Justinian of Constantinople took throne in 527 over the Byzantine Empire, he was known for his tight and harsh reign of control and the architecture he inspired through his beliefs such as the Hagia Sophia and the San Vitale (Cunningham, Pg. 224). Justinian lived in a region clashing with Orthodox and Arian Christians, both of which believed that God was divine but they had a slight difference in their views of Jesus Christ (Cunningham, Pg. 224). His personal belief was in the Orthodox Christianity and viewed Jesus in both forms, divine like god and a human (Cunningham, Pg. 225 & 229). The Arian Christians believed Jesus was not directly connected to god but was made by and separated from god (Cunningham, Pg. 238 (Glossary)). Justinian’s central …show more content…
As you will learn later in my writing he definitely did this, the architecture he influenced was nothing short of grand and magnificent. What really strikes me was the ability Justinian had to incorporate his religion with his own life goals. He incorporates his beliefs in to the architecture of Hagia Sophia and San Vitale with the Orthodox Christianity and shows that his power is issued by god in the mosaics they possess (History). During this time Justinian’s beliefs and architecture popularity spread thorough out other cultures such as Russia and Italy where the San Vitale was located. Russian ambassadors were sent to Constantinople to learn about the religion of Byzantine Christianity and religious art, they returned to Russia was favorable opinions further promoting Justinian’s cultural impact at that time(Cunningham, Pg. …show more content…
This piece is the most interesting to me because Justinian had so much influence in a church where he had never stepped foot in (Khan Academy). In the San Vitale Mosaics portray the mighty and powerful Orthodox Emperor Justinian across from him his equally powerful Empress Theodora as well as numerous mosaics of Jesus Christ (khan academy). Much like the Hagia Sophia it is covered in many windows with lots of light to illuminate the beautiful art. The mosaics reflect Justinian’s belief in Christ as well as his belief that authority is divinity that Christ has given him. In this architecture the only intercultural influences I have found have been the bricks that were used from ancient Roman buildings for the exterior of the church. When the church was created the Iconography was not in Greek or any other form, they were trying to come up with a new art that have never been used for Christian art. This effected culture at that time by adding a new face or style to the types of art made instead of using styles from the
The Roman Empire influenced the Byzantine Empire’s culture, mainly through the religion of Christianity. Christianity first appeared in the Roman Empire, with the birth, teachings, and supposed resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the beginning years of it’s arrival, Christianity was not tolerated and Christians were mainly, and most often brutally prosecuted. However, with Constantine’s Edict of Milan, Christianity was officially tolerated, and under Theodosius, it became the official religion of the Roman Empire. The Byzantine Empire inherited this relatively new religion, continuing to follow the beliefs and traditions of the church, as well as spreading the word of Jesus Christ and the message of god. Churches sprung up in the empire, such as the mighty Hagia Sophia. Located in Constantinople and built by Justinian, this church especially exemplified
Justinian was an Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. He became Emperor in 527 over his uncle when he was a high-ranking nobleman. Justinian had sent his best general, Belarius, in 533 to recover North Africa the invading Germanic tribes where he had quickly succeeded. His army won nearly all of Italy and parts of Spain. He could call himself a Ceaser. An Emperor who rules with absolute power. Justinian had set up a panel of legal experts to regulate their increasingly complex society. This panel created a uniform code that is known as the Justinian Code. It served the Byzantine Empire for 900 years. His greatest passion was for church building, but he had launched the most ambitious public building program seen in the Roman World. Justinian had
Byzantine Emperor Justinian was the bold architect of a revitalized Byzantine Empire that would leave a lasting legacy for Western Civilization. As much of Europe entered the Dark Ages, Justinian 's vision of a restored Roman Empire would reverse the decline of the Byzantine Empire and lay a firm foundation that would allow the Byzantine Empire to survive for centuries to come.
During rule of Emperor Justinian of the Eastern Roman Empire, a cycle of recurring plagues started in the year 541 A.D. This plague cycle would disappear and reappear in roughly eleven year cycles. The last strike of this plague cycle was in 747 in Naples. This series of plagues were called the Justinian plague named after Emperor Justinian’s rule and it is also referred to as the early medieval pandemic (EMP). The severity of this plague was high being that Procopius of Caesarea, a Urban Prefect of Constantinople stated that the plague “fell upon the whole world, yet just as many people escaped as had the misfortune to succumb- either because they escaped the infection altogether, or because they got over it if they happened to be
Justinian Mosaic is a Byzantine mosaic located in the apse of San Vitale, Ravenna in 540 AD. It was made from gold and glass mosaic tesserae. The artists painted or covered the glass with gold first and then pressed into the plaster background. The artists manipulated the space which was to utilize the illumination of the candles in the church to cause the sparkle of the glass. The overall looking of this piece is luxurious and magnificence. In this piece, Justinian is surrounded by his priests and his military. He is placed in the center of the whole piece, wearing jewelry-crown, jewelry-accessory and gold cloths with a halo behind his head. He offers a gift called Pater which contains the bread used for the Eucharist would be held. The main
Western Europe and the Byzantium Empire were both converting others and spreading the ideas of Christianity to others. Western and Eastern Europe were similar in their arts which primarily revolved around religion. Both represented religion through their arts which is commonly seen in building architecture, statues, stain glass and most commonly in churches. Whether the arts were representations of Eastern Orthodox or Western Catholicism, both branches of Christianity influenced the art culture in the given area. The laws created by Justinian, also known as the Justinian code were popular in Western Europe, and they adopted some of these laws from the Byzantium Empire. Another similarity they had in common was that they had great leaders, in West Europe they had a great leader, Charlemagne and in the Byzantium Empire they had Justinian, another great
Byzantine culture developed from Christianity and Roman characteristics in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, Constantinople founded by Constantine in 324 was the center of the Byzantine Empire where the merge of Christianity and Roman characteristics flourished. Emperor Justinian was one of the greatest influences in combining Christianity and Roman traditions during his reign. Justinian had an unwavering Christian faith and a desire to reform the empire he also felt it was his duty as emperor to enforce uniform religious belief throughout the entire empire. Justinian goal was to create a Christian society he did this by combining Roman laws with military force. Justinian revamped the roman laws into Justinian’s codification of law’s that
Caesaropism was the concept relating the mixing of political and religious authority. With the Roman Emperors, it became central to the church versus state controversy in medieval Europe. The ruler at the time, Constantine, was a Christian emperor inherited this idea to play they rules fairly. Constantine had a very different way of ruling; he and successors used the idea of divinity. Many people followed Constantine’s example, especially the Byzantine emperors. The Byzantine Empire ran an absolute monarchy, when one particular ruler Justinian took control he became very relatable to Constantine. Justinian ruled from 527-565 C.E and had a very different background. He came from a peasant family and started to work his way up slowly by having
Justinian I was a ruler in the Byzantine Empire from 527 to 565 CE. When he first came into power Justinian I was not favored by the overall population. Procopius, a scholar and historian in the 6th century, described Justinian as a man “both an evil-doer and easily led into evil, the sort of a person whom they call a moral pervert, never of his own accord speaking the truth to those with whom he conversed, but having a deceitful and crafty intent behind every word and action.” Also the Nika Riots were revolts against Justinian’s rule that took place in Constantinople over the span of a week. This resulted in the death of thirty-thousand people. But despite the early animosity towards Justinian’s reign it is clear that Justinian brought prosperity to the Byzantine Empire during and after his rule. Justinian I influenced art specifically
This was the beginning of Justinian’s famous rule, which lasted from 527 A.D. through 565 A.D. (The Reign of Justinian). The reign of
Both Tertullian and Justin Martyr are apologists defending the Christian faith; however, their approach is from two different mindsets. The mindset in which Justin Martyr approaches faith, reason, and philosophy shares similarities with the ideals of early Christian scientists who sought to grow in their faith through their studies and therefore saw their studies as extensions of their faith. Justin saw that the faith in Jesus Christ was the inevitable answer to his philosophical questions. Justin utilizes the prophesies and history of the Jewish people to explain his reasoning as to the soundness of the philosophy and faith in Christ. Even arguing that Plato, himself, developed his line of reasoning from the prophets and so by careful
The conversions of Aksun Emperor Ezana and Armenian King Trdat to Christianity show Christianity was used as an imperial religion. Constantine set this conversion model in 312 when he proclaimed Jesus Christ as his patron deity. Constantine’s strategic decision was not based in faith but in a power to win the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. The Christian God is credited with this military triumph signaling the Christian God is one of imperial power.
In 527 AD, Justinian took control of the Byzantine Empire. Although it is currently referred to as the Byzantine Empire, many citizens and leaders, including Justinian, considered themselves to be Roman and part of the Roman Empire. This mentality led to the revival of the Roman Empire in Byzantine and in its capital, Constantinople. During his rule, Justinian led the empire to its greatest size both in the amount of controlled land and influence over groups in Europe and Asia. He also contributed to the spread of Christianity both within the Byzantine Empire and without. Finally, Justinian preserved Roman laws for the Byzantine Empire and other European systems of government. Justinian’s successful emulation and revival of the Roman Empire through his beautification and improvements on Constantinople and other parts of the Byzantine Empire, strong support of Christianity and role in its growth as a major religion, and his codification of Byzantine law benefited the Byzantine Empire and the surrounding regions.
The Byzantine Empire, though often forgotten among better-known empires, such as the Roman Empire, ran for nearly one thousand years, occupying the eastern half of what once was the Roman Empire. It engaged in trade, expansion, and decades of warfare. It also gave women a better status then men, valued and preserved Greek history, and eventually fell to the Ottomans.
We learn that the Byzantine Empire was the capital of Constantinople. The empire was able to prosper so long until the fall of the Constantinople itself. Byzantine Empire was known to have one of the leading economic, military and cultural powers. Procopius a bishop of Caesaria, was a scholar who was active in service when Justinian was emperor. Procopius became an official court historian and biographer that resulted in his writings showing his true thoughts on Justinian as emperor and his ruling strategies in maintaining the Byzantine Empire. With these secrets revealed, Procopius felt that future generations would view his writings as fiction, and label him among the poets (Procopius, 223).