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Justinian Dynasty
The Byzantine Empire under the Justinian dynasty began in 518 AD with the accession of Justin I. Under the Justinian dynasty, particularly the reign of Justinian I, the empire reached its greatest territorial extent since the fall of its Western counterpart, reincorporating North Africa, southern Illyria, southern Spain, and Italy into the empire. The Justinian dynasty ended in 602 with the deposition of Maurice and the accession of his successor, Phocas. Justin I Early life and accession to the throne The Justinian dynasty began with the accession of its namesake Justin I to the throne. Justin I was born in a village, Bederiana, in the 450s AD. Like many country youths, he went to Constantinople and enlisted in the army, where, due to his physical abilities, he became a part of the Excubitors, the palace guards. He fought in the Isaurian and Persian wars and rose through the ranks to become the commander of the Excubitors, which was a very influential position. In th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chi Rho
The Chi Rho (☧, English pronunciation ; also known as ''chrismon'') is one of the earliest forms of the Christogram, formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters—chi (letter), chi and rho (ΧΡ)—of the Greek (Romanization of Greek, rom: Christ (title), Christos) in such a way that the vertical stroke of the rho intersects the center of the chi. The Chi-Rho symbol was used by the Roman Emperors, Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (r. 306–337 AD) as part of a military standard (vexillum). Constantine's standard was known as the Labarum. Early symbols similar to the Chi Rho were the Staurogram () and the IX monogram (). Although formed of Greek characters, the device (or its separate parts) is frequently found serving as an abbreviation in Latin text, with endings added appropriate to a Latin noun, thus ''XPo'', signifying ''Christo'', "to Christ", the dative form of ''Christus'', or ', signifying ''Christicola'', "Christian", in the Latin lyrics of ''Sumer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gothic War (535–554)
The Gothic War between the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Roman emperor, Emperor Justinian I and the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy took place from 535 to 554 in the Italian peninsula, Dalmatia (theme), Dalmatia, Sardinia, Sicily, and Corsica. It was one of the last of the many Gothic wars against the Roman Empire. The war had its roots in the ambition of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I to recover the provinces of the former Western Roman Empire, which the Romans had lost to invading barbarian tribes in the previous century, during the Migration Period. The war followed the Roman reconquest of the diocese of Africa from the Vandals. Historians commonly divide the war into two phases. The first phase lasts from 535 to the fall of the Ostrogothic capital Ravenna in 540, and the apparent reconquest of Italy by the Byzantines. The second phase from 540/541 to 553 featured a Goths, Gothic revival under Totila, which was suppressed only after a long struggle by the Roman genera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monophysitism
Monophysitism ( ) or monophysism ( ; from Greek , "solitary" and , "nature") is a Christological doctrine that states that there was only one nature—the divine—in the person of Jesus Christ, who was the incarnated Word. It is rejected as heretical by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Reformed Christianity (Calvinist), and all mainstream Protestant denominations, which hold to the dyophysitism of the 451 Council of Chalcedon—as well by Oriental Orthodoxy, which holds to miaphysitism. Background The First Council of Nicaea (325) declared that Christ was both divine ( homoousios, consubstantial, of one being or essence, with the Father) and human (was incarnate and became man). In the fifth century a heated controversy arose between the sees and theological schools of Antioch and Alexandria about how divinity and humanity existed in Christ, with the former stressing the humanity, the latter the divinity of Christ. Cyril of Alexandr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Power Behind The Throne
The phrase "power behind the throne" refers to a person or group that is understood to ''de facto'' wield the power of a high-ranking official (originally, and hence the name, a monarch), or whose support must be maintained to continue in office. In politics, it most commonly refers to a nominal subordinate or advisor to an officeholder (often called a "figurehead") who serves as '' de facto'' leader, setting policy through influence, manipulation, or both. The original concept of a power behind the throne was a medieval-era figure of speech referring to the fact that the monarch's policies could be set by a counselor not seated in the throne but standing behind it—perhaps whispering in the monarch's ear—out of common sight. In recent times, family members and official or unofficial advisers might take on a similar role. Sometimes it is difficult to assess whether such an accusation is true or a conspiracy theory. The term typically has a negative slant, implying that the power ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea (; ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; ; – 565) was a prominent Late antiquity, late antique Byzantine Greeks, Greek scholar and historian from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman general Belisarius in Justinian I, Emperor Justinian's wars, Procopius became the principal Roman historian of the 6th century, writing the ''History of the Wars'', the ''Buildings'', and the ''Secret History''. Early life Apart from his own writings, the main source for Procopius's life is an entry in the ''Suda'',Suda pi.2479. See under 'Procopius' oSuda On Line a Byzantine Greek encyclopaedia written sometime after 975 which discusses his early life. He was a native of Caesarea Maritima, Caesarea in the Roman province, province of ''Palaestina Prima''. He would have received a conventional upper-class education in the Greek literature, Greek classics and rhetoric, perhaps at the famous Rhetorical School of Gaza, school at Gaza. He may have attended law school, possibly at La ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Of Cappadocia
John of Cappadocia, surnamed ''Cappadox'' or ''the Cappadocian'' ( Greek: Ἰωάννης ὁ Καππαδόκης; died February 520), was patriarch of Constantinople in 518–520, during the reign of Byzantine emperor Anastasius I Dicorus after an enforced condemnation of the Council of Chalcedon. His short patriarchate is memorable for the celebrated Acclamations of Constantinople, and the reunion of East and West after a schism of 34 years. At the death of Timothy I of Constantinople, John of Cappadocia, whom he had designated his successor, was presbyter and chancellor of the Church of Constantinople. Biography On 9 July 518, the long reign of Anastasius I Dicorus came to a close, the orthodox Justin I succeeding. On 15 July, the new emperor entered the cathedral, and the patriarch, accompanied by twelve prelates, was making his way through the throngs that crowded every corner. As he came near the raised dais where the pulpit stood shouts arose, "Long live the pat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Ecumenical Patriarchs Of Constantinople
The following is a chronological list of Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, bishops and ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople. The historical data on the first 25 bishops is limited with modern scholars debating their authenticity. The Foundation of the See by Andrew the Apostle is met with similar amounts of skepticism with scholars believing it to be a later tradition. The list is mostly based on the compilation made by Demetrius Kiminas, but there is no single "official" numbering of bishops. The official website of the patriarchate has a list of holders but gives them no numeral. Bishops of Byzantium (until 330 AD) *1. St. Andrew the Apostle, Andrew the Apostle (36–38), founder *2. St. Stachys the Apostle, Stachys the Apostle (38–54) *3. St. Onesimus (54–68) *4. Polycarpus I of Byzantium, Polycarpus I (69–89) *5. Plutarch of Byzantium, Plutarch (89–105) *6. Sedecion of Byzantium, Sedecion (105–114) *7. Diogenes of Byzantium, Diogenes (114–129) *8. Ele ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hippodrome Of Constantinople
The Hippodrome of Constantinople (; ; ) was a Roman circus, circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square in Istanbul, Turkey, known as Sultanahmet Square (). The word ''hippodrome'' comes from the Greek (), horse, and (), path or way. For this reason, it is sometimes also called ("Horse Square") in Turkish. Horse racing and chariot racing were popular pastimes in the ancient world and hippodromes were common features of Greek cities in the Hellenistic, Ancient Rome, Roman, and Byzantine eras. History and use Construction Although the Hippodrome is usually associated with Constantinople's days of glory as an imperial capital, it actually predates that era. The first Hippodrome was built when the city was called Byzantium, and was a provincial town of moderate importance. In AD 203 the Emperor Septimius Severus rebuilt the city and expanded its city wall, walls, endowing it with a hippodrome, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anastasius I Dicorus
Anastasius I Dicorus (; – 9 July 518) was Roman emperor from 491 to 518. A career civil servant, he came to the throne at the age of 61 after being chosen by Ariadne, the wife of his predecessor, Zeno. His reign was characterized by reforms and improvements in the empire's government, finances, economy and bureaucracy. The resulting stable government, reinvigorated monetary economy and sizeable budget surplus allowed the empire to pursue more ambitious policies under his successors, most notably Justinian I. Since many of Anastasius' reforms proved long-lasting, his influence over the empire endured for centuries. Anastasius was a Miaphysite Christian and his personal religious tendencies caused tensions throughout his reign in the empire that was becoming increasingly divided along religious lines. Early life and family Anastasius was born at Dyrrachium; the date is unknown, but is thought to have been no later than 431. He was born into an Illyro-Roman family. Anast ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anastasian War
The Anastasian War was fought from 502 to 506 between the Byzantine Empire and the Sasanian Empire. It was the first major conflict between the two powers since 440, and would be the prelude to a long series of destructive conflicts between the two empires over the next century. Prelude Several factors underlay the termination of the longest period of peace the Eastern Roman and the Sasanian Empire ever enjoyed. The Persian king Kavad I needed money to pay his debts to the Hephthalites who had helped him regain his throne in 498/499. The situation was exacerbated by recent changes in the flow of the Tigris in Lower Mesopotamia, sparking famines and flood. When the Roman emperor Anastasius I refused to provide any help, Kavad tried to gain the money by force. War Kavad's campaign of 502 In 502, Kavad quickly captured the unprepared city of Theodosiopolis, perhaps with local support; the city was in any case undefended by troops and weakly fortified. Martyropolis also fell ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
