Byzantine Empire And Western Europe Differ During The Era Of Third Wave Civilizations?

Christopher Peacher

HI 101

Chapter 10 and 11 Questions

CHAPTER TEN

1. How did the histories of the Byzantine Empire and Western Europe differ during the era of third-wave civilizations?

Western Europe collapsed politically in the fifth century, never to come together again as a single political entity, whereas Byzantium survived as a single political entity throughout the period. The Byzantine emperor exerted greater control over the Orthodox Church than political authorities in Western Europe did over the Catholic Church. The Byzantine Empire maintained a prominent role in the long-distance trade networks of Eurasia throughout the period, whereas Western Europe's role declined precipitously following the collapse of the Roman Empire in

Cultural differences also played a role. For instance, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Greek became the language of religious practice instead of the Latin used in the Roman Catholic Church. Moreover, more so than in the West, Byzantine thinkers sought to formulate Christian doctrine in terms of Greek philosophical concepts. The Eastern Orthodox faith expanded into Eastern Europe when the Byzantine Empire was at its height, but it was driven from other regions, particularly in North Africa and the Near East, by the expansion of Islam. After 1000, the Roman Catholic tradition became the more expansive of the two expressions, as its influence spread into Islamic Spain, non-Christian northern Europe, and Orthodox Eastern

The Byzantine and Persian empires were weakened by decades of war with each other and by internal revolts. The two empires also underestimated the Arab threat. Merchant leaders of the new Islamic community wanted to capture profitable trade routes and wealthy agricultural regions. Individual Arabs found in military expansion a route to wealth and social promotion. Expansion provided a common task for the Arab community, which reinforced the fragile unity of the Islamic umma. Arabs were motivated by a religious dimension, as many viewed the mission of empire in terms of jihad, bringing righteous government to the peoples they conquered. Islam experienced success in attracting converts: Muhammad's religious message was attractive to many, while Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians could find familiar elements of their own faiths in Islam. Conquests called into question the power of old gods, while the growing prestige of the Arab Empire attracted many to Allah. Although forced conversions were rare, living in an Islamic-governed state provided a variety of incentives for claiming Muslim identity. Merchants found in Islam a religion friendly to commerce and in the Arab Empire a huge and secure arena for trade, while people aspiring to official positions found conversion to Islam an aid to social