Name: ________________________ Date:__/___/___
HW #3
Justinian and Byzantine Greatness
Read the selection below and then answer the questions in complete sentences.
Under the rule of emperor Justinian, 527 to 565 A.D., the Byzantine Empire reached the pinnacle (top) of its power and grandeur (greatness). Constantinople was called the Queen City by travelers who admired its magnificence (glory). They came from both East and West, for its merchants were extremely active in the ports of the Mediterranean and the Black Seas, and Constantinople had trade connections which reached far into Europe and the Near East.
The rich farmlands of Asia Minor and Egypt provided an abundance of food, a steady supply of precious metals was mined from the Balkan Peninsula. Raw materials such as furs, hides, slaves and horses were brought from the plains and forest to the north. From the ancient civilized countries of the East came manufactured goods. But it was not long
before Constantinople became famous for its own manufactures, chiefly textiles, leather goods, armor and jewelry.
More Hellenistic than Roman, a new appreciation for art and literature was a hallmark of Byzantine culture. Greek served as the official language after the sixth century, but the legacy (inheritance) of Roman law and literature (writing) remained preserved. The civil administration (government) of the empire was so well-organized that routine affairs continued even under mediocre (average) and incompetent (useless) emperors. The Byzantine Empire, like its Western predecessor, endured periods of strife (fighting) and decline.
Justinian assumed control after one of these periods. He was not a popular emperor at first, and in 532 A.D. there as a revolt against him. The revels set fire to a part of the city, and the young emperor might have accepted defeat had it not been for his wife Theodora. As he was about to board a ship and leave the city, she challenged him, “Go if you
want to, but for me—I stay! Imperial purple will make me a splendid shroud (grave-clothes)!”
With his wife, the emperor stayed and not only put down the revolt but also became an expansionist of sorts, defeating the Persians, Vandals and Goths and adding large areas of Spain, Italy, and northern Africa to the Empire.
At home, he worked unceasingly to beautify the city and is responsible for the construction of the church of Saint
Sophia. He became learned at law, and wrote two great volumes: Corpus Juris Civilis , which incorporated all the Roman laws, and Institutes , a digest (summary) and explanation of them for law students.
After the time of Justinian, the Byzantine Empire began to decline dramatically, plagued by many of the same symptoms that were the causes of the fall of the western empire. The Lombards seized northern Italy and moved steadily southward. Other invades moved from the other areas until finally, Constantinople fell to invading Turks in 1453.
1. What were the geographic advantages of Constantinople’s location?
2. Why did the Roman Empire last much longer in the East than in the West?
3. What part did economic factors play in the survival of the Eastern Roman Empire?
4. What role did Theodora play in the preservation (continuation) of the Byzantine Empire?
5. Describe two of Justinian’s achievements while in power in Byzantium.
