Joshua Ruby
10/27/2012
McNamara; Period 7
In the 7th century B.C, a fleet of galleys laid anchor in an area known later as the Golden Horn. A few hundred colonists disembarked from the ships and secured themselves from the inland tribes by running a rough stockade across the ground from one beach to the next. And so the city of Byzantium was founded. These colonists were Greeks that had come in search of the Golden Fleece and the lands of the Hyperboreans, but were disappointed. Instead, they found a rich land in both profit and food. This land, once known by the Greeks as “the inhospitable,” was fringed with trading settlements, and became known as “the hospitable” instead.[1]
Byzantium grew to become a powerful independent state that rarely ever fell to an enemy. The Roman Emperor Constantine I began this whole process by dedicating a “New Rome” to be built on this colony’s site, and while the Western Roman Empire fell, the eastern half stood intact for another thousand years. From the beginning it was destined to accomplish great things.
At the end of its existence, the so called Byzantine Empire (named after Byzantium, of course) would have contributed to the advances in the various technologies and have completed several different military conquests. It would have had many different emperors that contributed to its rise, fall, and stability, and would have set a perfect standard for living in luxury.
The Byzantine Empire had many different rulers in the span of its existence, each contributing their own ideas and preferences to make the Empire stronger (or weaker). But, these emperors had to have gained power in some way; the people couldn’t simply waltz in and say, “I think I’ll be emperor for a while.” To explain the process of installing an emperor and maintaining their power, two of them will be studied and discussed.
The first emperor that is to be mentioned is Heraclius. He ruled from October 5th, 610 A.D (date of coronation) until his death on February 11th, 641 A.D in his mid sixties.[2] Heraclius was sent by his father, a Roman governor in Africa, at about thirty-five years old to fix the problems that the previous emperor Phocas had caused. When he arrived he overthrew the ruler, whose last support, if any, had vanished. As the story goes, he was brought before Heraclius, who asked, “Is it thus that you have governed the empire?” Phocas replied with a sneer, “Will you do it any better?” He was then handed over to his enemies in the capital and was tortured to death.
And so Heraclius inherited an empire in shambles. “It was a devastated field of burnt cities and deserted lands, of hunger and starvation … there was not much left of the Roman field army … Constantinople had been rocked by an earthquake in 611 A.D … Heraclius seriously considered moving back to Carthage to direct matters from there.”[3] Yet somehow, he managed to bring it back to its former glory.
During his reign, he led several successful military conquests which eventually allowed for the driving out of the Slavs, Persians, and Turkic Avars. The official language of Byzantium was changed from Latin to Greek and, being a supporter of the language, adopted the Greek title βασιλεύς in place of the Roman Caesar, Augustus, or Imperator.[4]
Eventually in 634 A.D, a group of Muslims took Syria and Egypt, which Heraclius did not defend in his old age. He is said to have died of prostate troubles later on.
The second emperor that will be discussed is Basil II, who reigned from 976 A.D until his death on December 15th, 1025. He started his rule as a co-emperor with his brother Constantine, who remained in the background as they were minors. The Byzantine Empire had various senior military emperors take control at this time until the great uncle of Basil II, Basil the chamberlain, took control. Basil II asserted his claim to throne by exiling his great uncle in 985. [5]
During his time as ruler, Basil II “extended rule in the Balkans, Mesopotamia, Georgia, and Armenia and increased his domestic authority by attacking the powerful landed interests of the military aristocracy and of the church.”[6] He did not care much for education, but commissioned more works of religious art, monasteries, and churches to be created. He led a successful campaign again the Bulgarians that earned him the nickname, “Slayer of the Bulgars,” where he blinded the entire army (excluding one eye for each 100th man). When they arrived back at their homeland, their Tsar died of shock shortly after seeing the gruesome sight.
A vast number of significant events occurred during the time of the Byzantine Empire. These include the crusades, the excommunication of the patriarch of Constantinople by the Pope in 1054, and the construction of the Hagia Sophia.
The crusades were essentially a group of “holy wars” that were supposed to be fought over the Holy Lands. However, the fourth crusade was not focused on Jerusalem but instead on the capture of Constantinople. This crusade lasted from 1202 A.D to 1261 A.D (during this time the children’s crusade also took place) and was focused on the center of Moslem power, Egypt. “Accordingly, the crusaders proceeded to Venice, for the purpose of securing transportation across the Mediterranean. The Venetians agreed to furnish the necessary ships only on condition that the crusaders first seized Zara on the eastern coast of the Adriatic. Zara was a Christian city, but it was also a naval and commercial rival of Venice. In spite of the pope's protests the crusaders besieged and captured the city. Even then they did not proceed against the Moslems. The Venetians persuaded them to turn their arms against Constantinople.”[7] And so they did. Constantinople was seized in 1204 A.D, where large parts of it were burned down, the so called “infidels” were treated as slime on a cafeteria wall, a great portion of the relics were destroyed and most of the movable wealth was carried away. “Never, declared an eye-witness of the scene, had there been such plunder since the world began.”[8]
Another significant event that occurred was that of the Papal Edict of 1054, or “the Great Schism.” It was the excommunication of the patriarch of Constantinople and all their followers. Despite the order, it took centuries to even make it final. “Warren Carroll, a very pro-Papal, pro-Western historian, nevertheless says that Humbert was the wrong man to have sent as an ambassador to Constantinople. He also says that the decree of excommunication was not a Papal bull, since bulls can only be signed by a Pope. Carroll says that the Pope, Leo IX, would never have signed the document. In any case, the decree was given on July 16 - and the Pope who sent Humbert to Constantinople had died in April. The Great Schism was, clearly, the result of BOTH sides failing to act as Christians.”[9]
The last significant event to have occurred during the Byzantine Empire’s time that will be mentioned is the construction of the Hagia Sophia (“divine wisdom” in Greek). It is considered the best example of Byzantine architecture in the world, and was built on a scale unprecedented in human history. “Under the rule of Justinian the Emperor, and with a force of 10,000 workers, the dome atop the church of Hagia Sophia was built in record time: it took just five years, ten months, and four days tocomplete.”[10] Completed in 537 A.D, it was toppled by an earthquake and rebuilt in 559 A.D on a smaller scale, and was converted into a mosque in 1453 A.D, then into a museum in 1935.
The Byzantines cannot be assumed to have just lived; they had daily lives, too. More specifically, social and cultural aspects. The different living conditions to be mentioned are those of the upper and middle class and the emperor. “The upper and middleclassesof the empire enjoyed a high standard of living, unmatched in the West until very recent times.”[11]
The emperor had a lot of free time to move about the city and practice any hobbies they have. They were usually very religious, so the many churches in the Great Palace caused the Holy Service to never end. Some emperors were great writers, musicians, historians, and spokesmen. Other emperors simply read at night. “Constantine Porphirogenitealso enjoyed such things, but he was much more gifted. He was a famous painter, jeweler, sculptor, musician, and he knew mechanics. He was also historian, archeologist, and encyclopedist.”[12] Some emperors would even spend their time traveling through the city, testing the security.
The Byzantine Empire was also responsible for major contributions to literature, architecture, art, and engineering. For example, most of the ancient literature which survives today was preserved through the Byzantine Empire. “The majority of the works of philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato, and the historical texts of Greece and Rome were saved by Byzantine scholars who maintained the ancient traditions of literature and learning.”[13] Byzantium didn’t only save what was old; it also began what wasnew. “Byzantine scholars and the "lost" knowledge they brought to Italy, Venice, France and England were a founding spark of the Renaissance Era, when sciences and rational enquiry began to lay the foundations of the modern world.”[14] Without this Renaissance, there wouldn’t have been any Enlightenment, and science and technology wouldn’t have advanced as much as it had. As mentioned before, a major contribution to architecture would be the Hagia Sophia. Of all these things, their most significant achievement would be the creation of the Hagia Sophia, simply due to the scale on which the cathedral was built.
In conclusion, the Byzantine Empire had many different rulers in the span of its existence, each contributing their own ideas, a vast number of significant events occurred during the time of the Byzantine Empire, the emperor, upper and middle classes lived in luxury, and the Empire was also responsible for major contributions to literature, architecture, art, and engineering.
Bibliography
"Byzantine Period - Political and Cultural Achievements." http://www.greek-thesaurus.gr/byzantine-achievements.html. 5/18/06
"Why Byzantine Civilization is Important." http://www.byzantiumnovum.org/byzantium_important.htm. 5/4/12
"The Fourth Crusade." http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/the-fourth-crusade.htm. 1/28/11
"The Papal Edict of 1054." http://www.leepenn.org/PapalBull1054.html. 10/16/03
"Hagia Sophia." http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/hagia_sophia.html. 11/8/01
“Heraclius.” http://historymedren.about.com/library/who/blwwheraclius.htm. 3/16/12.
“Basil II.” http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/55048/Basil-II. 7/21/12
“The Persian Wars of Heraclius.” http://www.roman-empire.net/articles/article-012.html. 5/25/12.
Oman, Charles C. The Byzantine Empire. (Oxford: 1902)
[1] Oman, Charles C. The Byzantine Empire. (Oxford: 1902)
[2] “The Persian Wars of Heraclius.” http://www.roman-empire.net/articles/article-012.html. 5/25/12.
[3] “The Persian Wars of Heraclius.”
[4] “Heraclius.” http://historymedren.about.com/library/who/blwwheraclius.htm. 3/16/12.
[5] “Basil II.” http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/55048/Basil-II. 7/21/12
[6] “Basil II.”
[7] "The Fourth Crusade." http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/the-fourth-crusade.htm. 1/28/11
[8] "The Fourth Crusade."
[9] "The Papal Edict of 1054." http://www.leepenn.org/PapalBull1054.html. 10/16/03
[10] "Hagia Sophia." http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/hagia_sophia.html. 11/8/01
[11] "Byzantine Period - Political and Cultural Achievements." http://www.greek-thesaurus.gr/byzantine-achievements.html. 5/18/06
[12] "Byzantine Period - Political and Cultural Achievements."
[13] "Why Byzantine Civilization is Important." http://www.byzantiumnovum.org/byzantium_important.htm. 5/4/12
[14] "Why Byzantine Civilization is Important."