The Byzantine Empire and its Legacy

The fall of Rome saw the introduction of three new civilizations. This includes the western, Islam and Byzantium civilizations. The civilizations were characterized by different interactions and rivalries of which differentiated them in regards to the aspects of their legacy. The three “heirs” defined according to their strengths, weaknesses, similarities, differences, and diversity.

The Byzantines emulated the imperial tradition that belonged to the Romans. Therefore, they considered themselves to be descendants of the Roman Empire. They spoke Greek and practiced intense Christianity. The Byzantine Empire practiced a theocratic political system, and their standard of rule was considered to be the will of God.  The history of the Byzantines was primarily involved with violence and revolts due to pressures from the Persians and Arabs. The following three aspects distinguished the Byzantium Empire.

•    Power control

The Emperor controlled and represented the highest power of the state and the church. However, this led to the religious controversies being introduced into politics. Besides, the imperial courts also had control of power due to its capable leaders. Upheaval was withstood through a resilient bureaucracy.

•    Educated officials

The officials gave insights on matters relating to the religious, social, politics and economic aspects.

•    Well managed economy

The Byzantine civilization balanced and protected the home industry that allowed imports and exports in significant trade cities.  

The Islam civilization was entirely different from the other civilizations. To begin with, the people spoke Arabic, and it was considered to be more cosmopolitan of the three civilizations. The religion was mainly Islamic and was founded by Muhammad while in his spiritual reflection at the Arabian desert. Muhammed lived in the community of Mecca, but the people had nothing to do with him. Therefore, he had to migrate to Medina where his following grew. Then Muhammed returned to Mecca where the city grew and became the holiest Islamic cities. After he died, the religion split due to political reasons. This because politics and religion were closely interwoven as of the Byzantine Empire. Besides, Islam helped to transmit the heritage of learning same as the Byzantine. The religion was competitive and had a considerable influence on the Byzantine Empire. Violence was also present between them and the Western Empire mainly because of religion. That is between Muslims and Christians. The scholars preserved the translated texts and commentary was made on the texts. 

This civilization was notably different from the Islam and Byzantium Empire. This is because the Islam and Byzantium began building civilizations to amass extraordinary material wealth while the western culture was rebuilding after Rome’s fall. The westerners were committed Christians but consisted of an authoritarian political system. The empire was ruled by monarchs who had interest in matters of politics, religion and the military. They considered themselves a descendant of the Roman empire and considered themselves a unified Christian society. A monarch by the name Charlemagne was considered a key pillar in the birth of Europe. This is because he conquered new lands and managed to institute a Carolingian Renaissance whereby classical learning was conducted in both the cathedral schools and palace.

Islamic Civilization and its Influence

The western empire that is western Europe, considered trade and seeking of new opportunities to be of great value. In matters of religion, the Western and Byzantine Empire has a common ground of Christianity. However, a divide was present between them. The Westerners considered Roman Catholicism as the right way of worship while the Byzantine considered Orthodox Christianity as the right way of worship. For example, the Byzantine Emperor known as Alexios the first received military support from the westerners against the Muslim Seljuqs due to their shared religion.

The medieval crusades refer to the holy wars between the Muslims in the missile east and the Christians in Europe. The primary goal of the crusades was to recapture the sacred city of Jerusalem from the Muslims. Due to this reason, the Europeans that is the western Empire and the Byzantium Empire were willing to travel in a foreign land and fight a war. 

Causes of the medieval crusades

•    The Byzantine Empire was under attack by the Islam civilization.This is because the Byzantine Empire was located at the center of Eastern Europe whereby parts of the Middle East were also found. Therefore, clashes between the two empires were inevitable.
•    The Roman Catholic Church had plans to protect and secure the holy sites and Christian churches in the region. Therefore, they sent soldiers to help with the activity.
•    The Islamic religion quickly spread to other areas such as Europe and also Northern Africa. Both the Byzantine and Western Empires felt that Christianity was under attack due to the quick spread of the Islamic religion.Therefore, the crusades were to attempt to stop and prevent the continual spread of the Islamic religion in the European strongholds.
•    Jerusalem, an essential territory of both Christian and Muslim faith was also considered by the three empires as a critical location. Therefore, regaining control was the main reason for the crusades. Many Christians wanted to free of the control of the Muslims hence the sought to gain the location.
•    Also, Europe had a history of seeing kingdoms attacking each other. Therefore, the crusade was an attempt of Pope Urban II’s call to end the battle between the nations instead of directing the battle to the Muslim territories.

Characteristics

•    All the three empires participated in the crusades.
•    Both the Christians and Muslims had a desire for Jerusalem.
•    Each Empire desired to spread its presence.
•    The opening of new trade routes in both Europe and the Middle East.
•    Due to political reasons.

The Medieval crusade resulted in different effects.

•    Both transportation and trade were revamped due to the crusades. This is because the crusade created a need for continued supplies and demand for various goods which resulted in the building of ships.
•    The Europeans were defeated in the crusades, but they managed to extend the reach of Christianity.
•    The Roman Catholic Church grew in power and wealth since the Pope was elevated after the end of the Crusades.
•    Interests in learning and travel grew throughout Europe hence creating a way for the renaissance.
•    There was a large massacre of Muslims, Non-Christians, and the Jews which resulted in resentment among the crusaders.

1. Identifications: St Benedict

Saint Benedict of Norcia was born before the Western Roman Empire had fallen. It was around 480 AD. In his childhood, he experienced a religious awakening. He felt that the Gospel was unattainable in the culture that he was in at that time. He was therefore compelled to abandon his family, wealth and status to become a hermit. However, after retreating from the world, a community was formed around him, and he began imparting a way of life to them whereby commitment to Christ was expressed in vows of chastity and poverty.

Saint Benedict was an essential figure in the shaping of the Roman culture. He pivoted the provision of social services, technology, learning which became the sustainers of civilization. Benedict’s source of insight was the church, and therefore he held the view that the church was a source of cultural transformation whose way of life was dependent on Christ. In addition, he considered the church not to support the sanctioning of culture but instead to cleanse and sanctify it. Since Saint Benedict interpreted his times, he, therefore, came up with a new movement which laid the foundation for the new type of civilization.

In his time, he commissioned thirteen monasteries and appointed monks to teach those who needed education. His fame spread like wildfire. He also performed many miracles. For example, he found a water spring on a mountain for his monks to drink. It is also recorded that he retrieved a hooked iron from a lake. He intervened for hos monks hence preventing them from walking a desolate life. 

Benedict was also attacked by another priest known as Florentius because of his popularity thereby forcing him to leave his disciples. In between the time he was away, he commissioned the Abbey of Montecasino. Later, it became one of the most famous Abbey in Europe. While in at Montecasino, he undertook various prodigious activities. He established the monastic order and supervised the building construction. Saint Benedict then devoted himself to evangelism to areas where paganism was present. Before his death, he testified that he foresaw his death and before he died, the grave belonging to her sister was opened for him to be buried there too.

The Spaniards conquered the Incan empire and had them under their control due to the following reasons.

•    The Incas empire was weak for at least a decade because of the civil war that had divided and weakened them. They had not recovered when they faced the Spaniards hence it was easy for the Spaniards to win.
•    The Spaniards brought about a surprise to the Incas empire. This is because their way of behavior and language was different hence the Incas empire could not defeat them. For example, they had horses that the Incas empire had not seen before.
•    The Spaniards were equipped with weapons made of steel hence were superior to the Incas. They seized the Incas emperor at Cajamarca. Planning also gave them an added advantage over the Incas.
•    In addition, gun power brought victory to the Spaniards. Their effective technological advances gave them a lead since they were able to create mobile canons.

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