The next strong and effective rulers to come after Pulcheria are Justinian and Theodora who reigned from 527 to 565. Of all the Emperor following Constantine, Justinian is arguable the most accomplished of reinforcing the idea of “One God, One Empire, One Emperor” through his acts that bolstered the Church and the Empire and inseparable entities while also solidifying his power and making the Emperor more of an absolute ruler. Justinian and Theodora’s persona as rulers was like that of Constantine and his mother especially in was advantageous to promoting power and linking themselves to the Church. Like their predecessors, Justinian and Theodora acted as co-rulers, with Justinian as the senior ruler (“The Byzantine Empire…” 2017). Theodora, …show more content…
She also made herself accessible to the people in ways such as creating a safehouse for women to escape prostitution and redeem themselves (“The Byzantine Empire…” 2017). Additionally, just as some would argue that Constantine did not convert to Christianity till he was on his death bed so that he would not have to pick between Nicaean and Arian Christianity (and thus maintaining peace between the groups), Justinian, a Chalcedon Christian, and Theodora, a monophysite, came from different factions of Christianity, which may have served to balance the power of the two groups and make their political alignment ambiguous. These parallels are important because they show Justinian and Theodora’s ability to reuse the success of Constantine I and his mother in ruling an empire and the Church in a way that strengthened their power in both …show more content…
Resentment over stricter law enforcement paired with the relentless tax collection of the Prefect of Constantinople, John of Cappadocia, made Justinian unpopular and ultimately resulted in the Nika Riots in 532. The riots destroyed the Constantinople and only ended when Justinian ordered the killing of 30000 people in a single day (“The Byzantine Empire…” 2017). While not a particularly Christian act, there was never another riot against Justinian. Another result of the riots was that, with Constantinople destroyed, there was a huge rebuilding campaign that resulted in the most important piece of architecture in the Byzantine Empire, the church Hagia Sofia. This church, which still exists today, was a masterpiece meant to demonstrated the power of God and the Empire (“The Byzantine Empire…” 2017). While victory at Milvian Bridge and cure from illness had been the proof of Constantine I’s and Theodosius I’s favor with God, the Hagia Sophia was “the proof of the esteem with which God regarded” Justinian (Procopius, 64). Most likely not a coincidence, the building of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople coincided with Justinian’s fairly successful reconquest of the West, starting with the invasion of North Africa in 532. The narrative created is one where in rebuilding of the city and the greatest Christian symbol accompanies the
Did Justinian impact life as we know it because he is such a great ruler, or is he just a follower who keeps trying to hold on to the loose threads of a fallen empire? Some might say that without Justinian, humanity is a step further back. Others may argue evermore that Justinian is a two-faced liar who you cannot trust (Doc. 2). Contrary to many beliefs, Justinian creates a new Byzantine Empire after the fall of Rome that is influential to many different cultures, more advanced and educated than Rome, and more economically thriving than the Roman Empire.
Theodora was the empress of the Byzantine Empire. She was married to Justinian. They both had similar ideas about how to rule an empire. But what is her past? What do we know about Theodora? What even was the Byznatine Empire? After learning about this empire and the empress, I am very interested in learning more about this unique ruler. Her past and her views on women’s rights are very extraordinary traits of an Empress at this time in history.
The Hagia Sophia is a stunning, spherical-shaped building made of marble and gold (Doc. 4). Justinian built the Hagia Sophia, which means “Holy Wisdom” in Greek, after a church of the same name was destroyed in riots in Constantinople (outside information). Procopius, Justinian’s court historian, described the church as “suspended from heaven by the fabled golden chain” (Doc. 4). Undoubtedly, visitors to the Hagia Sophia are left breathless by its beauty (outside information). Other churches that Justinian built include the Church of St. Salvator in Chora and the Church of the Apostles (Doc. 5). Justinian’s churches were beautiful; however, they were created to be more than just a display. The churches caused people to feel a connection with God, which helped unify the empire under a single faith. The bonding of the Romans under one faith helped strengthen the entire empire. Moreover, the abundance of churches in Constantinople helped make the city the center of religious power (Doc. 5). Evidence of Justinian’s legacy can be found when one realizes that the Byzantine Empire’s revived culture influenced Orthodox Christianity, a major branch of modern
The book gives valuable information about Justinian and his age. It covers Justinian's life, his reforms and every action he took. It gives information about the relationship between Justinian and Theodora and its effects on the Empire. It gives a vivid picture of the Byzantine Empire in Justinian's age. The writer of the book also included the writings of some important scholars such as J.B Bury, Norman Baynes and Gibbon's. However the writer of this book did not live to see it print it is a fact that he wrote a great book full of information, giving the reader detailed sketch of Justinian's Age.
The Byzantine Empire, the eastern half of the Roman Empire, flourished as an impressive medieval civilization. This empire was rich with geography, culture, and trade connections due to its location in Constantinople, the isthmus between Asia and Europe. It also lasted for over a thousand years and reached its height and glory during the sixth century, under the reign of Justinian I (Justinian the Great) and his empress, Theodora. They both came from the lower class and gained status to work their way to being rulers of the empire. Justinian and Theodora are important figures in history because they ruled the Byzantine Empire at its height and made many reforms during that time which many still exist today.
After reading 9 documents about Justinian and his empire, I have to determine whether Justinian built a completely new empire or did he revive the Roman Empire. Based off of documents 1 through 9, I have came to the conclusion that Justinian created a new Byzantine Empire.
...s a new Emperor. In 527 CE, Justinian was named Emperor and he was from a long line of Roman emperors. He did many great things to improve Rome such as reforming the Roman laws. He crushed the Vandals in Africa made Carthage part of the “true Roman Empire again. (Tignor, 2011, p. 296) He went head on with the Barbarians from the “old Rome” and was able to gain back most of the control. He created many more churches and made his mark for more than a thousand years of the future Rome.
When Emperor Constantine found the city of Constantinople, it was soon to become the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. But the Christin city needed a great church to represent it’s great value, so the Hagia Sophia was built (Krystek, Lee). The Hagia Sophia was built by the Byzantine Empire in 537 C.E., which was an Empire influenced greatly by the greek and roman styles (Krystek, Lee). It has a square base with a large dome on the top. Round arcs surrounded the large dome, adding mystical beauty to the Hagia Sophia (Krystek, Lee). Also, multiple colors of bricks were used to create patterns on the outside of the Hagia Sophia. On the inside, the walls are made of marble with glass panes which bring beautiful sunlight into the large museum (Krystek, Lee). The Hagia Sophia is very significant because it was rebuilt many times. The first church was built and then burnt down in 404 C.E. (Krystek, Lee). It was then rebuilt and burned down by riots in 502 C.E. (Krystek, Lee). Then the 3rd church was built by Justinian. After long periods of time, Sultan Mehmed conquered Constantinople and changed it to an islamic city, converting the church to a mosque (Krystek, Lee). In 1934, President Ataturk changed the mosque to a museum for the people and tourists, instead of a sacred place of worship (Krystek, Lee).
Justinian was one of the most influential rulers of Byzantium. When he came into power in 527 AD, he inherited a civilization in disarray. Justinian had a positive impact on the Byzantine Empire. Most notably, he introduced an improved set of laws and conquered many surrounding nations, nearly restoring the former glory of the Roman Empire. In addition to these contributions, Justinian also made advances with the Christian Church and Byzantine architecture.
As the greatest empire in the western world began to crumble one city at a time, the leader of the Roman Empire, Constantine, under pressure from external and internal sources moved the capital of Rome to Constantinople around 330 AD. The movement of the capital was after his conversion to Christianity in 312 AD, a growing religion throughout the empire despite being officially illegal. Constantine was not the devote saint that the church may speak of today, “from 312-320 Constantine was tolerant of paganism, keeping pagan gods on coins and retaining his pagan high priest title "Pontifex Maximus" in order to maintain popularity with his subjects, possibly indicating that he never understood the theology of Christianity” (Ferguson & Grupp, 1998). The first Christian Emperor claimed to have converted after a victorious battle with his brother and there are many that corroborate this story it appears highly suspicious to only promote Christian ideals and worship. Constantine was not even the Emperor that made Christianity the religion of the Roman people, but simply permitted religiou...
This was the beginning of Justinian’s famous rule, which lasted from 527 A.D. through 565 A.D. (The Reign of Justinian). The reign of Justinian was significant in many ways. First of all, it marked the final end of the Roman Empire. It was the establishment of the New Byzantine empire. It was also the beginning of Western Europe’s unique position within the civilization of the old world.
Constantine went far beyond the Edict of Milan, which extended indulgence of Christians during the persecution. By 313 A.D., Constantine had donated the property of Lateran, where a new cathedral, the Basilica Constantiniana was soon built, to the bishop of Rome. Constantine had an arch erected in his honour at Rome after the defeat of Maxentius ascribed the victory to the “inspiration of the Divinity”. After his victory over Licinius in 324, Constantine wrote that he had come from the farthest shores of Britain as God’s chosen instrument for the suppression of impiety. Later, in a letter he proclaimed that he had come to bring peace and prosperity to all lands, with the help of God. He gave vast amounts of money from his own personal treasury to the churches of God, to help enlarge the sacred buildings and to decorate the sanctuaries. Throughout his life, Constantine ascribed his success to his conversion to Christianity and the support of the Christian
During the early 700s, the Byzantine Empire was in turmoil and chaos. As Leo III took power, Constantinople was being attacked by Avars, Bulgarians, and Arabs. The Arabs from the Middle East were a main concern for Leo III because of their large conquests in the Asia Minor. The Arabs advanced to spread their faith of Islam and control resources. The Arabs slowly acquired land until their siege on Constantinople itself. Leo III made brilliant defense moves to stop the invaders. His military forces attacked the Arabs from the rear successfully while naval forces were repelled with Greek Fire. Greek Fire was the empire's secret weapon that may have saved them from the Arab siege. Arab ships would burst into flames from contact with the "liquid fire." Fighting continued for a year until the Arabs retreated. Constantinople was defended successfully, but the empire suffered heavy losses and continued to loose land.
“Theodora: A Fragment” and “An Egyptian Cigarette” are both written by women, about women, but perhaps there is a much larger subject being tackled in both these works – consumerism. “Theodora: A Fragment” is a story written in 1895 by Victoria Cross, which was a common pseudonym for author Annie Sophie Cory. Although “Theodora” was intended to be a chapter from a much larger novel, the story stands alone. While Cross had apparently already finished Six Chapters of Man’s Life in 1894, it was not published in its entirety until 1903 (Rojas 108). Instead of publishing all the chapters at once part of the third chapter of the novel first appeared in Volume IV of The Yellow Book in 1895.
Constantine the Great, first Christian Emperor, originator of Constantinople, creator of the Byzantine Empire, military conqueror, and honored saint, has been labeled by many the most instrumental emperor of the Roman Empire. Constantine played a crucial role in the development of Europe during the Middle Ages, and founded Christianity as the formal religion of the Roman Empire. His dynamic yet effective predominance laid the infrastructure of European development. From his humble beginnings, to his command of the Roman Empire, to his final days, Constantine’s impact on world history and Christianity has left behind an unforgettable legacy. He was described by Eusebius as “such an emperor as all history records not.” Ware compared him to, “a watershed in the history of the Church.” Additionally, Meyendorff states, “No single human being in history has contributed to the conversion of so many to the Christian faith.” Norwich declared that “No ruler in all of history has ever more fully merited his title of ‘the Great’…Constantine has serious claim to be considered the most influential man in all of history.” Some of Constantine’s notable acts in the history of Christianity was his calling of the first Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, his institution of freedom for Christianity with the Edict of Milan, and the relocation of the capital of empire from Rome to Constantinople.