Byzantine and Russian Empires

Question 1

Rome Recap

Answer 1

284 AD - Diocletian divides empire

Constantine moves capital to Byzantium

395 AD - after Theodosius’s death empire divided again

influence in culture from Persia, Greece, and Rome

500-1200 AD - Byzantine civilization one of ,oat advanced

Question 2

New Rome

Answer 2

Constantinople becomes New Rome

1) Byzantine Empire considered themselves heir to Roman power
2) after the split Byzantine emperors were Romans who spoke Latin
3) many Byzantine people spoke Greek and maintained Greek culture and tradition, developed Greek Orthodox Christianity

Question 3

Justinian - 527-565 AD

Answer 3

ruled with wife Theodora

1) helped improve the social standing of women - wife could own land equal in value to the wealth she brought into the marriage
2) 523 AD - Nika Revolt - Theodora convinced Justinian not to flee but to stay and fight

Question 4

Justinian’s Military Campaigns

Answer 4

battled Persians from Iran on eastern front

533 - began reconquest of Italy (Ostrogoths), North Africa (Vandals), Spain (Visigoths) - recaptured lands but lost them short time later

555 - ends with recaptured lands and Byzantine Empire near bankruptcy

Justinian Code of Laws - established legal reforms that still exist today, basis for most European law systems, established scholars, supervised by Tribonian, Corpus of Civil Law

Question 5

Byzantine Art

Answer 5

Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom)

• largest and most beautiful church in empire, architectural wonder
• symbolized importance of Christianity and the Emperor’s authority in the Byzantine Empire

Byzantine art and architecture distinctive

roads, fortresses, aqueducts, monasteries, and other buildings

Question 6

Byzantine Economy

Answer 6

1) most worked as farmers, laborers, and herders
2) commerce and trade thrived in Constantinople - weaving silk became a major industry
3) most of the tax burden was placed on farmers

Question 7

Byzantine Art and Learning

Answer 7

one religion(Greek Orthodox), one language(Greek), one culture

beautiful icons - jewel encrusted crosses, carved ivory boxes for sacred items

religious subjects for art - saints, Christ

mosaics - pictures made of tiny pieces of glass, flat stone, or tile placed in plaster

illuminated manuscripts - books decorated with elaborate designs, beautiful lettering

850 - University of Constantinople established

Byzantine scholars preserved Greco-Roman manuscripts from earlier times

Question 8

Byzantine Religion

Answer 8

Emperors and Orthodox Church closely linked

1) emperors regarded as God’s representatives on Earth - leader called patriarch of Constantinople - crowned emperors
2) emperors would appoint Church officials, design style of worship, and used wrath of Church for gov’t purposes

icons - political issue - 843 AD use of pictures (mosaics) allowed, but no statues

Conflict with Rome - cultural split
1) disagreement over religious and political issues
a) Pope in Rome claimed to be leader of the
entire Church - Catholic and Byzantine
2) 1054 - doctrinal, political, and geographical differences led to schism
a) divided into Roman Catholic (pope) and
Eastern Orthodox (emperors)

Question 9

Byzantine Downfall

Answer 9

empire under constant attack - extremely wealthy and at crossroads between Asia and Europe

1071 - Seljuk Turks attack

1204 - Venetian Christians invade Constantinople and capture it, created Crusader states

1204-1261 - condemned for their actions byPope Innocent III - did not stop them

1453 - Ottoman Turks attack and conquer Constantinople

Question 10

Byzantine Contributions

Answer 10

Greek fire - chemical of highly flammable oil, pitch, quicklime, resin and sulfur, shot it at ships

shielded Western Europe from attacks

culture passed onto Eastern Slaves (Eastern Europe)

Question 11

Early Russia - 8th century

Answer 11

By the 8th century AD Russia was inhabited by Slavs
1) Cyril and Methodius - Greek monks - created
Cyrillic alphabet
2) converted Slavs to Christianity (Orthodox)

Question 12

Early Russia - 9th century

Answer 12

settled by Vikings called the Rus

Question 13

Early Russia - 10th century

Answer 13

Kiev emerges as center of prosperous state - Dnieper River
1) trade helps it prosper
2) Prince Vladimir orders the people to convert
to Christianity
3) 988 - adopted Byzantine ways of life - Vlad
controlled gov’t and church

Question 14

Early Russia - 13th century

Answer 14

Russia conquered by Mongols (Tarters) - held Russia until the 1500s
1) Genghis Khan and his army - Golden Horde)
- conquered areas had to pay him and
Mongols a large tribute
2) Russian princes were allowed to rule their
cities, unless they failed to pay tribute - dead

Question 15

Moscow

Answer 15

leadership moves from Kiev to Moscow

Question 16

Ivan III (Ivan the Great) - 1462-1505

Answer 16

1) Grand Duke of Moscow - ends Mongol rule in western Russia
2) Founder of modern Russia - by creating a strong gov’t that reflected Byzantine traditions
3) extended territory - became autocracy
4) adopted title of Czar (Caesar) - built Kremlin - where important gov’t was housed

Question 17

Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) - 1533-1584

Answer 17

Cossacks sent to discover/explore Pacific, reached manifest destiny

1565 - abandoned Moscow, his men attacked hostile boyars

when he dies - chaos

Question 18

Time of Troubles

Answer 18

1) after Ivan the Terrible’s death, no princes, boyars, gov’t officials,or nobles as a result of his terrorism
2) Russia endured foreign invasion and civil war, boyars fought for control

Question 19

Michael Romanov - 1613

Answer 19

1613 - named czar by popular assembly

lasted until 1917, when Czar Nicholas and his family were executed

Question 20

Peter I (the Great)

Answer 20

1) strengthened rule of the czar by creating strong army loyal to him
a) ruthlessly crushed a couple of noble revolts
against him
b) appointed noble governors to replace local
officials
c) extended gov’t control over Russian
Orthodox Church
2) Westernized Russia - introduced western ideas in science, education, military training, and industry
a) created an elite special segment of
population that was educated in European
manners - split upper class
b) gained seaport - built it from ground - St.
Petersburg - capital - land from Sweden

Question 21

Catherine II (the Great) - 1762-1796

Answer 21

1) gained more territory from south and west and fought against Turks along northern coast of Black Sea - got land
2) made Russia an 18th century European power
3) expanded art, literature, and science, encouraged modernized legal reforms

Question 22

Mohammed - 570-632

Answer 22

born in Mecca, Arabia

became religious reformer who condemned idol worship and urged new religion

had to flee from Mecca to Medina, where the people accepted his religion

his flight or Hegira in 622 marks first year of Moslem Calendar

Question 23

Five Pillars of Islam

Answer 23

1. Shahadah - “there is no god but Allah and Muhammed is his prophet”
2. Salat - ritual prayer 5 times a day
3. Sawm - fasting and self control during Ramadan
4. Zakat - giving 2.5% of ones earnings to the poor and needy
5. Hajj - pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your lifetime, if able

Question 24

Muslim Teachings

Answer 24

Muslim Bible - Koran

Muhammed preached holy war (jihad) against pagans and non believers

making alliances with other Bedouin (Arabian nomads), he ordered his followers to raid the trading caravans from Mecca and subdue unfriendly tribes

630 - Mecca surrendered to Muslim armies without a fight

632 - by time of his death, Muhammed had united the often feuding Arabian tribes

Question 25

Caliphs

Answer 25

called caliphs - have religious and political power - regarded as “Defender of Faith”

Sunnis and Shi’ites always fighting

Question 26

Later Islam history

Answer 26

capital - Damascus and later Baghdad

10th century - Muslim Empiure gradually disintegrated as rival chieftains gradually gained absolute power of their own areas

15th century - Muslims of Spain called Moors were conquered by the Christian states of Spain

Question 27

Islam’s Two Major Defeats

Answer 27

1. 717-718 – Muslims defeated at Constantinople by the Byzantine Empire
2. 732 – Muslims defeated by Franks and Charles Martel

Question 28

Significance of Islam’s Two Major Defeats

Answer 28

• Muslim attempt to conquer Europe was ended
• American culture based on Europe not Islam
• Countries of Europe allowed to develop onto the countries they are today

Question 29

Muslim Contributions to Civilization

Answer 29

• while Christian European culture declined in the Dark Ages, the Arabs developed a flourishing civilization which spread throughout the Muslim world
• Arabic numerals with concept of zero (from India)
• used anesthetics, performed surgery, progressed in eye operations
• extensive libraries, The Thousand and One Nights and Rubiyat if Omar Khayyam
• designed graceful mosques and palaces typified by rounded domes, and tall, slender minarets (towers)