The Roman Empire, one of the greatest state formations of antiquity, fell into decay in the first centuries of our era. Numerous tribes standing at the lower levels of civilization have destroyed much of the heritage of the ancient world. But the Eternal City was not destined to die: it was reborn on the shores of the Bosphorus and for many years struck contemporaries with its splendor.
Second rome
The history of Byzantium dates back to the middle of the III century, when Flavius Valery Aurelius Constantine, Constantine I (Great) became the Roman emperor. In those days, the Roman state was torn apart by internal strife and besieged by external enemies. The condition of the eastern provinces was more prosperous, and Constantine decided to move the capital to one of them. In 324, construction of Constantinople began on the banks of the Bosphorus, and already in 330 it was declared New Rome.
Thus began Byzantium, whose history spans eleven centuries.
Of course, no stable state borders were discussed at that time. Throughout its long life, the power of Constantinople has weakened, then regained power.
Justinian and Theodora
In many ways, the state of affairs in the country depended on the personal qualities of its ruler, which is generally characteristic of states with an absolute monarchy, to which Byzantium belonged. The history of its formation is inextricably linked with the name of Emperor Justinian I (527-565) and his wife, Empress Theodora - a very extraordinary woman and, apparently, extremely gifted.
By the beginning of the 5th century, the empire turned into a small Mediterranean state, and the new emperor was obsessed with the idea of reviving its former glory: he conquered vast territories in the West, achieved relative peace with Persia in the East.
The history of Byzantine culture is inextricably linked with the era of Justinian. It is thanks to his cares that today there are such monuments of ancient architecture as the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul or the San Vitale church in Ravenna. One of the most notable achievements of the emperor, historians consider the codification of Roman law, which became the basis of the legal system of many European states.
Medieval manners
Construction and endless wars demanded huge expenses. The emperor endlessly raised taxes. Discontent grew in society. In January 532, during the appearance of the emperor at the Hippodrome (a kind of analogue of the Coliseum, which accommodated 100 thousand people), riots broke out, which grew into a large-scale riot. The uprising was suppressed by unprecedented cruelty: the rebels were persuaded to gather at the Hippodrome, as if for negotiations, after which they locked the gates and killed everyone.
Procopius of Kessaria reports the death of 30 thousand people. It is noteworthy that the wife of Theodore preserved the crown of the emperor, it was she who convinced Justinian, who was ready to flee, to continue the struggle, saying that she prefers death to flee: “Tsarist power is a beautiful shroud.
In 565, the empire included part of Syria, the Balkans, Italy, Greece, Palestine, Asia Minor and the northern coast of Africa. But endless wars affected the state of the country adversely. After Justinian died, the borders began to shrink again.
The Macedonian Revival
In 867, Vasily I, the founder of the Macedonian dynasty, which lasted until 1054, came to power. This era, historians call the "Macedonian Revival" and consider the maximum flowering of the world medieval state, which Byzantium was at that time.
The history of the successful cultural and religious expansion of the Eastern Roman Empire is well known to all the states of Eastern Europe: one of the most characteristic features of the foreign policy of Constantinople was missionary work. It was thanks to the influence of Byzantium on the East that branch of Christianity spread, which, after the church schism of 1054, became Orthodoxy.
The cultural capital of the European world
The art of the Eastern Roman Empire was closely associated with religion. Unfortunately, for several centuries, political and religious elites could not agree on whether worship of sacred images is idolatry (the movement was called iconoclasm). In the process, a huge number of statues, frescoes and mosaics were destroyed.
The history of art is extremely indebted to the empire : Byzantium throughout its existence was a kind of guardian of ancient culture and contributed to the spread of ancient Greek literature in Italy. Some historians are convinced that it was largely due to the existence of New Rome that the Renaissance became possible.
During the rule of the Macedonian dynasty, the Byzantine Empire managed to neutralize the two main enemies of the state: Arabs in the east and Bulgarians in the north. The story of the victory over the latter is very impressive. As a result of a surprise attack on the enemy, Emperor Vasily II managed to capture 14 thousand prisoners. He ordered them to be blinded, leaving only one hundredth eye on one eye, after which he let the crippled people go home. Seeing his blind army, the Bulgarian king Samuel suffered a blow from which he never recovered. Medieval manners were indeed quite severe.
After the death of Basil II, the last representative of the Macedonian dynasty, the history of the fall of Byzantium began.
Rehearsal of the end
In 1204, Constantinople first surrendered under the onslaught of the enemy: furious with an unsuccessful campaign in the "promised land", the crusaders broke into the city, announced the creation of the Latin Empire and divided the Byzantine lands between the French barons.
The new formation did not last long: on July 51, 1261, Constantinople was occupied without a fight by Michael VIII Paleolog, who announced the revival of the Eastern Roman Empire. The dynasty founded by him ruled Byzantium until its fall, but this reign was rather miserable. In the end, the emperors lived on handouts of the Genoese and Venetian merchants, and even naturally plundered church and private possessions.
The fall of Constantinople
By the beginning of the XIV century , only Constantinople, Thessaloniki and small isolated enclaves in the south of Greece remained from the former territories. The desperate attempts of the last Byzantine emperor Manuel II to secure the military support of Western Europe were unsuccessful. May 29, 1453, Constantinople was conquered a second and last time.
The Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II renamed the city to Istanbul, and the main Christian temple of the city, the Cathedral of St. Sofia, turned into a mosque. With the disappearance of the capital, Byzantium also disappeared: the history of the most powerful state of the Middle Ages stopped forever.
Byzantium, Constantinople and New Rome
It is very curious that the name “Byzantine Empire” appeared after its collapse: it was first encountered in the study of Jerome Wolf already in 1557. The reason was the name of the city of Byzantium, on the site of which Constantinople was built. The inhabitants themselves called it not only the Roman Empire, but themselves - the Romans (Romans).
The cultural influence of Byzantium on the countries of Eastern Europe can hardly be overestimated. However, the first Russian scientist who began to study this medieval state was Yu. A. Kulakovsky. "History of Byzantium" in three volumes was published only at the beginning of the twentieth century and covered the events from 359 to 717. In the last few years of his life, the scientist was preparing to publish the fourth volume of the essay, but after his death in 1919, the manuscript was never found.