The Byzantine Empire

1593 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Chapter 9 civilization in eastern europe byzantium

Introduction
An empire is defined as a group of nations or countries governed by a single, powerful force; often an emperor or empress. The Byzantine Empire originally known as East-Roman Empire and also known as Byzantium, is an example of an influential civilization that significantly altered the past ways of living in order for societies today to develop in the manner that they have. The Byzantine Empire contained countless crucial elements that caused the civilization to be the intriguing society that it was. Politics were essential to the rise of the Byzantine Empire. The political structure was like that of the Romans and created much success for the Empire during its peak. Byzantium was a civilization with an economy that was successful and established around the world. The economy of the Byzantine Empire was largely assisted by trade and agriculture. Lastly, the social aspects of the empire were beneficial to future civilizations. By making the first step towards an Empire unified in the religion of Christianity, Byzantine was able to continue to develop the religion and began to shape it into the way it is known today. There were many empires throughout history with political, economic and societal achievements, Byzantium being one of them.

Political
Established in 330 CE due to the downfall and division of the Roman Empire, Byzantium had a political structure similar to that of its predecessor, with many unique interpretations. The capital city of Constantinople was the core of the Empire. The government, the army and the emperor all resided in the Empire’s capital (Explore Byzantium). The Empire was ruled by an autocracy, meaning the emperor had complete control of the entire society. This included all government o...

... middle of paper ...

...Often hidden by the history of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire is an important part to understanding the Mediterranean’s past.

Works Cited

"Everyday Life in Byzantium." . Macedonia Heritage, n.d. Web. 2 June 2014. .

"Explore Byzantium." . Explore Byzantium, 1 Jan. 2003. Web. 3 June 2014. .

Knox, Ellis L.. "The Byzantine Empire." ORB: The Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies. Ellis L. Knox, 1 Jan. 1999. Web. 4 June 2014. .

Lendering, Jona. "Byzantine Empire." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited, 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 25 May 2014. .

Sherrard, Philip. Great Ages of Man Byzantium. New York: Time Inc., 1966. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Comparing the Post-Classical Empires of Arabia and the Byzantine.

    977 Words  | 2 Pages

    As you can see, the Byzantine and Arab empires had many characteristics that came to define them. Whether it was through their religious beliefs, political structure, or economy, each was able to create a vast, long lasting empire which came to define the post-classical period.

    Read More

  • Byzantine Empire Dbq Essay

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Byzantine Empire plays a major role in many different societies to this day. Some of the things that impact other civilizations from the Byzantine include their religion and laws. According to Mr. Gray, Russia went so far as to adopt Orthodox Christianity, which makes them view themselves as the continuation of Byzantine culturally. Also, Justinian’s code helps shape the basis of much later laws (Byzantine PPT #7), which shows Justinian's code is a bigger influence

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Alexiad

    1268 Words  | 3 Pages

    Aspects of Byzantine historiography are that historical works are in the forms of chronicles of events that revolved around individuals with unique characteristics. The focus of an individual is clearly shown as Emperor Alexis Comnena I is in a way the protagonist of the Alexiad as he is the central character throughout the story. Emperor Comnena, throughout the book is shown to be a figure with no vices and is even comparable to Jesus Christ himself. The book, while bias can yield a lot of information to historians. The information that can be gained is Eastern Roman history under Emperor Alexis Comnena I and what transpired under his reign. The Byzantine perspective of the First Crusade and the incoming crusaders is also displayed by the Alexiad, therefore can yield useful information to historians exploring the First Crusade or something similar. The problem is using the Alexiad as source in understanding Eastern Roman history is that the book was wrote with a bias bent, therefore some parts history may have been tampered with and that Anna Comnena is telling her story purely though stories and her family history with no other sources. However, while flawed in some aspects the Alexiad is still regarded as a historical piece and relay important information is analyzed

    Read More

  • Emperor Justinian Dbq Essay

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    Emperor Justinian of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire, was one of Rome’s greatest leaders. By building numerous churches, schools, and hospitals throughout the empire, Justinian not only managed to revive Roman society, but he also preserved Roman culture for over a thousand years. Justinian’s brilliant leadership led the Roman Empire to conquer lands in Europe and Africa and expand to its greatest size. Additionally, he unified and strengthened the empire by moving the capital to Constantinople and establishing a single faith. After his death, Justinian left a legacy that allowed Rome to continue thriving. Under Justinian’s rule, Rome flourished into a culturally rich civilization.

    Read More

  • Byzantine Empire DBQ

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    Roman Emperor Constantine I founded the Byzantine Empire in 330 CE as a continuation of the Roman Empire in the east. The characteristics of the empire led to the modern definition of “Byzantine,” which means “strangely complicated.” This was true, as in the Byzantine Empire was very chaotic, complex, and strange at times, but it was very massive and influential worldwide. The empire heavily influenced modern religion, laws, and engineering, making it worthwhile learning about the empire. Our ideas about laws and philosophy are borrowed from those of Justinian’s code, which was the main set of laws of the empire.

    Read More

  • The Peloponnesian War and the Decline of Leadership in Athens

    3378 Words  | 7 Pages

    The development of an empire is a change strongly emphasized in the Archeology as a radical departure from the Hellenic tradition, and consequently a major source of conflict among the Greeks. Prior to the adven...

    Read More

  • A Reliable Historian as Shown in The Alexiad by Anna Comnena

    1355 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kazhadan, Alexander. Studies on Byzantine Literature of the Eleventh and Twelfth. NewYork: Cambridge University press, 1984. Print

    Read More

  • The Similarities between: The Byzantine Empire and Islamic Civilization

    668 Words  | 2 Pages

    Much of past civilizations have endured many failures and triumphs throughout their existence. In the third century, there were many civilizations that started to flourish. One of these civilizations that started to expand was the Byzantine civilization. The Byzantine civilization, also regarded as Byzantium, was part of the Roman Empire which was divided in 395 AD. Byzantium had shared the same attitude, as the Roman Empire, toward exercising its authority over its citizens and throughout its empire. The Islamic civilization had started thrive in the fifth century. The Islamic civilization was unified together as unison by Islam and it has expanded its civilization throughout parts of Europe through jihad. Because of their expansions throughout parts of Europe, they shared various similarities which include their political system, social structure, and economy.

    Read More

  • Justinian and The Byzantine Empire

    1707 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • How Good Were The Five Good Emperors of Rome?

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Five Good Emperors (ancient Rome)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. .

    Read More

  • Causes and Effects of the Protestant Reformation

    1175 Words  | 3 Pages

    Howe, Helen, and Robert T. Howe. A World History: Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Volume 1. White Plains, NY: Longman, 1992. 533.

    Read More

  • The Roman Empire

    1687 Words  | 4 Pages

    Augustus created the office of emperor with the Augustan Principate, which was “to have no institutionalized authoritarian power, no perpetual dictatorship such as Julius Caesar had had himself voted early in 44, or anything like it (Stockton, 124).” Despite his wishes the people of Rome ended up giving Augustus eternal office, and powers to control the Senate with the rights to dictate agendas and veto (Stockton, 128). The people of Rome had created a position of absolute power, the exact thing Augustus was attempting to prevent. At the time the people of Rome could not have realized what they were creating in the office of emperor, for Augustus was a great man whose leadership created a great shadow over the shoulder of any future emperor.

    Read More

  • The Influence of Byzantine Culture on the Renaissance

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    Byzantine culture begins with the establishment of the city Constantinople by Emperor Constantine in 330 AD. This is considered by some historians to be the beginning of Byzantium, the term for the Eastern Roman Empire. Other historians argue that Byzantium was only established after the fall of the empire in the West in 476 (Loverance 6). The Byzantines continued many Roman traditions, but as time went on, Byzantine culture became more and more distant from that of the Romans.

    Read More

  • The Roman Empire

    581 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the ancient Greeks were reaching the height of their glory, the power of Rome, to the west, was slowly rising. The Romans were best in warfare, engineering, and government. Rome rose to power gradually, with no set plan for world conquest. The Romans fought many wars and enslaved many people. By the time of Augustus, shortly before Christ, most of the known world was unified and at peace under Roman rule.

    Read More

  • The War of The Roses

    1145 Words  | 3 Pages

    York: Facts on File, Inc., 2005. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts on File, Inc.

    Read More

More about The Byzantine Empire

Open Document