Rise+of+the+Byzantine+Empire+Essay

By Gavin Mast  Back to Rise Back to Introduction Works Cited

Essay
The Byzantine Empire rose in 330 AD from the eastern half of the Roman Empire, as the western part began to fall to numerous barbarian invasions, civil war, and weak emperors. ([|Britannica]) The Eastern Roman Empire (which would eventually be called the Byzantine Empire) ([|Hooker]), however, continued to survive, and when Emperor Constantine I moved the capital of the empire to Constantinople in 330 AD ([|Grolier]) the fate of the empire seemed to change. After that, the empire continued to flourish and grow, and when the Western Roman Empire finally fell (Treadgold, 1), the eastern empire came into its own as the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire was to become a powerful Christian empire that would rule for more than 1100 years (Norwich, xxxvi), because of an excellent location and geographic factors, strong and powerful emperors, and a highly advanced socio-political structure that helped unify the empire. **__These were all factors and lessons that our world today can learn from the rise of the Byzantine Empire.__**

When Constantine I chose Constantinople to become the new capital city, he probably considered numerous factors when choosing it (Sherrard, 31-34), and geography and geographic aspects were surely decided ones. Constantinople would remain the heart of the Byzantine Empire for its entire duration, and for good reason. At the beginning, the city was farther away from barbarian groups that had been plaguing the western part of the empire, such as the Visigoths, Gauls, and Vandals, all of whom reeked destruction and chaos upon the western parts of the empire, but left the eastern empire relatively alone. (Sherrard, 56) This would allow the empire to begin to gather its resources and not have to worry about constant attacks by barbarians. Constantinople and the other surrounding cities and towns were also in an incredibly advantageous trade area, as they connected three continents together at one point. (Sherrard, 32) This greatly helped the Byzantine economy, and was largely responsible for the empires wealth. (Treadgold, 25) Resources and food were close by, with fertile fields and waters teeming with fish easily accessible. The everyday person could survive on them, and the government could pay many a people to gather food for them with their riches acquired through trade, too. And, like many of the most successful cities today, Constantinople also had a vital port in the Golden Horn (Sherrard, 33), which allowed easy access to the seas and was also easily defended. All of these factors meant that the Byzantine Empire was able to begin in a much more comfortable existence, and subsequently, prepare itself for its forthcoming conquests and defenses, which were inevitable. Yet, favorable geography alone would not allow the empire to rise to its greatest height. Someone, not something, was needed.

Strong nations and countries have always had at least one strong leader, someone who could lead their people to greatness and who could put their names down in history. The USA had George Washington, England had Queen Elizabeth I and King Henry VIII. The Byzantine Empire was no different, and had a few great leaders who were able to help the empire rise. Constantine I, who ruled from 306-337 ([|Stathakopoulos]), was one of the Byzantines more well known emperors, and it was he that moved the capital to Constantinople. And Constantine was also the first Christian emperor, and he laid down the framework for the empire to become a Christian one. (Treadgold, 25) Yet, greater than Constantine, Justinian I (527-565) was the most famous leader of the Byzantine Empire, and he propelled the empire to its greatest territorial height. (Rosser, 224-225)([|Hooker]) He recaptured large swaths of land for the Byzantine Empire, and he also made many major civil advancements, too, such as the creation of the //Corpus Juris Civilis//. ([|Wikipedia]) Justinian I was a fair and just emperor, but he was also not afraid to make hard or harsh decisions, such as when the “Nika” Revolts in 532 (Norwich, 62-65) occurred in Constantinople. Justinian was able to bring them to a swift and bloody conclusion with the use of force, demonstrating that he wasn’t afraid to make difficult choices. Basil II (976-1025) was another strong ruler of the Byzantine Empire, who was able to regain much of the territory that was lost in the period after Justinian’s death. (Rosser, 49-50) Basil II was a warrior-emperor, and was often at the frontlines of some of the battles he fought. (Norwich, 215-216) He was a true, strong leader figure, and under his reign, the Byzantine Empire became more unified and strengthened than ever before. The effect that a strong leader had on the empire is quite obvious, and so is the effect of weak ones. After Justinian I died, the empire stayed strong for sometime, losing a fair amount of territory, but also regaining some under the emperor Heraclius I. (Treadgold, 5), ([|Hooker]) But once Heraclius died, the empire entered a long period of decline that was beset by many weak emperors who prolonged the empires period of decline, until Basil I and II came to power. (Treadgold, 5, 123) Even in our world, a strong leader means a strong nation, just as it did for the Byzantines more than a thousand years ago. And, just like now, even if the Byzantine emperor was strong, if they didn’t have the means to carry out their plans, then they could not be half as effective as possible.

In the Byzantine Empire, state, church and society were all intertwined, in such a way that as to become a unifying force (Sherrard, 75, 93-95)([|Grolier]), but was also quite accepting of certain different groups. ([|Women])([|Hooker]) Though many other cultures at the time (especially in Europe) had a connection between their religion and their government, most were unlike that of the Byzantine Empire. The empire believed that the emperor was a divine messenger, chosen directly by God himself to rule. (Rosser, 135) Eventually, Christianity was mandatory in the empire, and in some cases, those who did not practice it or practiced a different type were faced with persecution. ([|Stathakopoulos]) But, at other times, the empire was more accepting of certain religious minorities, especially Jews, few as then might have been. ([|Hooker]) The church was also a powerful social power, and it was often known to be a charitable organization, give food and money to the poor. This helped to gain popularity, and further unify the populace. (Sherrard, 116) When it came to different social classes, the empire was relatively standard in its practices. The poor were poor; the rich were rich, and the stayed that way, especially due to taxation. ([|Peasants]) But, unlike most medieval empires, women were much more important and played a bigger part in society. The women of the empire, though far from equals with men, were able to do many things other women could not. They could own businesses, join the church as nuns, there were laws in place to protect their dowries, and had equal authority over her children. ([|Women])(Sherrard, 116-117) Even other barbarian cultures were accepted into the Byzantine Empire, though usually at the price of conversion. In fact, the empire’s relations with the barbaric tribes were often times mutually beneficial. A large number of the Byzantine soldiers were actually mercenary barbarians, who brought with them their unique set of skills and military practices, which were then implemented into the Byzantine training. (Sherrard, 83-85) Like a modern day country, the Byzantines often times preferred diplomacy to fighting, knowing full well that the more they fought, the more the would be weakened. In fact, many parallels can be see between the Byzantine Empire and a modern day power, especially when talking about its socio-political structure.

The Byzantine Empire obviously did something right at its rise, as it last for 1100 years after that moment. And, surely an empire that lasted so long and was so powerful can teach us something from its rise. The lessons that one can learn from the Byzantine Empire’s rise are not too difficult to see-the need for a good staring location, the need for strong leaders, and the use of an advanced socio-political structure. Every country and nation, new or old, could learn something from the Byzantine’s rise.

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