLUSIVE BEAUTIFUL MAP OF THE CITY

AND 

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT BYZANTINE.

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Innovations and Achievements Throughout Society

Rachel Tuttle

Mesopotamia

Cuneiform: The First form of writing .

The Wheel: Sumerians were the first people to make wheeled vehicles.

Sewers: The format and idea of sewers.

Architecture: They engineered the science of building.

Music: They made reed pipes, drums and tambourines

Egypt

Hieroglyphics: Egyptians were the first to carve in stone or other hard materials.

Paper:  The first paper was called papyrus, which was made of dried papyrus leaves.

Makeup: They used minerals to create the first eyeshadow.

Mummification: They learned how to mummify people before burying them. 

Time keeping: They created the first clock-like objects and cycle to keep track of time.

Greece

First democracy: They created the first idea of citizen participation in government.

First historians: Greeks were the first people to analyze history with full knowledge and an intellectual aspect. 

Invented the rules of geometry: The Greeks were the first people to fully analyze many mathematical ides.

First people to take a scientific approach to medicine: They began to study diseases to find cures for them.

They created the Olympic games: The idea of the Olympic games was the tale of games made in honor of Zeus, and of competitors who would try to prove their worthiness to him.

Rome

Concrete: Romans created the first mixture of concrete.

Roads: They were the first civilization to properly create brick roads and correct locations to put them so they would meet and create appropriate paths.

Aqueducts: They created bridge-like structures which carried fresh water from outside the cities into the homes of citizens.

Julian Calendar: Using an old calendar based on the lunar cycle, Romans renovated the calendar and added days to the months.

Newspapers: Romans created the first newspapers, which were rocks engraved with news. 

Byzantine

Christianity: The Byzantine Emperors spread their brand of Christianity throughout Russia and Eastern Europe.

Weapons: The Byzantine navy invented an ancient flamethrower called “Greek Fire” that it used it battles with other navies.

Preservation of Ancient Learning: Thanks to the work of Byzantine scholars who escaped the Turkish conquest of Constantinople, thousands of ancient Greek and Roman manuscripts were preserved.

Art: The Byzantines perfected the art of mosaic painting.

Law: The Byzantine Emperor Justinian compiled a code of laws that served as a model and foundation for many modern law codes.

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who drew the 4 of you on the top of the page?

Rachel :) 

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The Final Fall of Constantinople

Rachel Tuttle

The siege of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire and one of the most heavily fortified cities in the world, took place in 1453. Sultan Mehmed II, ruler of the Ottoman Turks, led the assault. The city was defended by, at most, 10,000 men. The Turks had between 100,000 and 150,000 men on their side. The siege lasted for fifty days. The Turks employed various important war tactics in taking over the city. They used huge cannon to destroy the walls, warships were used to the cut the city's sea defense. They also used an extensive infantry to engulf the city.

After using heavy artillery to form a breach in the wall, the fist attack was launched upon Constantinople on a May morning at 1:00 a.m. They tried to attack the weakest point in the walls.  After fighting for two hours, they were called to retreat.

Before the Byzantine army was able to gain strength and order, another attack feel upon them. Mehmet's favorite set of troops called the Janissaries started to attack. They launched arrows, missiles, bullets, stones and javelins at the enemy.  The soldiers fought in hand-to-hand combat. Someone had to give. It was the Christians. The Turks noticed that a door to the city had accidentally been left open by the Christians. The Christian army frequently used that gate to try to penetrate the flank of the Turkish army. They stormed the gate, but the Christians were able to stop them before completely entering the city.

While battles were being fought on land, the Turks were also trying to take control of the sea. Many ships were placed in the Golden Horn and off of the Marmora shore to help siege the city. Many of the soldiers came from these ships to aid the army on land. Once the signal was sent, troops flooded off of these ships to take down the harbor walls and start looting the city.

The City was now completely taken over by the Turks. Mehmed renamed the city Istanbul. To further glorify the city he built mosques, palaces, monuments and a system of aqueducts. The city was now officially claimed for Islam. New rules and regulations came about. The Christians were still allowed to practice their religion, but had to dress in special clothes and could not carry weapons. So came the end to the great city of Constantinople.

Sources: http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/1204.html

http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/EastEurope/FallConstantin.html

http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/battleswars14011600/p/Byzantine-Ottoman-Wars-Fall-Of-Constantinople.htm

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CONSTANTINE, THE GREAT

Valeria Cabrera Constantine the Great, in his early years, lived a life close to the big powers. He went to the Battle of Milvian Bridge and came back victorious. One of the biggest decisions he made was to move the capital of the empire from Rome to Constantinople. Constantine's father was Constantius Chlorus, who was famous as a general under the Emperor Diocletian. Helen, was his mother, "the daughter of a humble innkeeper." Constantine, had grown to school age before he and his mother were united with Constantius. There's a big possibility that Constantine's father must have had a Christian education. "He had ascended to the position of power through the military ranks. Another arrangement was that his son, Constantine, would serve in Diocletian’s imperial court.”
(http://www.new-byzantium.org/Constntne-Bio.html) “Believing himself to be the rightful emperor of the Western Roman Empire, he assembled his army and prepared for an invasion of Italy in 312." Constantine went against Maxentius, who occupied Rome, "sought to advance his own claim to the title." Constantine conquered northern Italy after defeating the Maxentian army. Maxentius was not done yet, he approached the Tiber River with hi army near the Milvian Bridge. The night before the battle, Constantine had a dream in which he was instructed to fight in the name of God. There was a cross in the sky and he heard in Latin, “in this sign, you will conquer.” He did as he was instructed and he won the battle. When he returned to Rome he announced to Emperor Nero that God was not a criminal or an enemy. (http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/battleswarsto1000/p/milvianbridge.htm) After acquiring the position of Emperor, he moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the city of Byzantium which he named Constantinople after himself. The city was located on the trade routes between Europe and Asia and between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea which caused Constantinople to be rich, because of the taxes they asked for. "Constantine’s founding of Constantinople is usually considered the beginning of the Byzantine Empire." Secondly, he legalized Christianity, religion that used to be targeted by the Roman Empire. "Though not the empire’s official religion, Christianity would be a major element of Byzantine culture." The main reson of moving the capital was to spread and continue their culture, so it wouldn't be left behind. (https://www.boundless.com/world-history/textbooks/boundless-world-history-i-ancient-1600-textbook/byzantium-and-orthodox-europe-6/byzantium-the-new-rome-35/the-eastern-roman-empire-constantine-the-great-and-byzantium-135-13336/) Constantine was really important in the Roman Empire, because of the reasons mentioned above. One of the things that I thought throughout my research was "what if Constantine didn’t support Christianity? Where would Christians be now? Could we be polytheistic?”. So many question can come from only one man’s story. We can also learn from his life that sometimes we have to take risks, but we have to think them through.

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These are examples of 1,500 year old Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna. This is without a doubt one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had here.

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Organization of the Church

Rachel Tuttle

Christianity was the official religion of the Byzantine Empire.  The Byzantines considered the Emperor to be the political representative of Christ, and the Emperor appointed the Patriarch of Constantinople, the religious representative of Jesus.  The Patriarch was the highest church official in the Empire and played a role that was similar to the Pope’s in Rome.  He was always a very power figure, and had great influence over religious practices throughout the Empire. The official doctrines of the Byzantine Church were decided in seven ecumenical councils, which distinguished the beliefs of the official church from the beliefs of other Christian groups in the empire.  It was the emperor’s duty to make sure that all his subjects believed correctly. The Byzantines did not see a difference between church and state, as we can in their motto: “One God, one empire, one religion”.

Byzantine religion had many controversies.  Probably the most famous was the struggle over “iconoclasm”.  In the year 726 A.D., Emperor Leo III expressed his disagreement with the popular practice of venerating religious icons, like paintings of Jesus and other religious leaders.  These icons and their use during worship were very popular with the common people, but Leo thought that these actions violated the commandment against worshiping idols.  Leo banned the use of icons in worship and ordered that icons be destroyed throughout the Empire.  This caused protests and riots in many areas.  Official opposition to icons lasted for 120 years, only ending in 843 A.D.

Byzantine Christianity created its own monastic tradition that rivaled a similar tradition in Western Christianity.  Some Byzantine Christina monks lived like hermit in deserts or caves, and passed their lives in fasting and prayer. Particularly amazing were “pillar saints,” who lived alone on tall pillars for years, They survived on food and water brought by admirers, who placed their offerings in baskets that the monks lifted using baskets attached to ropes. Byzantine hermits’ dedication and ascetics attracted followers who formed larger communities that eventually became the earliest Byzantine monasteries.

The Byzantine and Roman Christian Churches grew further and further apart over the years.  Some of the disagreement were over theology and beliefs, while others, such as iconoclasm, were over religious practices.  Perhaps the biggest problem was over authority.  Byzantine Patriarchs thought they were equal to the Pope in Rome; the Popes disagreed.  The argument became so intense that in 1054 the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Pope in Rome actually excommunicated each other and refused to recognize the other church as Christian. This is known as “The Great Schism”.  The two churches remain separate today, with the former Byzantine Church now known as the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Western church known as the Roman Catholic Church.

➳ References ➳ http://www.livius.org/misc/byzantine-empire/

http://www.ancient.eu/Byzantine_Empire/

http://www.crystalinks.com/byzantine.html

http://rumkatkilise.org/rayabyzantium.htm

http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-byzantine-empire-history-culture-timeline.html

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New Born City

After Constantine returned from the battle, he became emperor. The biggest decision he made was to move the capital from Rome to Constantinople.

The creation of a new capital was a big change. Constantine even created a fictitious ancestry from a previous emperor to support his claim. It is also said that Constantine wanted to build a Christian Capital, that he supported Christianity, and that he promoted its development, but that he also continued to worship the Apollo-Sun god.

The city, renamed Constantinople after its founder, was also known as the “new Rome.” It became the capital of the Byzantines after the Roman Empire was formally divided.

“On the subject of religion, he showed a marked preference for Christianity. Early in his governance, he initiated a policy of religious freedom. Christianity was not singled out as the sole beneficiary. The Christian religion early in Constantine’s rule took on the appearance of an official institution only because of his overt and unreserved personal support. He built various public buildings as well as many Christian Churches that were in keeping with the needs and ideals of the religion he had chosen to favor. His administrative system was structured in a vertical fashion by means of a centralized power at the top and with an expanding descent of categories and subcategories.”

CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION

http://history-world.org/byzantine_empire.htm

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Byzantine Emperors

Valeria Cabrera

Coins were the “most widespread medium” for showing the popularity of the ruler.  Therefore, all rulers had their own coins minted. These coins were mostly made out of gold, but in some cases they were either copper or silver.

Source: http://www.doaks.org/museum/online-exhibitions/byzantine-emperors-on-coins

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Byzantine Government Structure

Few States, even in the Middle Ages, possessed so absolute a conception of monarchical authority as the Byzantine Empire.The Roman tradition as accepted in Byzantium placed the Emperor above the law. He therefore exercised absolute authority over inanimate objects as well as people, and his competence was universal. “All things depend on the care and administration of the imperial majesty”, declared Leo VI in one of his Novels.

In principle, the Emperor maintained complete control over all branches of government, finance and administration, the judiciary, and the armed forces. “All things depend on the care and administration of the imperial majesty”, declared Leo VI in one of his Novels. The Byzantine Empire showed in its long history a remarkable power of survival. Although the throne was often occupied by incompetent rulers, and political assassination was common, sometimes even resulting in destructive civil wars between competitors for the throne. Though the administration itself was often scandalously corrupt, the empire never went bankrupt. Taxes were always collected, the bureaucracy and the armies were paid, and the peasants never sank to the poverty and misery experienced in the contemporary West. Therefore, the Greeks, having inherited much of the Roman system of administration and law, showed that they could rule and administer an empire which survived even longer than that of their former masters. “The office of Emperor (known by the Greek word for ‘King’: Basileus) was inviolable.  No Byzantine ever seriously thought about any other form of government until the Empire’s last days.  Although several families managed to establish ruling dynasties, Byzantium did not fully develop the notion of hereditary rule. Many able and ambitious men (and at least one woman) from very humble beginnings managed to rise to the top over those who had a 'better’ claim in terms of their family background.” All in all, after you read all this post we hope you undestand why there really are a lot of differences between the Byzantine Empire and other ancient civilizations, and that in ancient times life was very hard.  Thanks for reading this blog post.  We hope you enjoyed it. Don’t forget to follow us and as always have a good day.

More Info:

http://www.greek-thesaurus.gr/byzantine-achievements.html http://www.cristoraul.com/ENGLISH/MedievalHistory/Cambridge/IV/23-GOVERNMENT-AND-ADMINISTRATION.html

https://cliojournal.wikispaces.com/file/view/Byzantine+government+and+bureaucracy.pdf