CHAPTER OUTLINE

I. Introduction

II. The Byzantine Empire and Its Government

A. The Economic and Social Structures of

Byzantine Society

B. Byzantium and the Slavs

III. Muhammad the Prophet and the Origins of Islam
A. The Expansion of Islam
B. Social and Economic Structures in the Islamic
World
C. Islamic Culture, Science, and the Arts

IV. Social and Economic Structures in the Post-
Roman West
A. Frankish Society and Politics
B. The Empire of Charlemagne

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CHAPTER 7

ROME’S SUCCESSORS: BYZANTIUM, ISLAM,

AND THE GERMANIC WEST

T

he fall of Rome conventionally marks the be-

ginning of European history, but Europe did

not develop wholly in isolation. It was one of

three great societies that emerged after the

breakup of Mediterranean civilization. Byzantium and

the world of Islam, were, like medieval Europe, heirs to

the broader culture that had been consolidated and re-

fined by centuries of Roman rule. They developed

along radically different lines, but each exerted a pow-

erful influence on Western civilization.

The Byzantine Empire

and Its Government

The reforms of Diocletian and Constantine established

the institutional framework of the Byzantine Empire

long before the separation of east and west. The system

they created evolved without interruption until 1453,

though the empire had been reduced in size by the

conquests of Islam in the seventh century and weak-

ened after 1100 by the impact of the Crusades.

The heart of that system remained the person of

the emperor. Though he was usually the designated

heir of his predecessor, he had to be acclaimed by the

Senate, the army, and the people of Constantinople be-

fore he could be crowned. The empress, who might be

the emperor’s wife, sister, mother, or aunt, often exerted

substantial power of her own and could rule indepen-

dently if the emperor were incapacitated or a minor.

Once in office, the emperor’s power was theoretically

absolute. As the vicar of God on Earth, he held the

lives and property of every subject in his hands and

could punish or confiscate without appeal. In practice,

law and common sense limited the exercise of this arbi-

trary power. Any of the electoral groups—usually the

army—could proclaim a successor if an emperor proved

unsatisfactory. The choice then had to be confirmed by

the Senate and the people before the usurpation was

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