Prof. Martha Carlin

                                                                                   Week 5: Tuesday
 

                                                                            THE BYZANTINE WORLD
 

324-330        Byzantium re-founded as Constantinople by Constantine

4th C.-7th C. Donatism (criminal priests cannot perform valid sacraments) flourishes in N. Africa

395                Final division of Roman Empire into Eastern and Western Empires

5th C.-7th C.  Monophysitism (Jesus's human and divine natures are fused) flourishes, especially in
                        Egypt and Syria

451                Council of Chalcedon: 1st coronation of an emperor by patriarch of Constantinople,
                        who claims equal status with the bishop of Rome (=pope); Monophysitism rejected

476                Odovacer deposes last Western Emperor

527-565        Justinian (and wife Theodora, d. 548):
                         Major achievements include:
                            Conquest of  N. Africa,  S. Spain, and Italy (map)
                            Construction of churches of San Vitale (Ravenna) and  Hagia Sophia (Constantinople)
                                 Interior of Hagia Sophia
                                 Justinian with his retinue (San Vitale)
                                Theodora with her retinue (San Vitale)
                            Codification of  Roman law in massive Corpus Juris Civilis; major precepts include:
                                "the will of the prince has the force of law"
                         Major failures include:
                            Rebellion and burning of Constantinople in Nika Riots, 532
                            Exhaustion of treasury and army in wars of conquest, 530s-550s
                            Failure of "Perpetual Peace" treaty with Persia, 540
                            Massive mortality from plague, 541-3
                            Rise of Avar state on Danube, 561
                         Important sources include: Procopius, The Wars, The Buildings, and The Secret History
                              Star charioteer
                              Crash during chariot race
                              Byzantine silk fragment showing charioteer (from Charlemagne's tomb)

568                Lombards invade N. Italy (Byzantines retain Ravenna and S. Italy)

late 500s        Visigoths reconquer S. Spain

after 602        Byzantine N. frontier falls to Avars and Slavs; E. frontier to Persians

626                Avar and Persian siege of Constantinople

636-642        Islamic conquest of Egypt, Syro-Palestine, and Persia (map)

by mid 7th C. Greek supersedes Latin in Empire

674-8            Muslim siege of Constantinople (first use by the Byzantines of Greek fire, perhaps a mixture of sulfur, quicklime, and petroleum)

690s              Muslim conquest of N. Africa

717-718        Muslim siege of Constantinople

726-843        Iconoclasm constroversy (destruction of religious images as idolotrous)
                           Icon of Virgin and Child (c. 550-600, from St Catherine's monastery, Mount Sinai, Egypt)

751                Lombards take Ravenna

mid 700s        Rough equilibrium reached between 3 great Western powers: Byzantines,
                        Franks, and Muslims (map)

867-1056       Macedonian dynasty: Byzantine "golden age," including:
                            reconquest of Balkans and conversion of Slavs by Byzantine missionaries
                                (including St. Cyril, d. 869, and St. Methodius, d. 884, alleged inventors
                                of the Slavonic "Cyrillic" alphabet)
                            destruction of the Bulgar army, and alliance with Prince Vladimir I of Kiev by
                                 Basil II "the Bulgar-Slayer" (976-1025)

1071               Defeat by Seljuk Turks at Manzikert (N. of Lake Van); loss of Asia Minor

1453               Fall of Constantinople to Ottoman Turks
 

Thursday:

THE RISE OF ISLAM AND THE ISLAMIC WORLD

c. 571-632     Muhammed ("call": c. 610)

        622       Hijra (or Hegira, "flight") from Mecca to Medina (=Year 1 of Muslim calendar)

        630        Conquest of Mecca

632-750        Conquest of Syria, Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, N. Africa, and Spain

                      Umayyad caliphate (661-750): capital moved from Medina to Damascus

    717-18       Siege of Constantinople fails

    732            Defeat by Franks (led by Charles Martel) at battle of Tours-Poitiers

mid 700s        Rough equilibrium reached between 3 great Western powers: Byzantines,
                        Franks, and Muslims (click here for map)

750-c. 950    Golden age of Abassid caliphs (except Spain, where offshoot of Ummayad dynasty
                       rules caliphate of Al-Andalus until 1031): capital moved to Baghdad; non-Arabs
                       allowed political power

    786-809     Harun al-Rashid

    909-1171   Fatimid dynasty established in Egypt

    1055           Seljuk Turks conquer Baghdad

    1071           Battle of Manzikert: Seljuk Turks defeat Byzantines

1453               Ottoman Turks take Constantinople
 
 

SOME IMPORTANT TERMS:

    Islam

    Muslim

    Allah

    Qur'-an (or Koran)

    Hadith

    Mecca

    Kaaba

    Hijra (or Hegira)

    Medina