Byzantium and Its Sphere

Byzantium and Its Sphere

1.)    In what ways was Byzantine civilization different from Western Roman?

While Roman rule and the traditions of Rome died in the west, they were preserved in the Byzantine Empire and in its capital, Constantinople. While the popes in Rome were independent of secular power, the Byzantine emperor appointed the patriarch of Constantinople and intervened in doctrinal disputes. The Byzantine Empire experienced a decline of urbanism similar to that seen in the west, but not as severe. One result was the loss of the middle class so that Byzantine society was characterized by a tremendous gap between the wealth of the aristocrats and the poverty of the peasants.

2.)    What were the Byzantine Empire’s sources of strength?

A key strength of the Byzantine Empire was its generally superior army that drew on the best elements of the Roman, Greek, Gothic, and Middle Eastern experience in war. Constantinople, the capital city of Byzantium, was one of the most fortified cities of the time, and had a steady supply of resources as well as major stockpiles of food and other necessities.

3.)    What were its weaknesses?

While the unity of political and religious power prevented the Byzantine Empire from breaking up, the Byzantines did face serious foreign threats. The Goths and Huns on the northern frontier were not difficult to deal with, but on the east the Sasanids harassed the Byzantine Empire for almost three hundred years.Following the Sasanids, the Muslim Arabs took the wealthy provinces of Syria, Egypt, and Tunisia from the Byzantine Empire and converted their people to Islam. These losses permanently reduced the power of the Byzantine Empire. On the religious and political fronts, the Byzantine Empire experienced declining relations with the popes and princes of Western Europe and the formal schism between the Latin and Orthodox Churches in 1054.