The lesson is the death of Byzantium and the emergence of the Ottoman Empire. The fall of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire. Preparing the Turks for war
Lecture 8. Main features and stages of development of Eastern Christian
Civilizations. West and East in the heyday of the Middle Ages.
Basic concepts:
Order; parliament; Renaissance; reconquista; Hussites; Taborites; scholasticism; alchy; humanism.
Lecture text.
Eastern Roman Empire.
From the 4th century the center of economic and cultural life of the Roman state moved to the East. The best architects, jewelers, and artists lived in Constantinople. Handwritten books decorated with magnificent miniatures were produced in special workshops. Throughout the early Middle Ages, the empire remained entirely a maritime power.
The Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire included territories with ancient agricultural traditions. In contrast to the West, where slave labor was common, free and semi-free peasants continued to play a significant role in agricultural production. Relying on the economic power of the state, the eastern emperors managed to repel the attacks of the barbarians.
The Byzantine Empire reached its greatest prosperity during the reign of the emperor Justinian(527-565). Justinian tried to restore the Roman Empire to its former borders. In 534, the state of the Pandalovs in North Africa fell under the blows of his troops. Then the war with the Ostrogothic kingdom began.
Justinian also waged war against the Visigoths in Spain, where he achieved significant successes. It seemed that dreams of restoring the Roman Empire were close to realization. But the dominance of the Byzantines, their restoration of the former order and heavy taxes caused discontent everywhere. Justinian's conquests turned out to be fragile. Thus, almost all of Italy was soon captured by the Lombard tribes, who created a kingdom there.
It was created during the reign of Justinian "Code of Civil Law" - collection of Byzantine laws. It included the laws of the Roman emperors II - beginning)