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The Byzantine Empire

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Title: The Byzantine Empire


1
The Byzantine Empire
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What was the Byzantine Empire?
  • The predominantly Greek-speaking continuation of
    the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.
  • Initially the eastern half of the Roman Empire,
    it survived the collapse of the Western Roman
    Empire and continued to thrive
  • Its capital city was Constantinople, originally
    known as Byzantium.
  • Existed for an additional thousand years until it
    fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
  • During most of its existence, the empire was the
    most powerful economic, cultural, and military
    force in Europe.

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Justinian
  • Crowned Emperor of the Byzantine Empire in 527
    A.D
  • Hoped to reunite the Eastern Western Roman
    Empires
  • Made the Eastern Orthodox Church the Official
    Church of the Byzantine Empire
  • Justinians Code
  • Justinian put Roman laws into a book called The
    Body Of Civil Laws

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  • Able advisers
  • Theodora Justinian's wife
  • Convinced him to change laws
  • Divorce laws for more legal power for women
  • Allowed a woman to own property in the same
    amount as dowry
  • Belisarius leader of the army
  • Crushed Nika revolt
  • Won back lands from Germania

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Strengths of the Empire
  • Leaders were clever diplomats
  • Military
  • Well trained
  • Greek fire on naval ships
  • Strong, centralized government
  • Constantinople was a center of trade
  • Large tax revenues

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The Christian Church
  • Iconoclastic Controversy
  • Some Byzantines kept icons (pictures or statues
    of Jesus, Mary, etc.)
  • Iconoclasts - believed keeping icons was wrong
  • Emperor Leo III ordered all relics be destroyed
  • The Pope called a meeting of church officials
  • Declared icons to be ok
  • Contributed to the Great Schism (split in the
    church)
  • Roman Catholic Church in Rome
  • Eastern Orthodox in Constantinople

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Byzantine Culture
  • Cyril and Methodius were Christians that helped
    spread the gospel
  • Created an alphabet for the Slavs
  • Cyrillic language
  • Art
  • Mosaic picture or design made from small pieces
    of enamel or glass
  • Architecture
  • Hagia Sophia holy wisdom

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The Decline of the Empire
  • Conflicts with outside powers
  • Persians, Slavs, Turks, Muslims, Germans
  • Even disagreements with Western Empire caused
    conflicts
  • Seljuq Turks captured Asia Minor
  • Sunni dynasty in Persia, preceded Safavids
  • Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople

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  • Legacy
  • Impacted Russia
  • Religion Eastern Orthodox
  • Language
  • Art/Architecture
  • Achievements
  • Built the Hagia Sofia
  • Spread Christianity
  • Justinians Code of Laws
  • Continued Roman culture and ideals after the fall
    of the Western Roman Empire
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