The
Influence of the Church
The power of the emperor and the power of the church developed in parallel fashion.As the
emperor became more powerful, the church, the owner of the land, also gained in power.
When the Latin an the Eastern Church of Constantine separated, the patriarch of
Constantinople had thirty metropolitans (cardinals and 450 bishops attached to it). The
church was powerful, both in the government and among the people. The patriarch was
selected by the emperor. The emperor, in turn, was crowned by the patriarch. When he
empire began to lose power in the eleventh century, the church also began to weaken. By
the time of the defeat of the Byzantines to the Ottomans, the number of bishops had
decreased to sixty seven.
The
names of the works that I have mentioned, or have not mentioned here have certainly left
their mark upon Anatolia and they have left remains of their civilization which make
themselves felt in every region of the country.
