History of Byzantine Civilization.

HISTORY OF BYZANTINE CIVILIZATION

Brief history of the Byzantine civilization 

in southeastern Europe was the transition from the Roman period to the Middle Ages, much smoother than in the west. That was because the Roman emperor here never violently thrown down by barbarian tribes from the north, as in Italy, and Emperor Constantine the Great himself had converted to Christianity in the fourth century. The latter began a major, but tactical, the campaign began to evangelize the remaining eastern Roman Empire, that is, to convert to Christianity. It was here that the first great medieval civilization developed, the Byzantine. A brilliant and mysterious culture that today is relatively unknown, while her memory through the centuries many artists and poets knew how to inspire the international movie makers.

Constantine the Great :

In 305 Constantine became emperor of a turbulent Roman empire, stretching from the Syrian and Iraqi border on the Black Sea spread to Scotland and from across Spain and the entire North African coast. It was politically very unstable, with every other military leader who claimed the throne - even Constantine himself came from a military lineage. The major role played by the military in the Roman Empire was not as strange as it took a very large army to guard the vast frontiers of the empire against ever fiercer attacks from the outside. Especially Germanic tribes north of the Western Roman Empire were notorious.

Differences between East and West:

The constant warfare crowds at borders heavily on the economy of the empire. In addition, the political and religious divisions that had specifically ruled in Rome, but also the rest of the empire was in its grasp. This lack of unity, along with the economic and military pressure, the traditional sharpness difference weather that had always existed between the West and the East of the Roman Empire. Latin was spoken in the west, the culture is predominantly agricultural and there were no large urban centers outside Rome. In the east, on the other hand, Greek was spoken and the culture here was thoroughly urban because of the many ancient former city-states in Greece and the Middle East layers. West was as the primitive part of the empire and was considered politically unstable because the agrarian-oriented tribes had a little message to Roman culture and domination. Were also just recruited most soldiers among these peoples, so that the army was becoming increasingly unreliable.

The emergence of Constantinople and later Istanbul :

All these developments brought Constantine to the drastic decision to move the capital of the Roman Empire to the east. The choice fell on the Greek city of Byzantium, which was in 330 renamed Constantinople. The locals called it the City or, in their own dialect, where the future of Istanbul is derived. Furthermore, Constantine took the politically very tactical decision to recognize Christianity officially. There was currently no dominant religion in the empire, only larger and smaller sects. Christianity seemed to be the only candidate to be liable to give the empire unit a truly great religion. Other relatively great religions were Mithraism, a sun cult was popular among soldiers and extremely misogynistic - Constantine was here himself a supporter of - and Neoplatonism had a more philosophical than religious character and was incomprehensible to non-intellectuals.

Christianity :

Christianity with's his relatively simple doctrines of charity and equality for each individual soul, whether you are male or female, rich or poor, smart or stupid, the most growth potential in itself seemed to mountains. Just before his death, Constantine did convert to Christianity, which belonged only about one-seventh of its nationals at the time. By the end of the fourth century, however, it had become the dominant religion in the Roman empire and the emperor was now the Holy Emperor in his Sacred Palace, where he sat as the vicegerent of God on earth. He thus held both the role of the pope as emperor. This development would never take place in the West. Pope and emperor would always be two separate bodies here.

Ravenna :

Late fourth century, in 395, the empire is too big to be still controlled centrally. Ravenna, a northern Italian city is the capital of the Western Roman Empire, while in the fifth century Rome is sacked on two occasions. There are Germanic kings of the Western Roman throne, but the Eastern Roman Emperor in Constantinople remains the only reserve the option to use the title of Emperor and with its rich still a symbol of unity.

Early Medieval :

Adjust emperor Justinian (527-565) wins again the Western Roman Empire. Ravenna is the provincial capital. After his death traps East and West together again. This time permanently. Here place historians also often the beginning of the Middle Ages, while others argue for the year 395 when Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire.

In the east a shrinking Empire :

During the seventh century, the Byzantine Empire greatly reduced by attacks from the east to the current Greece and the western part of Turkey. It is now no more rich with universal claims, but a Greek state. Threatened if it continues to be from the outside, the reduced state turned increasingly inward. The artistic and religious projects by reduced tax revenues of more modest size.

West falls apart :

The Western Roman Empire now falls into several Germanic kingdoms. In Italy, especially in the north, settling the Lombards ( "long beards" the current Lombardy region in the far north of Italy). In Gaul, the Franks take the helm (hence Frank-rich) and the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), the Visigoths, which would be run largely under foot in the eighth century of contemporary Morocco advancing Muslim armies.

End of the Byzantine Empire :

Byzantine civilization would remain eleven centuries and are only destroyed in 1453 by the Turks. You can also say that when only really ended the Roman Empire, while at that time in northern Italy again, the Renaissance was in full swing. The Renaissance was the Western Europeans just mean the rebirth of important Roman cultural elements. Nowadays you can admire the most beautiful Byzantine art in the Italian city of Ravenna, in the Turkish Istanbul and throughout Greece