The Byzantine Empire: Dynastic Monarchy

The Byzantine Empire’s government was a dynastic monarchy, although occasionally an usurper would seize the throne. They called their ruler the basileus (a Greek word meaning emperor). Christianity was the official religion. Religion was closely tied to the government, as the basileus was often believed to be god’s representative on Earth and religious leaders had a lot of power. The emperor was in fact crowned by the Patriarch of the church. The Byzantine Empire was divided into sections called themes, each one governed by a military leader called a strategos. People were organized into rigid social classes, and seldom did someone move up a social class. Lower classes were divided into clan-like groups called systems. Each system had a representative
that could bring their complaints and comments to the government. There is one publication completed by Emperor Justinian I in 534 C.E. that sums up all of the Byzantine Empire’s laws. It is called Justinian’s Code. It consists of three books: The Code, a collection of every single law in effect, The Digest, a summary for important laws and a guide for judges, and finally The Institute, which was an introduction to the law for students aspiring to have a career in law.
Before Justinian wrote Justinian’s Code, the Byzantine Empire followed all of the Roman laws. Over the years, so many laws had been made, some of them contradicting each other. Justinian got rid of all the unnecessary and confusing laws. The Byzantine Empire’s military was another notable part of their government. The majority of emperors who seized the throne by force did so by virtue of their skill in battle and were mostly outstanding military generals. The army consisted of mostly footmen, with some heavily armed highly skilled cavalry. Although the Byzantine Empire’s army was far from mediocre, the main reason Constantinople wasn’t conquered for such a long time was because of the massive fortifications around it, erected by Constantine I. Constantinople was surrounded by massive stone walls, with holes out of which the defenders could shoot arrows while remaining unharmed. Some other Byzantine cities had similar fortifications around them, but none were as impregnable as Constantinople. The Byzantine Empire also possessed an explosive liquid called Greek
Fire. Invented in the 600’s, its components were kept secret; its main ingredients are believed to be sulfur, saltpeter, and naphtha. The Byzantines shot the Greek Fire at their enemies out of clay pipes. The flammable liquid even burned on water and was used many times with devastating effects against the Byzantine Empire’s enemies. The Byzantine Empire’s government was also dependent on its rulers as any emperor or empress in charge would have almost complete control.
One of the Byzantine Empire’s greatest emperors was Justinian I or Justinian the Great. He conquered almost all of the land previously occupied by the Roman Empire, built the magnificent church the Hagia Sophia, and wrote Justinian’s Code. Justinian had assistant accomplishing these things from his wife, Empress Theodora. Most Byzantine Empresses took an active part in governing the empire, but none more so than Theodora. While Justinian was commanding the army or working on a project, Theodora took charge of much of the day to day business. She also improved women’s rights and abolished some unfair laws against them. A few Byzantine Empresses ruled alone, although the vast majority ruled with either their husband or son. The first Empress to rule alone was Empress Irene, who ruled independently from 797 to 802 after briefly being co-emperor with her husband and murdering her son. Unfortunately, Empress Irene proved to be a disastrous empress, almost bankrupting the empire, and was exiled to the island of Lesbos after people rebelled against her. Another great emperor was Basil
I. Although he gained the throne by two brutal murders and had no education, he became a great ruler, expanding the empire and founding the Macedonian Dynasty. Basil II was the last of the Macedonian dynasty. Basil II re-conquered many lands that had been conquered during Justinian’s reign. After Basil II’s death, the Byzantine Empire began to decline due to a series of unsuccessful rulers. The government’s organization, its rulers, and the military all played a part in the Byzantine Empire’s government.