A A Vasiliev, History Of The Byzantine Empire.pdf

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History of the Byzantine empire
A.A. Vasiliev
Table of Contents -
________________________________________
1.The study of Byzantine history.
2. The empire from Constantine the Great to Justinian
Constantine and Christianity
Arianism and the Council of Nicaea
The Church and the state at the end of the fourth century
Theological disputes and the Third Ecumenical Council
The Fourth Ecumenical Council
3. Justinian the Great and his successors (518-610)
Justin I.
The Reign of Justinian and Theodora.
The external policy of Justinian and his ideology.
Wars with the Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Visigoths.
The legislative work of Justinian and Tribonian.
The ecclesiastical policy of Justinian.
Religious problems and the Fifth Ecumenical Council
The internal policy of Justinian.
Commerce during the reign of Justinian.
Immediate successors of Justinian.
The Persian wars.
Slavs and Avars.
Religious problems.
Formation of the exarchates and the revolution of 610.
The problem of the Slavs in Greece.
Literature, learning, and art.
4. The Heraclian epoch (610-717)
External Problems
Religious Policy of the dynasty
The Sixth Ecumenical Council and religious peace.
Origin and development of Theme Organization
5. The Iconoclastic epoch (717-867)
The Isaurian or Syrian Dynasty.
The attitude toward Arabs, Bulgarians, and Slavs.
The internal activities of the emperors of the Isaurian dynasty.
Religious controversies and the first period of Iconoclasm.
The Council of 754 and its aftermath.
Charles the Great and his significance for the Byzantine Empire.
Summary of the activities of the Isaurian dynasty.
Successors of the Isaurians and the Phrygian Dynasty (820-67)
6. The Macedonian epoch (867-1081)
The origin of the dynasty.
External affairs of the Macedonian emperors.
Relations of the Byzantine Empire with the Bulgarians and Magyars.
The Byzantine Empire and Russia.
The Patzinak problem.
Relations with Italy and western Europe.
Social and political developments
The time of troubles (1056-81)
7. Byzantium and the Crusades
The Comneni emperors and their foreign policy
Foreign policy of the Angeli
The Fourth Crusade and Byzantium
Internal affairs under the Comneni and Angeli.
8. The Empire of Nicaea (1204-61)
New states formed on Byzantine terrirory.
Beginnings of the Empire of Nicaea and the Lascarids.
Foreign policy of the Lascarids and the restoration of the Byzantine empire.
The Seljuq Turks.
The Latin Empire.
John III Ducas Vatatzes (1222-1254).
The Despotat of Epirus and its relation to the Empire of Nicaea.
Thessalonica and Nicaea.
The role of Bulgaria in the Christian East under Tsar John Asen II.
Alliance of John Vatatzes and Frederick II Hohenstaufen.
The Mongol invasion and the alliance against the Mongols.
Significance of the external policy of John Vatatzes.
Theodore and John Lascaris and the restoration of the Byzantine Empire.
Ecclesiastical relations with the Nicene and Latin empires.
Social and economic conditions in the empire of nicaea.
Education, learning, literature, and art.
Byzantine feudalism.
9. The fall of Byzantium
Foreign policy of the Paleologi.
General situation in the Empire.
The external policy of Michael VIII.
The external policy of Byzantium during the reigns of the Andronicoi.
John V, John VI Cantacuzene and the apogee of Serbian power.
The policies of Byzantium in the fourteenth century.
Manuel II (1391-1425) and the Turks.
John VIII (1425-48) and the Turkish menace.
Constantine XI (1449-53) and the capture of Constantinople.
Ecclesiastical problems under the Palaeologi.
The Union of Lyons.
The Arsenites.
The Hesychast movement.
The conversion to Catholicism of Emperor John V.
The Union of Florence.
The question of the Council of St. Sophia.
Political and social conditions in the Empire.
Learning, literature, science, and art
Byzantium and the Italian Renaissance.
Appendix
________________________________________
1.The study of Byzantine history.
2. The empire from Constantine the Great to Justinian
Constantine and Christianity
The cultural and religious crisis through which the Roman Empire was passing in the
fourth century is one of the most significant events in the history of the world. The old
pagan culture came into collision with Christianity, which received official recognition
during the reign of Constantine at the beginning of the fourth century and was
declared the dominant State religion by Theodosius the Great at the end of that same
century. It might have seemed at first that these two clashing elements, representing
two diametrically opposed points of view, would never find a basis for mutual
agreement. But Christianity and pagan Hellenism did intermix gradually to form a
Christian-Greco-Eastern culture subsequently known as Byzantine. Its center was the
new capital of the Roman Empire, Constantinople.
The person who was chiefly responsible for the many changes in the empire was
Constantine the Great. During his reign Christianity stepped for the first time on the
firm ground of official recognition. From this time forward the old pagan empire
gradually changed into a Christian empire.
The conversion of nations or states to Christianity has usually taken place during
the early stage of their historical existence when the past has created no firmly
established traditions, but merely some crude and primitive customs and forms of
government. In such cases the conversion has caused no great crisis in the life of the
people. But this was not characteristic of the Roman Empire in the fourth century. It
already possessed an old world culture and had developed forms of government perfect
for that time. It had a great past and an extensive body of ideas which had been
assimilated by the population. This empire, changing in the fourth century into a
Christian state, entered upon an era during which its past was contradicted, at times
completely denied; this was bound to lead to an extremely acute and difficult crisis.
Apparently the old pagan world, at least in the domain of religion, no longer satisfied
national wants. New needs and new desires appeared, which only Christianity could
satisfy.
When a moment of unusual importance is associated with some historical
personage who happens to play a leading part in it, a whole literature about him is
created which aims to evaluate his significance for the given period and attempts to
penetrate into the innermost regions of his spiritual life. For the fourth century this
important personage was Constantine the Great.
Constantine was born at the city of Naissus (Nish at present). On the side of his
father, Constantius Chlorus, Constantine belonged probably to an Illyrian family. His
mother, Helena, was a Christian who later became St. Helena. She made a pilgrimage to
Palestine where, according to tradition, she found the true cross on which Christ was
crucified.[1] In 305, after Diocletian and Maximian had renounced their imperial rank
according to the established agreement and had retired into private life, Galerius
became the Augustus in the East, and Constantius, father of Constantine, assumed the
title of Augustus in the West. In the following year Constantius died in Britain, and his
legions proclaimed his son Constantine Augustus. At this time a revolt broke out in
Rome. The mutinous population and the army rejected Galerius and proclaimed as
emperor Maxentius, the son of the Maximian who had resigned his imperial power. The
aged Maximian joined his son and again assumed the imperial title. A period of civil
war followed, during which both Maximian and Galerius died. Constantine then formed
an alliance with one of the new Augusti, Licinius, and defeated Maxentius in a decisive
battle near Rome in 312. Maxentius was drowned in the Tiber while trying to flee from
the enemy (at Saxa Rubra near the Milvian bridge across the Tiber). The two victorious
emperors, Constantine and Licinius, met at Milan where, according to historical
tradition, they proclaimed the famous Edict of Milan. The peaceful relations between
the two emperors did not last very long, however. A struggle soon broke out between
them, which ended in a complete victory for Constantine. Licinius was killed in 324 AD,
and Constantine became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire.
The two main events of Constantine’s reign which were of paramount
significance for the subsequent course of history were the official recognition of
Christianity and the transfer of the capital from the shores of the Tiber to the shores of
the Bosphorus, from ancient Rome to Constantinople, the “New Rome.” In studying the
position of Christianity in Constantine’s time scholars have considered two problems in
particular: the “conversion” of Constantine and the Edict of Milan.[1a]
The conversion of Constantine
Historians and theologians have been primarily interested in the causes of
Constantine’s “conversion.” Why did Constantine favor Christianity? Should his
attitude be viewed only as an indication of his political wisdom? Did he see in
Christianity merely a means of gaining his political aims? Or did he adopt Christianity

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