Byzantine Empire Flashcards
Who was the 1st emperor to convert to Christianity ?
Emperor Constantine
Who was considered the head of the church in the Byzantine Empire
The emperor
What happened when the emperor considered himself the head of the church?
There was a disagreement with the Pope (Bishop of Rome) who lived in Rome and considered himself the head of the church.
The Byzantine Empire would be split east and west. What religion was in the east and west?
East would become Eastern Orthodox
West would become Roman Catholic
Who would lead the East? Who picked this leader?
Patriarch of Constantinople or Bishop of Constantinople
Byzantine Emperor
What caused the split, or Schism in Christianity?
Disagreements on what language spoken in church services and icons used in churches
What language was spoken in West?
In the East?
West-Latin
East-Greek
What was split in Christianity called?
Schism
What were icons?
Religious images displayed in church
Because of the disagreements on icons, Byzantine emperor Leo forbid them. Then what happened?
People would break them -
What were the people called that broke the icons?
Iconoclasts
What was the Great Schism?
In 1054, the Christian church split in two. Western becoming Roman Catholics and East becoming Eastern Orthodox.
How did Byzantines keep history alive on Ancient Greek and Roman’s?
They copied books
What is “The Dark Ages”?
When many works and books were lost to European in the west
Why do we know a lot about Emperor Justinian?
His court historian, Procopius, wrote 3 history books about Justinian and his wars
What is The Secret History about?
A book written by Justinian historian that was published after his death that shared his real views and opinions about Justinian
What did the Byzantines spend a lot of money on?
Building a church with onion shaped domes
What is the most famous church ? Where is it?
Hagia Sophia or “the church of holy wisdom”
Constantinople
Who had Hagia Sophia built?
Emperor Justinian
What was placed inside the church?
Lots of mosaics
What is a mosaic?
A picture or pattern made of tiny colored pieces of hard material such as stone, tile or glass
Who were the Christian missionaries that helped spread Eastern Orthodox Christianity?
St. Cyril
St. Cyril is known for creating the Cyrillic script.
What script did the Kievan Rus adopt from the Byzantines?
Cyrillic
What was the significance of Constantinople’s location?
Many people wanted to conquer and control the city.
What event led to the conquest of Constantinople by Catholics from Western Europe?
The 4th Crusade
For how long did the Catholics rule Constantinople after the 4th Crusade?
1204-1261
When did the Byzantines reconquer Constantinople?
1261
In what year did the city and empire of Constantinople fall to the Ottoman Turks?
1453
What name did the Ottoman Turks give to Constantinople after its conquest?
Istanbul
What type of Christianity did the Kievan Rus convert to?
Eastern Orthodox Christianity
What is the term for the leader of the Byzantine Church?
Patriarch
What is the main belief shared by both the Roman Catholic and Byzantine Churches?
Monotheistic
Fill in the blank: Both Churches believe in _______ after death.
life
What is a notable difference between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church?
No icons
What is the language spoken by the Pope in the Roman Catholic Church?
Latin
What is the practice of celibacy associated with?
Roman Catholic Church
What was the primary language used in the Byzantine Church?
Greek
What cultural interaction did the Byzantines have with Eastern Europe?
Spread of Eastern Orthodox Christianity
What was Justinian’s main goal regarding the Roman Empire?
To reunite the western and eastern parts of the Roman Empire.
Which German tribes did Justinian aim to fight in the west?
- Vandals in North Africa
- Ostrogoths in Italy
- Visigoths in Spain
Who did Justinian fight in the east?
The Sassanid Empire (the Persians)
Did Justinian ever lead his army into war?
No, he had generals who led the armies.
Name the two generals who led Justinian’s armies.
- Belisarius
- Narses
What was the outcome of Justinian’s military campaigns?
The Byzantine Empire reconquered more land and became the largest it would ever be.
What was the Justinian Code also known as?
Corpus Juris Civilis
Why did Justinian order the creation of the Justinian Code?
There were too many confusing and outdated laws.
Who was in charge of creating the Justinian Code?
Tribonian
How many lawyers did Tribonian oversee for the Justinian Code?
Ten lawyers
What are the four components of the Justinian Code?
- A textbook for future lawyers
- A collection of cleaned-up old laws
- A Yearbook of court cases and rulings
- Novella of new laws
Who influenced the Justinian Code to include laws for women’s rights?
Empress Theodora
What severe punishment was introduced for certain crimes in the Justinian Code?
Rape was made punishable by death.
Fill in the blank: Justinian’s main military focus was to fight the _______.
German tribes and the Sassanid Empire.
True or False: The Justinian Code simplified the legal system.
True
What was a significant impact of Empress Theodora on the Justinian Code?
She had laws that gave women more rights.
What was the original name of the Byzantine Empire?
Byzantium
The Byzantine Empire is also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire.
Who chose the location for the new capital of the Roman Empire?
Emperor Constantine
He called the new capital ‘Nova Roma’ or New Rome.
Why was the city of Constantinople chosen as the capital?
Its geographic location provided protection from invaders and access to trade routes
The city was farther from Germanic invasions and had water protection on three sides.
What geographical feature protected Constantinople on three sides?
Water
The fourth side was defended by a large series of walls.
What river flowed through Constantinople?
Lycus River
The city also had hills similar to those in Rome.
Which seas were accessible from Constantinople?
Black Sea and Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
What was the reign period of Emperor Justinian?
527-565
He was the most famous Byzantine emperor.
What were some of the major goals of Emperor Justinian?
Reconquer lost land, create legal reforms, and initiate building projects
Many of these projects still exist today.
Who significantly assisted Justinian during his reign?
His wife, Theodora
Theodora was not of noble birth.
What major event did Justinian face early in his reign?
The Nika Riots
These riots were caused by chariot fans protesting against taxes.
Where did the Nika Riots start?
Hippodrome
The hippodrome was the chariot racing stadium.
What did Justinian do in response to the Nika Riots?
He sent in troops to quell the riots, resulting in the death of 30,000 fans
He also confiscated their property as punishment.
What was the consequence for the relatives of the rioters after the Nika Riots?
They lost all property
The confiscated property was used to finance Justinian’s future wars.
True or False: The city of Constantinople was named after the Byzantine Empire.
False
It was named after Emperor Constantine.
Fill in the blank: Constantinople was originally called _______.
Byzantium
What was one of Justinian’s first major problems during his reign?
The Nika Riots
