HIST 107 Introduction to Medieval History Lecture 5 Byzantium and the Emergence of Islam c 500 c 700 Main Questions 1 How did the eastern half of the Roman empire develop in the period after the end of Roman rule in the west and what were its strengths and weaknesses 2 How and why did the rise of Islam profoundly change the eastern empire Key Points Three issues to address A How does the east react to the collapse of Roman rule in the west B How does the old rivalry with Persia continue to affect east Roman politics C How and why did Islam burst on the scene in the first half of the seventh century and what were the consequences for Byzantium A How does the east react to the collapse of Roman rule in the west Permanent east west split not inevitable Indications of sustained links e g papacy Justinianic reconquest of parts of western empire Justinian I 527 65 last native Latin speaking emperor keen sense of imperial dignity see San Vitale mosaic in Rosenwein Short History pp 52 3 codification of Roman Law under Tribonian Institutes and Digest ritual and display as political tools ambitious building projects in Constantinople e g Hagia Sophia Part of the Justinianic project roll back losses in the west Vandal north Africa early successes under Belisarius 533 4 Some modest gains in s e of Visigothic Spain Main aim reconquest of Ostrogothic Italy but Ostrogothic Italy already Romanized high status Romans had collaborated with the Ostrogoths e g Symmachus Boethius Cassiodorus liberators not universally welcomed in Italy Gothic war 535 53 hugely destructive In 568 a new Germanic people the Lombards fill the vacuum in Italy but pockets of Roman rule survive e g around Rome and Ravenna see map in Rosenwein Short History p 62 B With hindsight perhaps unfairly on Justinian the reconquest effort in the west looks like a misguided sideshow the long term destiny of Byzantium will be determined by events in the east So how does the old rivalry with Persia continue to effect east Roman politics Sasanid empire generally containable after the third century crisis but Persian aggression escalates under shah Khusro II 591 628 huge military losses to Persians in 610s Constantinople even besieged by Avars with Persian support 626 Then emperor Heraclius 610 41 stages amazing comeback Persian capital Ctesiphon taken 628 Khusro assassinated Triumph signalled by entry into liberated Jerusalem 630 with True Cross But just as it seemed the Romans had FINALLY seen off their worst enemy after centuries of trying C BANG An entirely new force suddenly emerges to sweep away all the old certainties Islam The third question therefore is How and why did Islam burst on the scene in the first half of the seventh century and what were the consequences for Byzantium Origins of Islam obscured by thinness of evidence and later confessional disputes Key figure is Meccan merchant Mohammad member of important Quraysh tribe Mecca an existing centre of Arab religiosity From c 610 divine revelations mediated by Archangel Gabriel these later collected and organized in the Qu ran mid 7th century or later Some resistance to his message Riddah flight to Medina the Hisja 622 But unifies many Arab tribes Mohammad dies 632 Successors caliphs deputies embark on military expansion Amazing successes against both Roman empire and Persia See map of Arab conquests in Rosenwein Short History p 71 How and why was this possible Both old empires financially and militarily exhausted Southern flanks of the Roman world under defended Divisions in eastern Roman world Blues and Greens doctrine language Arabs don t dissipate their resources tight knit garrisons detached from conquered populations tax structures retained and maybe lighter than late Roman tax Christianity tolerated unlike Persian Zoroastrianism no rush to integrate conversion to Islam and adoption of Arabic slow processes What are the consequences for Byzantium Key fact Constantinople holds whereas Ctesiphon falls Persia is wholly absorbed Byzantium only partly But huge effects nonetheless Two thirds of Byzantine territory lost three quarters of tax income Egypt the bread basket of Constantinople is lost Constantinople population contracts massively Some slight compensations empire now more monoculturally Greek massive military reorganization into regional themes But also strange convulsive cultural reactions to crisis iconoclasm Conclusions First Justinian and then Heraclius represent two cases of partial success followed by spectacular failure The Byzantine state survives these failures but in a much reduced and altered form The rise of Islam is a very enigmatic historical phenomenon Sudden and long lasting changes often are mysteries But the enormous impact on Byzantium is clear Later we will see that impact extending to affect how people in western Europe see themselves and the outside world Proper Nouns and Technical Terms Hagia Sophia Tribonian Belisarius Narses Heraclius Ctesiphon Mohammad Mecca Riddah Hisja Symmachus Boethius Cassiodorus Quraysh Qu ran Medina Zoroastrianism Key Images 1 Justinian I in the mosaics of San Vitale Ravenna 6th century 2 Taq I Kisra palace Ctesiphon 6th 7th century 3 Hagia Sophia Constantinople now Istanbul begun 6th century