Religious Conflict and the Arab Conquest in Byzantium

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Jeremy Rees 200511754

Religious Confict & State Weakness: a study o

Byzantium during the Muslim Invasions !"#

The following essay will consider the role played by religios con!ict in

generating state wea"ness# $n particlar% $ will focs on the role that the

persection of religios minorities played in the loss of the &y'antine territories

in the (e)ant% *gypt and +rmenia dring the ,slim in)asions from the period

-../--0# hilst the maority of the essay focses on the role of the

,onophysites% other sects and religios minorities will be mentioned when

appropriate% as will )arios compromise dogmas that were proponded by both

seclar and religios athorities in order to promote religios nity# &elow $ will

rstly detail brie!y the history of ,onophysitism and its doctrines# 3et% $ will

consider the eects of religios persection prior and dring the ,slim

in)asions% and how these may ha)e aected spport for the &y'antine *mpire#

6inally% $ will consider other possible cases of state wea"ness in the &y'antine

*mpire that cold pro)ide alternati)e eplanations for its wea"ness in the face of

an eternal threat# The e)idence presented in this essay sggests that whilst

internal religios con!ict in the &y'antine *mpire is inscient to eplain its

sdden defeat by the in)ading ,slim armies% it ne)ertheless contribted in a

signicant way to the failre of the *mpire to maintain control of those lands in

which non/8halcedonian 8hristians and other religios minorities formed a

maority or a sbstantial minority#

,onophysitism originally emerged in the 5thcentry with the preaching of the

mon" *tyches# *tyches asserted that 8hrist was of one natre% in which the

di)ine natre had sbsmed the hman natre% a natral progression from


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+pollinarianist thoght#1 The *mperor Theodosis $$ inclined toward *tyches

position#2The 8oncil of *phess in 449 spported *tyches teachings% nder

the leadership of :ioscrs &ishop of +leandria% and ac;itted *tyches of the

accsation of heresy le)elled by Theodoret of 8yrrhs#.


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mo)ed towards the creation of a separate 8optic 8hrch# Jstinian $ attempted to

compromise by granting his appro)al to +phthartodocetism% a dogma that had

been proposed by Jlian of


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accepted ,onoenergism and temporarily ended the schism#11


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totalling approimately 24%000 soldiers into sothern Palestine#1- &y'antine

forces nder


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,onophysite sympathies# Prominent ,onophysites were imprisoned nless they

agreed to recant# (ater the tyrant Phocas =-02/-10C re)i)ed the persection of

,onophysites and the forced con)ersion of Kyrian Jews to 8hristianity21=as did


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designed for siege warfare#27 This then sggests that the local ,onophysite

poplation did not resist the in)aders% and saw them as an impro)ement to the

dyophysite go)ernment of 8onstantinople# $n +rmenia% 8onstans $$ fond that for

religios and ethnic reasons% many in ,onophysite +rmenia preferred ,slim

rle#2+rchaeological e)idence for chrch destrction is )irtally non/eistent29

and administrati)e papyri from *gypt dating from within a few years of the

con;est gi)e e)idence for a remar"able degree of breacratic continity being

maintained dring the transition from &y'antine to $slamic rle#.0 ,oreo)er%

$slamic rle did not crb the amont of writing in Xree" or the in)ol)ement of

eastern 8hristians in the religios contro)ersies of the time#.1nly later was

there a decline in the con;ered areas and greater pressre to con)ert nder the

8aliph [+bd al/,ali"% when the ocial state langage of the con;ered &y'antine

lands was changed from Xree" to +rabic#.2$n *gypt the 3ile% and in +natolia the

Tars ,ontains and the 8ilician Xates% presented maor obstacles to the +rab

in)aders# Yet in *gypt in particlar% the persection of ,onophysites who refsed

27 (amorea% *arly *astern 8hristian Responses to $slam% 5#

2 Laegi% Byzantium and the early 'slamic con)uests% 199/200#

29 rthodo bilding acti)ity actally increased in the years -.5/-40#

(amorea% *arly *astern 8hristian Responses to $slam% -#

.0 +dolf Xrohmann% Xree" Papyri of the *arly $slamic Period in the 8ollection of+rchd"e Rainer% *tudes de &a&yrology =1957C% 5/40#

.1 +)eril 8ameron% Changing Cultures in Early Byzantium=+ldershotM Variorm%199-C% 297/29#

.2 8ameron% Changing Cultures in Early Byzantium% 259# &y 750% 8hristians inthe former &y'antine areas were sing only half the amont of chrches as they

had been in -00% indicating the rogh le)el of decline that occrred to the

8hristian poplation dring this period# (amorea% *arly *astern 8hristianResponses to $slam% /9#


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to accept ,onotheletism nder 8yrs made many ready to cooperate with the

in)aders#..

The +rab con;ests cannot simply be eplained by religios factionalism

wea"ening the nity of the &y'antine *mpire# nly a few years pre)iosly had

&y'antim been able to defeat the formidable Kassanid *mpire% and recaptre

those lands lost pre)iosly# This feat was accomplished dring similar periods of

religios discord% yet &y'antim had managed to rise% phoeni/li"e% from the

ashes of defeat# Therefore% it is necessary to consider other cases of wea"ness

in the &y'antine state% besides religios disnity# Kome scholars ha)e contended

that the &y'antine *mpire had become nancially.4and militarily wea"er dring

the 5thand -thcentries.5following economic depression and the ra)ages of the

plage from 540#.- ,oreo)er% it may ha)e been sering from o)erreach

following the recon;ests nder Jstinian% and ehastion following the wars with

Persia and the +)ars#.7 The mlti/ethnic character of the *mpire li"ely only

componded the problems of internal di)ision# ,ch of the +ramaic commnities

of the (e)ant and northern ,esopotamia may ha)e preferred the rle of fellow

Kemites% the +rabs% than the Xree"s% whose cltre was only spercially

.. Treadgold%A History of the Byzantine State and Society% .05#

.4 6or instance% military pay was ct by 25\ in 5% despite the fact that the

*mpire was facing persistent Kla)% +)ar and (ombard attac"s# Peter Karris% The*astern *mpire from 8onstantine to


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adopted by the rral poplation#. $t is also li"ely that other internal di)isions

played a decisi)e role the wea"ening &y'antim# $nternecine con!icts amongst

the &y'antine elites reslted in )alable resorces being sed for the

sppression of internal re)olts and coronation donati)es.9 and there were

signicant internal di)isions between landowners and the peasantry#40 (i"ewise%

&y'antine military incompetence and the +rab military spremacy% demonstrated

by their ndeniable sccess =both in &y'antine lands and in Persia% 3orth +frica%

and the $berian PeninslaC% for whate)er reason%41sggest that &y'antim may

ha)e been facing a sperior foe#


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chronicler John of 3i"i wrote towards the end of the se)enth centry that the

con;ests were allowed by Xod for the sa"e of his persected people =)i'# the

,onophysitesC#44 Kimilarly% the twelfth centry historian ,ichael the Kyrian

reconts the nderlying tensions that eisted between ,onophysite and

8halcedonian 8hristians dring the +rab in)asions#45+l/&alQdhrU% the 9thcentry

Persian historian% records that the inhabitants of _om` =*mesaC declared e li"e

yor rle and stice far better than the state of oppression and tyranny in which

we were# The army of


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fond that the caliphate le)ied hea)ier taes than the empire%47 showed less

respect for ,onophysites% and enforced cor"5efrom 8hristian artisans to bild a

na)y and pblic bildings#4


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&ibliographyM

+l/&alQdhrU% +hmad ibn/Jabir% -it.b /ut0h al1Buldha% trans# by P# L#


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,ayerson% Philip% The 6irst ,slim +ttac"s on Kothern Palestine =+#:# -../-.4C%

Transactions of the American !hilological Association% Vol# 95% 19-4#

,ichael the Kyrian% Chronicle% a)ailable online athttpMNNrbedrosian#comN,syrNmsyr1-#htm:eaths#

Rnciman% Kte)en% The Byzantine Theocracy=8ambridgeM 8ambridge Oni)ersityPress% 1977C#

Karris% Peter% The *astern *mpire from 8onstantine to

Religious Conflict and the Arab Conquest in Byzantium

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