In addition to building an incredible cathedral, Justinian oversaw a major territorial expansion of the empire, winning back territory in North Africa, Italy (including Rome), and parts of Western Europe. The dome is 108 feet (33 meters) in diameter and its crown rises some 180 feet (55 meters) above the pavement.”Īfter it was built, Justinian is said to have remarked “Solomon, I have outdone thee.” “ Hagia Sophia’s dimensions are formidable for any structure not built of steel,” writes Helen Gardner and Fred Kleiner in their book "Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History." “In plan it is about 270 feet (82 meters) long and 240 feet (73 meters) wide. At the site of a destroyed church called the Hagia Sophia (“Holy Wisdom”) he would have a new, far grander, cathedral built. Justinian had to call in troops to put down the rioters, but he took advantage of the situation to build something grand.
Dewing, Macmillan, 1914 through Fordham University Website)
(From History of the Wars, I, xxiv, translated by H.B. The “members of the two factions conspiring together and declaring a truce with each other, seized the prisoners and then straightway entered the prison and released all those who were in confinement there … Fire was applied to the city as if it had fallen under the hand of an enemy …” wrote Procopius. That’s when the riot broke out the rioters were angry with Justinian for the arrests, as well as the high taxes he imposed, and tried to overthrow him. The ancient wrier Procopius (who lived in the sixth century A.D.) wrote that Constantinople, along with other imperial cities, was split into two factions called the “blue” and the “green,” which tended to take out their rivalry at the racetrack.īyzantine authorities arrested members of the factions and sentenced them to be executed. In 532, just five years into his rule, Constantinople was hit by the Nika riots (Nika means “victory” or “conquer”). He came to power because he was the nephew, and adopted son, of his uncle, Justin I, a palace soldier who had usurped the throne. While it is said that the golden age of Byzantium occurred during his reign Justinian's rule certainly did not start off as golden. After his death, the empire was split in two, the western half collapsing within a century but the eastern half living on and thriving, becoming what we call Byzantium.
#Byzantine empire religion and government series
For instance, Constantinople had a Mosque until 1204, but this was allowed in return for protection of Christians and churches in muslim lands.Constantine's death led to a series of short-lived successors. So basically, the Byzantines resisted Islam itself, but had no issues dealing with the Muslim leaders as more or less equals. The citizens of Constantinople and the rest of the Eastern Roman Empire identified strongly as Romans and Christians, though many of them spoke Greek and not Latin.ĭid the Byzantine Empire have religious tolerance? Keeping this in view, what did the Byzantine Empire believe in?įive years earlier, at the Council of Nicaea, Constantine had established Christianity - once an obscure Jewish sect - as Rome's official religion. Byzantine architecture, particularly in religious buildings, can be found in diverse regions from Egypt to Russia.Īlso, when did Christianity become the official religion of the Byzantine Empire? With the Edict of Thessalonica in 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius I made Nicene Christianity the Empire's state religion. The modern-day Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest Christian church in the world.
The Byzantine Empire influenced many cultures, primarily due to its role in shaping Christian Orthodoxy. Besides, what was the role of religion in the Byzantine Empire?
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