Two great Empires: Byzantium vs' Venice

1
Two great Empires Byzantium vs. Venice
By Mirel Chifan
2
Overview

• Byzantium from founding and the different periods
  in its history
• Venice as a rival
• How did the Venetians acquire such a important
  role in the Byzantium Empire?
• Confrontation between the two powers

3
Periods of the Byzantium Empire

• Byzantium ( formed by colonists from Megara,
  name given after the king of Megara , Byzas)
  from 667 BC-330
• Constantinople( period of Constantine the Great)
  from 330 1025)
• Peak of Byzantium
• Crises of Byzantium(crusades, Komeanian
  dynasty,Angeloy dynasty)
• Fall of Byzantium - conquered by Mehmed the
  conqueror in 1453)

4
Venice

• Formation of Venice 421 AD
• Venice starts to play a important role in
  Mediterranean zone
• The period of Excharchate of Ravenna
• Beginning to conquer from 1200
• The 4th Crusade ( under leadership and blackmail
  of Venice) in 1204 establishes the Latin Empire

5
Byzantium Period
The Byzantium period was the period in which
Byzas a king from Megara polis, establishes a new
colony after consulting the Oracle of Delphi The
name of the new polis fallows the name of King
Byzas and the name that we have Byzantium is a
adaptation to Latin of the word Byzantion He
establishes the city in the territory of
Chalcedon in a very strategical point ( where
Bosporus Black Sea , Marmara Sea, Golden Horn
Asia and Europe intersected). He realized what
the oracle told him, since he was told to go in
the country of the blind- Chalcedon. He
established the city of Byzantium.
6
Constantinople

• It was given this name when Constantine the Great
  sees the potential of the location
• Clerically speaking in this period it was named
  NOVA ROMA as well
• Constantine moved the Rome to Constantinople and
  this is the beginning of the domination of the
  East on the West

7
Peak of the Empire
8
Crisis in Byzantium

• Can be argued that the state was to big and it
  had to many enemies( Turks, Normans, Rome, Venice
  plus all the nations that were subjugated under
  the Byzantium rule.
• Byzantium starts to use a lot of mercenaries and
  does not train its soldiers enough
• The conflicts in the country itself for power
• The direct competition for religious and
  economical power with the West and challenging
  of Romes power
• The empire was to multicultural and it did not
  have cohesion
• It dependent on heavy on the funding from the
  provinces which were led by local nobles
• Direct consequences of the 4th crusade led by
  Venetians

9
Fall of Byzantium

• It occurred in 1453
• It ended a millennium of existence of the empire
• On the 29th of may , on a Tuesday, Mehmed the II
  besieges and conquers the city
• He had around 100.000 soldiers from which 20. 000
  janissaries, while Byzantium around 7.000 with
  2.000 mercenaries
• Since Mehmed conquered the city , he has named
  the Conquer

10
The forming of Venice

• The legend says that it was founded on the 25th
  of may 421 AD
• It was founded by 3 consuls sent from Padua to
  set up a trading point at the the Adriatic see
• It is known that the city was composed by
  refugees from Inland Italy

11
Important periods for Venice

• The Byzantium influence in Italic Peninsula is
  lost after the Excharchate of Ravenna is defeated
  by the Lombards
• From the 12th century it becomes a thasalocracy
• After 1200 conquers Dalmatic coast,Brunner pass,
  Istria, Cyprus, Crete and controls the trade in
  Europe
• 4th Crusade

12
How did the Venetians acquire such a important
role in Byzantium?

• After the battle in which Byzantium defeats with
  the Italian Normans lead by Robert Guiscard,
  which was only possible with the naval help of
  Venice
• Venice gets free access to Byzantiums trade, it
  was given under the Alexius the Cominian

13
The 4th Crusade.

• In the beginning the plan was to conquer
  Jerusalem through Egypt
• It was commissioned by pope Innocent the III
• High jacked by the Venetians which use the forces
  of the their interests and attack Zara port
• Capturing of Constantinople and the start of the
  Latin Empire

14
Mehmed the Conqueror
15
(No Transcript)
16
King Byzas
Alexius Comenius
Justinian I
17
Byzantium Empire
Venice
vs
18
Questions!!!!