HECTOR MERCEDES

HISTORY 101-003

PROFFESOR RICHARD GREEN

COSTANTINE/BYZANTINE CULTURE

MAY 11, 2000

The Byzantine Empire was the eastern part of the Roman Empire, which survived the destruction of the western empire. Constantinople, which is now Istanbul, Turkey, was the capital city. Constantinople became the capital of the Roman Empire in the year 330 A.D. after Constantine the Great founded the city and re-named it after himself. Little by little Constantinople became the true capital of the Roman Empire it was already capital to most of the Roman provinces like Egypt and Lebanon, Cyprus etc. Byzantine culture was a Roman dominated culture, the subjects were Roman and the dominant language was Greek although some of its subjects spoke Latin, Coptic and a few other local languages the city still looked to Rome for its institutions and traditions. An Emperor using no formal constitution ruled the empire. Constantine the great established rules and regulations for the peaceful co-existence of the church and the imperial authorities. He also created a successful monetary system based on gold solodis this system lasted all the way until the 11thcentury, many ancient cities flourished because of the commercial prosperity of Constantinople. The church and the Emperor were two of the largest landowners during this time, imperial regulation of the supply of precious metals and the organization of commerce characterized economic life. Constantine ended the persecution of Christians all over the empire this is because he himself became a Christian but was not baptized as one until his death. Constantine was looked upon as one of the greatest Roman emperors who in his lifetime won the final victory for Christianity by ruling the world’s greatest empire in the name of Christ. Constantine also strengthened the empire by bringing the empire under one ruler one religion and he was a major contributor to the formation of medieval Christian Europe.

Word Count: 310