The Byzantine Emipre: The Great Schism

Even though the Roman Empire split apart, both halves remained dedicated to Christianity. Problems started when leaders of the Eastern and Western sections disagreed on their interpretation of Christianity. This was in large part because both halves were theocracies, which meant that religious feuds were political feuds as well. The Pope, who was the bishop of Rome, claimed he was the highest Christian authority, but the local Patriarchs (bishops) of the Byzantine Empire disagreed. The Patriarchs and Pope also disagreed over whether church leaders could marry or not.

Ultimately, the Pope and the Patriarchs excommunicated each other, meaning they excluded each other from church sacraments! This created Christian denominations. The Western Roman Church defined itself as Catholic while the Byzantine Empire defined itself as Orthodox. The Great Schism of 1054 CE was a turning point in the Byzantine Empire because it solidified their spiritual independence from the Western Roman Empire and the Catholic Church.

Much later (in the 20th century), the Eastern and Western Christian churches reconciled but did not rejoin.

Decline of Byzantium

Meanwhile, the Byzantine Empire faced many external threats. Beginning in the 7^th century, Arab Muslims from the South captured outlying farmland, which hurt the food supply of the entire empire. In 1204, Catholic Crusaders, fueled by their hatred for Orthodox Christians, destroyed 75% of Constantinople on their way to fight for control of the Holy Land (where Jesus lived). Ultimately, Muslim Ottomans conquered Constantinople, the final Byzantine city, in 1453. Constantinople was renamed Istanbul and the Hagia Sophia became a Mosque. Today the people of Turkey and the Balkans maintain their Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman heritage.

Practice Activity

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