The Fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Rise of the Byzantine Empire

Division of Eastern and Western Empire: The End of an Era

EDITED BY PROFESSOR PELLEGRINELLITHE DIVISION OF THE EMPIRE: EASTERN AND WESTERN The eastern and western halves of the Roman empire had always differed substantially. The eastern half had been urbanised for much longer and more intensively than the western half; it had a long tradition of well-organised Greek and Phoenician city states and Asian and Hellenistic kingdoms. Large parts of the western half were urbanised only after the arrival of the Romans. The east was also richer than the west. Rome actually lived off the wealth of the eastern half of her empire, in particular Egypt. There was a cultural difference, too: the language of the elite was Greek in the east and Latin in the west.

Division of the Roman Empire in 395 CE

Borders of the Roman Empire in 395 CE under Emperor Theodosius Western Roman Empire Rome Constantinople Eastern Roman Empire Ancient History Encyclopedia www.ancient.eu Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

EDITED BY PROFESSOR PELLEGRINELLITHE DIVISION OF THE EMPIRE: EASTERN AND WESTERN After Constantine's death in 337, the western and eastern halves were constantly governed by separate emperors, first from Constantine's own house (until 363) and then from other dynasties. These emperors in effect became increasingly distinct rulers of the Western and Eastern Roman empires, with separate administrations. After 395 there were no longer any emperors who ruled over the entire empire, although the pretence of a single, unified Roman empire was always maintained. The consequences were serious: the armies of the two halves that had helped one another when necessary were now far more reluctant to come to each other's aid. Some scholars see this as an important cause of the decline of the Western Roman empire. The official division and separation of the Roman Empire took place in 395 AD. This division had several impacts on different elements of the entire structure of the empire.

1. POLITICS
2. SOCIETY
3. GEOGRAPHY
4. URBANIZATION
5. RELIGION

Geography: Cities and Territories

EDITED BY PROFESSOR PELLEGRINELLIGEOGRAPHY: CITIES AND TERRITORIES The western court usually resided in Milan or Ravenna, in Italy. In the east Constantinople was the capital but until the fifth century another important residence was Antioch. Constantinople grew rapidly and attracted more of the grain surpluses of Egypt, Asia Minor and the Crimea. Rome had to make do with the surpluses of North Africa and Sicily, while the capitals in northern Italy were fed by the farmers in the Po Valley. Ephesus, the largest city in Asia Minor, halfway along the west coast, lost a lot Constantinople and entered a phase of stagnation and decline. to

The Role of Christianity in the Eastern Roman Empire

THE ROLE OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE: Christianity and the ecclesiastical hierarchy were unifying elements in this part of the empire. Bishops soon became important in city life. In the fifth century, warfare and migrations caused much less devastation in the Asian provinces and Egypt than in the west and the Balkans. In this century the Persians were preoccupied with their enemies along their north-eastern frontiers. The Germans did not spread any further than the Balkans; the heavily fortified city of Constantinople cut off their routes to Asia Minor.

Decline of Western Cities

EDITED BY PROFESSOR PELLEGRINELLITHE DECLINE OF THE WESTERN CITIES Many cities in the western half of the empire suffered a severe decline. Their markets lost important groups of customers from rural areas because the villae evolved into almost self-sufficient households with their own workshops. The town councils saw their best and wealthiest members depart (=go away), received progressively less tax and were unable to pay for the upkeep of the public amenities in their towns. Sometimes local landowners and/or Christian bishops had to assume responsibility for the remnants of a community and take over its administration. The cities did continue to exist as built-up areas, often well into the Middle Ages. In the western half of the empire, in particular in Gaul, Britain, the Rhineland and the Danubian regions, this process went much further than in the eastern half, North Africa and parts of Spain and Italy.

EDITED BY PROFESSOR PELLEGRINELLI JUTES GOTHS ANGLE COTHS SAXONS _ _ FRANKS LONGOBARDS HUNS OSTROGOTHS HUNS 1 VISIGOTHS Ravenna VANDALS ARome Hadrianople 850 Peloponnesus Carthage VANDALS

• Angles, Saxons, Jutes
• Visigoths - westem Goths
• Vandals
• Ostrogoths - eastern Goths
• -- Longobardi (c. 600)
• -- Burgundians
• Huns
• - - - Franks
• ****** Goths BURGUNDIANSPOLITICS

Politics of the Roman Empire

During the fourth century most emperors still took the empire's unity for granted. After the death of Constantine the Great in 337 east and west were most of the time governed by different emperors but the basic unity remained intact. Emperors who ruled the entire empire were Constantius II (351-361, emperor in the east from 337 to 361), Julian (361-363), Jovian (363-364) and Theodosius I the Great (394-395, emperor in the east from 379 to 394). The western emperor Valentinian I successfully maintained the northern borders from 364 to 375. His eastern co-emperor Valens (364-378), however, in 378 lost the great battle of Hadrianople against the Goths, an irreparable disaster. After 395 there were no more emperor who ruled the whole empire. Theodosius I was succeeded by his two sons, Honorius in the west (395- 423) and Arcadius in the east (395-408).

Roman Empire Map c. 400 C.E.

CLOTHADRIAN'S WALL NORTH SEA g London. GERMANIA ATLANTIC OCEAN SARMATIA ROMAN WALL Loire Milan Ravenna BLACK SEA CORSICA Flame Byzantium (Constantinople) BALEARIC IS "Cordova Nicomedia SARDINIA Athens Carthage" RHODES AFRICA SEA .Jerusalem THE ROMAN EMPIRE c. 400 C.E. Alexandria" East Roman Empire 0 200 MILES SAHARA RED SEA West Roman Empire -- Une gf Division- CYPRUS CRETE P Between Esstem and Wiestem Empires MEDITERRANEAN ADRIATIC SEA ROMAN WALL EDITED BY PROFESSOR PELLEGRINELLI BALTIC SE ..POLITICS The latter emperor and his son and successor, Theodosius II (408-450), were the first eastern emperors who permanently resided in Constantinople, leaving border warfare to their generals. In the west Ravenna in Italy became the most important residence, safely hiding behind the marshes lying there. The western emperors could not prevent the western half of the empire falling apart in this century. Now that the empire was led by Christian emperors and was increasingly identified with Christendom, Christian laymen (non-clergy) were allowed to engage in warfare and participate in administration. The bishops became important figures in the cities. Constantine made them responsible for part of the administration of justice. The financial resources of the Church grew rapidly. Many Christians bequeathed estates to the Christian communities and Constantine granted the churches and bishops exemption from various burdensome taxes and services.

The End of the Western Roman Empire

EDITED BY PROFESSOR PELLEGRINELLITHE END OF THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE The date that we commonly use to sign the fall of the Western Roman Empire is 476 AD. Many reasons brought to this event (political, economical, religious, military). The last decade of the Empire of the West saw the reign of Romulus Augustus ("the boy emperor"). In the course of the fifth century the German tribes in the empire took progressively less notice of the Western Roman emperors and established their own, independent kingdoms. The Ostrogoths established in Italy with their king Odoacer. Spain and the western part of Gaul were under the Visigoths, while northern Africa was conquered by the Vandals. Other kingdoms were established by Burgundians, Alamanni, Franks, Saxons, and Bretons.

Europe at the Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 470 AD

Evrope at the Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 470 AD vosbet Roman Empire to- 426 - Cobe Debes Ourogotic wichury ATLANTIO Jutos OCEAN BritDes REALM OF SVADAJUS A wereti K DM ... Crimean OEPIDS CAUCASIAN REALMS KOM. OF THE SUEBI ATALM BO NEPOS - ODOACER SASSANIO F T E R N EMPIRE K DM R E EMPI OF THE VANDAL 1: 58 000 000 SORGUNDIANS OSTROGOTHS SHIODISIA 14. N A M R EDITED BY PROFESSOR PELLEGRINELLITHE BYZANTINE EMPIRE (OR EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE)

The Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire)

• The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, emerged as the dominant continuation of the Roman world after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD. While the western territories succumbed to barbarian invasions, the Eastern Roman Empire, with its capital in Constantinople, remained stable and prosperous.
• Under the rule of Emperor Zeno (r. 474- 491), the Byzantines faced internal strife and external threats, including the rise of the Ostrogoths in Italy. His successor, Anastasius I (r. 491-518), reformed the empire's finances and strengthened its defenses.

Byzantine Empire, A.D. 565 Map

Byzantine Empire, A.D. 565 50°N Byzantine Empire 527 ATLANTIC OCEAN Added by 565 Danube River FRANKISH KINGDOM KINGDOM OF THE VISIGOTHS Black Sea Corsica Constantinople PERSIAN EMPIRE Balearic Islands Aegean! ‘Sea ANATOLIA Tigris R. Athens Antioch Euphrates R. Crete Cyprus Mediterranean F S 200 400 miles EGYPT ARABIA 0 200 400 kilometers AFRICA 10°E 20"E 30°E .Cordoba ITALY Adriatic Sea Rome Sardinia Sicily Carthage Sea Jerusalem Alexandria 30°N 0 EDITED BY PROFESSOR PELLEGRINELLIJUSTINIAN I: Corpus Iuris Civilis

Justinian I: Corpus Iuris Civilis

• The Justinian era (r. 527-565) marked a golden age, as Emperor Justinian I sought to reclaim lost western territories, achieving temporary victories in Italy, North Africa, and Spain. His legal reforms led to the creation of the Corpus Juris Civilis, which became the foundation of modern European law. His reign also saw the construction of the Hagia Sophia, an architectural marvel.
• Biography > Justinian had a passion for the arts and for religion. Under his reign arts such as poetry and literature flourished. He had a strong belief in Christianity and wrote laws to protect the church and to suppress paganism. He had churches, dams, bridges, and fortifications built throughout the empire.

Corpus Iuris Civilis Definition

Corpus Iuris Civilis = The Corpus Juris (or Iuris) Civilis («Body of Civil Law») is the modern name for a collection of fundamental works in jurisprudence, enacted from 529 to 534 by order of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. → FOCUS FILE PDF, CLASSROOM (GIUSTINIANIO E IL CORPUS IURIS CIVILIS) EDITED BY PROFESSOR PELLEGRINELLI