byzantine empire and kievan rus review Flashcards
how and why was the byzantine empire created?
the byzantine empire was created when the roman empire was officially split in half in 395 ce. the empire was split to try and save the eastern half which was much more successful than the western part.
who was the greatest byzantine emperor? provide a list of his accomplishments and each accomplishments historical significance.
justinian
1. he conquered much territory and under his rule the empire was at its greatest size.
2. he created the “code of justinian” which is the basis for western(american and european) law.
3. he had the hagia sophia built which was the largest christian church for 100s of years and a blend of traditional roman architecture with new ideas.
why was theodora important in byzantine history?
she made sure the code of justinian increased rights for women. for example, women could inherit property, get a divorce, and keep their children if widowed.
describe the city of constantinople(location, ability to trade, access to water, protection, etc).
constantinople was protected by water on three sides and built an immense system of walls on the one section not protected by water. it was also at the center of multiple trade routes.
describe the characteristics of the byzantine empires economy.
the byzantine economy was based on thriving trade and a rich merchant class. it was a center for academic scholarship and had industry from its skilled craftsmen(jewelry, masonry, art engineering). it also had excellent farmlands especially in the early empire.
how are the roman catholic church and eastern orthodox church different?
roman catholic church: pope is in charge and does not answer to any other political leader, divorce is not allowed, clergy cannot marry, church services are always in latin
eastern orthodox: byzantine emperor is in charge, the head of clergy is called a patriarch, divorce is permitted, clergy can marry, church services are done in the vernacular
how are the roman catholic church and eastern orthodox church similar?
jesus is the messiah, bible, sacraments
what event and year caused the split between the roman catholic church and the eastern orthodox church?
schism of 1054
whose authority did the followers of the eastern orthodox church not want to follow anymore?
the pope
how did the relationship between the state and the church in eastern europe differ from that of western europe?
in eastern europe, the state(government) was in charge of the church.
analyze the short term and long term effects of the split between the roman catholic and eastern orthodox christianity.
short term: hostility between the west and east, each excommunicated each others followers
long term: two unique separate churches developed with different core beliefs in religious doctrine, the pope had no authority in byzantium, the pope aligned himself with frankish rulers for military protection
why did the byzantine empire decline and eventually fall?
- constant warfare with muslim powers(umayyads, abbasids, seljuk turks, ottoman turks)
- 4th crusade
- problems with succession
- invention of the cannon allowed the ottomans to break through the walls of constantinople
give at least 5 reasons why the byzantine empire is historically important.
- code of justinian
- preservation of greek and roman knowledge
- byzantine art(mosaics and illuminated manuscripts)
- influence on russia(eastern orthodoxy, concept of tsars/czars, cryillic alphabet, architecture(domes))
- architecture(hagia sophia, hippodrome)
analyze the political and religious changes and continuities in the byzantine empire.
political continuities: centralized power in the hands of an emperor, strong bureaucracy, emperor was the head of the church, high taxes
political changes: greek had replaced latin as the official government language by the early 7th century
religious continuities: christianity, emperor in charge, patriarch was the leader of the clergy, art was primarily religious
religious changes: schism of 1054, complete rejection of the pope, varied views of the use of icons
describe the origins of the kievan rus.
scandinavian traders took control of the native slavic people and lands giving them control over the trade routes leading to the black sea and eventually constantinople.
why was prince vladimir important in the history of kievan rus?
he converted the people of kievan rus to christianity.
in what ways did the byzantine empire influence the kievan rus?
- byzantine empire was kievs primary trade partner
- eastern orthodoxy christianity
- adopted the cyrillic alphabet created by cyril and methodius
- kievan art was similar to byzantine art(highly religious, mostly icons, illuminated manuscripts)
- kievan architecture was in charge of the church like the byzantine emperor
how did the kievan rus decline?
- problems with succession
- as the byzantine empire declined, kievan rus also declined because byzantine was its most important ally and trading partner
- mongol(tatar) invasions
how did mongol rule influence russia?
- russia became a tribute state to the mongols ruled by russian princes who collected taxes for the mongol empire
- population shifted away from kiev to moscow
- russia became more aligned with mongol/asian influence and less influenced by western europe(scholars debate whether this was a positive or negative influence)
