Byzantine/Islam Empire Flashcards
Define Excommunication
taking away a person’s right of membership in a Christian Church
Define Icon(s)
Religious images used by eastern churches
Who was Justinian? (527-564 CE)
Byzantine emperor, failed to reconquer Western Empire and revamped Constantinople. Sees himself as true “Roman” emperor.
What was the Justinian Code
body of Roman civil law collected and organized by order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian (A.D. 534)
Three Parts: Digest Code Institutes The laws, judicial decisions and text on how to interpret those decisions.
Patriarch
a principal bishop in the eastern branch of Christianity
Cyrillic Alphabet
Alphabet of many Slavic languages, devised by Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius
Hagia Sophia
greatest of churches built by Justinian and considered the most beautiful of all until Turks turned it into a mosque.
Mosaic
painted stone or ceramics to create beautiful portraits and religious images
Schism
split between Latin Roman Catholic church and Greek Eastern Orthodox church
What made the schism official?
(official in 1054) excommunication of the Catholic Pope by the Eastern Patriarch and the excommunication of the Eastern Patriarch by the Catholic Pope
Iconoclast
Eastern Orthodox Christians who came to believe that showing images of Jesus and Saints was a sin.
What did people who supported Iconoclast want to do?
They wanted to destroy all of the Icons of the Eastern Church
Islam
religion founded by Muhammad, “submission to the will of Allah”, monotheistic, originated in arabian peninsula. Mecca and Median were centers of trade.
Astrolabe
navigation device perfected by Muslim sea traders, so they could determine their position in relation to Mecca for daily prayers
Hijrah
migration of Islamic prophet Muhammad and followers from Mecca to Yathrib.
Mosque
traditional Muslim place of worship
Calligraphy
visual art of writing
Muslim
follower of Islam
Hajj
Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca at last month of year, all Muslims are expected to venture once.
Sunni
- ppl who followed the example of Muhammad
- did not outwardly resist for the sake of peace
- go with the flow
- 80% of the population
Shi’a
- “party” of Ali
- members were called “shi’ites”
- tried to resist Umayyads
- thought all descendants of Muham. should rule
Sunna
Islamic model for living, based on the life and teachings of Muhammad
Shari’a
body of laws governing the lives of Muslims
Qu’aran
sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to prophet Muhammad. Basis of Islamic faith
Allah
Arabic word for god (to Abrahamic faiths)
Caliph
supreme political and religious leader in a Muslim government, successor Muhammad.
Ummayyads
dynasty that ruled Muslim Empire from A.D. 661 - 750 and later established a kingdom in al-Andalus
- family came into power
- moved capital to Damascus-> abandoned life of simplicity and surrounded themselves in wealth
- their changes divided Muslims
Abbasids
dynasty ruled much of the Muslim Empire from A.D. 750 to 1258
- most powerful
- group overthrew Umayyads
- took control of Empire
What was the major contribution of Constantine to the history of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire?
Constantinople
How did the Byzantine Empire influence the cultures of Eastern Europe and Russia?
- Architecture (Dome, Religion, Alphabet)
- Religion
- Alphabet
Muhammad
- founded Islam
- not very educated
- orphaned at age 6
- Gabriel (angel) told Muhammad that he was the messenger of Allah
“People of the Book”
Jewish, Christians
- all from same place/events
- old testament
Sufi
- ppl who rejected luxurious life of Umayyads
- prefered life of poverty and devotion to a spirtual path
Four Classes of Muslims
upper class- muslim at birth
second class- converts to islam
third class-“protected ppl”=christians, jews and Zoroastrians
lowest class-slaves & prisoners of war (non-muslims)
Role of Women in Muslim Society
-men and women are euqual
-muslim women had more rights than other women of their time
-for a man to divorce his wife–> say “I dismiss the” three times
-responsibilities of wives depend on income of the husband
poor couple: wife works in fields with husband
wealthier: supervised house hold servants and had access to education among scholars and poets
-ALL women were responsible for raising kids
-early times= women could go in public and later they had to be veiled if gone in public
House of Wisdom
- a center of learning established in Baghdad in 800s
- combination of library, academy and translation center
- scholars of different cultures = translate Greek, Indian, Persians into Arabic
Why did people in Mecca reject Muhammad at 1st?
Believed his ideas would lead to neglect of arab gods
Significant Events of Muhammad’s Life
- Born in 570 CE
- Heard Voices and Revelations of Angel Gabriel in 610
- Preaching began in 613
- Fled Mecca in 622 (already a sacred city before rise of Islam)
- 630 united tribes
Ka’aba
Holiest shrine and structure of Islam (original structure by Adam)
Prophets of Islam
- Adam
- Noah
- Abraham
- Moses
- Jesus
- Muhammad (Last Prophet)
_____ to Muslims is the last revelation of god, holy book of Islam?
Qu’ran
5 Pillars of Islam
- Faith (Shahada) - no god worthy of worship except god, and Muhammad is his prophet
- Prayer (Salat) - x5 times a day (dawn, noon, late afternoon, sunset, before going to bed)
- Charity (Zakat) - Almsgiving (Charitable Donations) all things belong to God. Purification and growth
- Fasting (Sawm) - Ramadan is a method of self-purification (no food sunrise to sunset)
- Pilgrimage (Hajj) - to Mecca, once a Muslim’s lifetime
Eid Al-Adha or Eid Al-Eitr
Festival at the end of Ramadan
Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem
Muhammad ascended into Heaven
Other Religious Practices…
4 wives allowed at once
NO alcohol or pork
NO gambling
3 Holiest Cities
Mecca
Medina
Jerusalem
What was Islam able to spread quickly?
Trade/Trade Routes
Conquest
Equal under the Lord
What did “People of the Book” have to do?
Pay taxes, although they had religious freedoms
Where did Muslim armies spread, with culture and language following along with it….
North Africa, Middle East, and Persia
What did Muhammad’s successor do?
spread empire across North Africa, Egypt, Syria, and Persia
Why did the Sunni and Shi’a split?
Disagreement over right of succession
What happened in 732 CE Tours, France?
Muslims defeated and expansion into Western Europe halts.
What role did cities play in the advancement of Muslim culture?
- moved capitals constantly
- once in a city–> spread all around it bc of trade and cult. diffusion
Notable Achievements (List 3-5)…
Architecture Mosaics Arabic Alphabet Universities Translation of Ancient Texts into Arabic Arabic Numerals (including zero [started by Gupta Empire]) Algebra Medicine Expanision of Geographic Knowledge
Why the location of Constantinople?
Protection for eastern frontier
Farther from invading Germanic tribes
Closer to trade
Easy to defend with a peninsula surrounded by water
Results of Moving Capital…
Western Empire “fell to ashes”, but Eastern Empire gained strength
Legacy of Byzantines…
Art and Architecture
Preservation of ancient Greek and Roman cultures
Expansion of Eastern Orthodoxy (Greek) to Western Roman Catholic
Eastern Church (Greek)
Centered in Constantinople
Use Greek language
Headed by Emperor THEN Patriarch
Allowed priest to be married
Western Roman Catholic Church (Latin)
Centered in Rome Latin during service Headed by Pope ONLY Pope can be married Use of Icons
Legacy of Byzantines…
Expanded trade routes
Adoption of Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe and Russia
Adoption of Greek Alphabet by Slavic cultures of Eastern Europe (Cyrillic Alphabet)
Church architecture and religious art
Other areas Byzantine Orthodox can be seen…
Serbian
Greek
Romanian
Albanian
_______ recognize the authority of the Pope but use Orthodox tradition liturgy and icons
Byzantine Catholics
