If western Europe during the early Middle Ages presented a scene of violence and confusion while the Germans were set

West

tling in their new homes, a different picture was Contrast afforded by eastern Europe. Here the Roman between Empire still survived and continued to uphold East and for centuries the Roman tradition of law and order. The history of that empire forms the theme of the following chapter.

Studies

1. On an outline map indicate the boundaries of the empire of Charlemagne, distinguishing his hereditary possessions from those which he acquired by conquest. 2. On an outline map indicate the boundaries of the empire of Otto the Great. 3. What events are connected with the following places: Soissons; Mersen; Whitby; Reims; Verdun; Canterbury; and Strassburg? 4. What is the historical importance of Augustine, Henry the Fowler, Pepin the Short, Charles Martel, Egbert, and Ethelbert? 5. Give dates for the following events: battle of Tours; crowning of Charlemagne as emperor; crowning of Otto the Great as emperor; deposition of Romulus Augustulus; Augustine's mission to England; and the Treaty of Verdun. 6. Explain the following expressions: "do-nothing kings"; missi dominici; Holy Roman Empire; and "Donation of Pepin." 7. Why was the extinction of the Ostrogothic kingdom a misfortune for Italy? 8. Why did Italy remain for so many centuries after the Lombard invasion merely "a geographical expression"? 9. What difference did it make whether Clovis became an Arian or a Catholic? 10. What events in the lives of Clovis and Pepin the Short contributed to the alliance between the Franks and the popes? 11. What provinces of the Roman Empire in the West were not included within the limits of Charlemagne's empire? 12. What countries of modern Europe are included within the limits of Charlemagne's empire? 13. Compare the missi dominici with the "eyes and ears" of Persian kings. 14. What is the origin of the word "emperor"? As a title distinguish it from that of "king." 15. Why has Lothair's kingdom north of the Alps been called the "strip of trouble"? 16. In what parts of the British Isles are Celtic languages still spoken? 17. How did the four English counties, Sussex, Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk, receive their names? 18. What was the importance of the Synod of Whitby? 19. Set forth the conditions which hindered, and those which favored, the fusion of Germans and Romans.

CHAPTER XIV

EASTERN EUROPE DURING THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES, 395-1095 A.D.

Survival of the Roman Empire in the East

114. The Roman Empire in the East

THE Roman Empire in the West moved rapidly to its "fall" in 476 A.D., at the hands of the Germanic invaders. The Roman Empire in the East, though threatened by enemies from without and weakened by civil conflicts from within, endured for more than a thousand years. Until the middle of the eleventh century it was the strongest state in Europe, except during the reign of Charlemagne, when the Frankish kingdom eclipsed it. Until the middle of the fifteenth century it preserved the name, the civilization, and some part of the dominions, of ancient Rome.1 The long life of the Roman Empire in the East is one of the marvels of history. Its great and constant vitality appears

Causes of

the more remarkable, when one considers that its survival it had no easily defensible frontiers, contained many different races with little in common, and on all sides faced hostile states. The empire survived so long, because of its vast wealth and resources, its despotic, centralized government, the strength of its army, and the almost impregnable position occupied by Constantinople, the capital city.

The changing fortunes of the empire during the Middle Ages are reflected in some of the names by which it is often known. The term "Greek Empire" expresses the fact that Character the state became more and more Greek in character, owing to the loss, first of the western provinces in the fifth century, and then of Syria and Egypt in the seventh century. Another term — “Byzan

of the empire

1 The fall of the empire came in 1453 A.D., when Constantinople was captured by the Ottoman Turks.

tine Empire" - appropriately describes the condition of the state in still later times, when its possessions were reduced to Constantinople (ancient Byzantium) and the territory in the neighborhood of that city. But through all this period the rulers at Constantinople regarded themselves as the true successors of Augustus, Diocletian, and Constantine. They never admitted the right of Charlemagne and Otto the Great to establish a rival Roman Empire in western Europe. They claimed to be the only legitimate heirs of Old Rome.

115. The Reign of Justinian, 527-565 A.D.

Successors

of Theodo

sius, 395

527 A.D.

The history of the Roman Empire in the East, for more than one hundred years after the death of Theodosius, is uneventful. His successors, though unable to prevent the Germans from seizing Italy and the other western provinces, managed to keep their own dominions intact. The eastern provinces escaped the fate of those in the West, because they were more populous and offered greater obstacles to the barbarian invaders, who followed the line of least resistance. The gradual recovery of the empire in strength and warlike energy prepared the way for a really eminent ruler - Justinian.

Justinian and

Theodora

Justinian is described as a man of noble bearing, simple in his habits, affable in speech, and easy of approach to all his subjects. Historians have often drawn attention to his wonderful activity of mind and power of steady industry. So great was his zeal for work that one of his courtiers called him "the emperor who never sleeps." Possessed of large ideas and inspired by the majesty of Rome, Justinian aimed to be a great conqueror, a great lawgiver, and a great restorer of civilization. His success in whatever he undertook must be ascribed in part to his wife, Theodora, whom he associated with himself on the throne. Theodora, strong of mind and wise in counsel, made a worthy helpmate for Justinian, who more than once declared that in affairs of state he had consulted his "revered wife."

1 See pages 311-312, 317–318.

It was the ambition of Justinian to conquer the Germanic kingdoms which had been formed out of the Mediterranean Conquests of provinces. In this task he relied chiefly on the Justinian military genius of Belisarius, one of the world's foremost commanders. Belisarius was able in one short campaign to destroy the Vandal kingdom in North Africa. The Vandals by this time had lost their early vigor; they made but a feeble resistance; and their Roman subjects welcomed Beli

A mosaic dating from 547 A.D., in the church of San Vitale, Ravenna. It shows the emperor (in the center) with a bishop, his suite, and imperial guards. The picture probably gives us a fair idea of Justinian's appearance, though it represents him as somewhat younger than he was at the time.

sarius as a deliverer. Justinian awarded a triumph to his victorious general, an honor which for five centuries emperors alone had enjoyed. The conquest of North Africa, together with the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, was followed by the overthrow of the Ostrogothic kingdom in Sicily and Italy.2 Justinian also recovered from the Visigoths 3 the southeastern part of Spain. He could now say with truth that the Mediterranean was once more a Roman sea.4

1 See page 245.

2 See page 300.

See page 244.