THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE

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THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE
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• The Roman Empires power shifted to the east, as
  Germanic invaders weakened the western half.

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• By 330, the emperor Constantine, had built a new
  capital city in Constantinople on the site of the
  Greek city Byzantium. The Byzantine empire arose
  from this site.

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• At its height, the Byzantine empire covered an
  area from Rome through southeastern Europe and
  Asia Minor, down to Egypt and across North Africa.

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• The city of Constantinople, was on a peninsula
  overlooking the Bosporus, a strait connecting the
  Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.
• From its central location, the city controlled
  key trade routes that liked Europe and Asia.

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• The Byzantine empire reached its peak under the
  Justinian.
• Justinian was an autocratic ruler, or single
  ruler with complete authority.

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• Theodora served as co-ruler of the empire.
• Theodora was a strong leader that stood up to
  opposition, when Justinian was willing to flee.

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Justinian blended Greek, Roman, Persian Middle
Eastern styles. The best known structure is the
Church of Hagia Sophia, whose name
means Holy Wisdom.
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• 100,000 workers hired to build Hagia Sophia.
• Completed in just 5 years. (532-537 AD)
• Christian Church then a Mosque now a museum.

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• Justinian reformed Roman Laws, which became known
  as Justinans Code.
• Turn to page 349 in your textbook and include
• questions 1-3 in your notes.

Emperor Justinian became known for his collection
of ancient laws known as Justinians Code. This
written set of laws became the basis todays
international laws.
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• Byzantines Art Achievements.
• Icons - Were images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and
  others.
• These icons were supposed the create the sense
  that the holy person was actually present.

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• Byzantine artists also developed Mosaics,
  pictures or designs formed by inlaid pieces of
  stone or other materials. Mosaics often displayed
  religious themes.

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• In 1054, permanent split or schism occurred
  between the Orthodox Christian Church in the East
  and the Roman Catholic Church in the West.

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The decline of the Byzantine empire came with the
onset of invading armies. The final blow came at
the hands of the Ottoman empire in 1453.
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• The Byzantine empire hoped to preserve Greek and
  Roman culture and also strongly influenced the
  first Russian state.
• As Russia traded with the Byzantine empire, the
  Byzantines influenced both Russian and eastern
  European development.

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• The Byzantines gave Russia a written language.
• Two Byzantine missionaries adapted the Greek
  alphabet.
• This new system, called the Cyrillic alphabet is
  still used in Russia today.

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• Byzantine missionaries carried Orthodox
  Christianity to Russia and other Eastern European
  nations.

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Another Byzantine influence on Russia was that of
an autocratic ruler. Autocratic rulers in Russia
were known as czars. Czar is the Russian word for
Caesar.
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• The Byzantine empire had its influence in the
  development of history. Emerging out of the once
  strong Roman empire, the Byzantines develop a
  written set of law and strongly influence art and
  architecture of the time.
• The Byzantine empire preserved the Greek, Roman
  and Persian achievements as well as influencing
  the development of Russia and Eastern Europe.