Byzantine Test

Question 1

Empire

Answer 1

A large territory in which several groups of people are ruled by a single leader or government

Question 2

Diarchy

Answer 2

Government with two figures of authority

In the Byzantine Empire, the emperor and patriarch worked together to represent the Eastern Orthodox Church

Question 3

Clergy

Answer 3

Group of men who performed sacred religious functions in the church

Question 4

Patriarch

Answer 4

A religious leader in charge of a specific city who worked closely with the emperor and ranked just below him in matters of religion
Leader of the church in Constantinople

Question 5

Icon

Answer 5

Religious images that were either painted as mosaics or on murals of churches

Question 6

Schism

Answer 6

Split
The Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches split due to differing beliefs in 1054 C.E.

Question 7

Excommunicated

Answer 7

Officially exclude (someone) from participation in the sacraments and services of the Christian Church

Question 8

Constantine

Answer 8

Emperor who moved capital of empire to Byzantium
in 330 C.E.
Renamed the capital to Constantinople

Question 9

Justinian I

Answer 9

One of the first successful leaders of the Byzantine Empire
Known as “Justinian the Great”

Question 10

Constantinople

Answer 10

The city on the eastern edge of Europe
Constantine made the capital of the Roman Empire in 330 C.E.

Question 11

Political Instability

Answer 11

Government was corrupt/dishonest

Difficult to transfer power from one emperor to another
Difficult to enforce laws across the large empire
Emperors often wasted large amounts of money (Emperor Caligula and Emperor Nero)

Question 12

Economic and Social Problems

Answer 12

Citizens had to pay high taxes to support the army

Citizens disliked this, and it hurt trade
Cities became unsafe as people turned to stealing/crime

Question 13

Germanic Tribes Invaded

Answer 13

Having a large empire made it difficult to defend and communicate

*Germanic Tribes overthrew the last emperor in the West in 476 C.E.

Question 14

Justinian I

Answer 14

Emperor who rebuilt the city of Constantinople after a rebellion between Blues and Greens

Built new public baths, parks, bridges, roads, hospitals, etc

Established a Code of Laws for the empire

Question 15

Hagia Sophia

Answer 15

Famous church built by Justinian I

One of the most famous buildings in the world today

Represents the Eastern Orthodox Church within Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire

Question 16

What was the Eastern Orthodox Church?

Answer 16

-A Christian religion that developed out of early Christianity in the Byzantine Empire
There are differences between the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church

Question 17

How were the emperor and patriarch viewed within the church?

Answer 17

The emperor was considered the head of the government and Church, and a representative of God
The Patriarch is the head of the Church in Constantinople
*The emperor and patriarch worked together in a diarchy, figures of authority within the Byzantine Empire

Question 18

What conclusions can you draw about the religious beliefs or practices that people had within the Byzantine Empire? What symbols do you see within the icon?

Answer 18

Image of a god or saint within the Eastern Orthodox Church
Possibly baptizing a baby, entering the baby into the Church while the community looks on
Shows them as angel-like
*This icon shows that the people valued their religion from a very young age, and they practiced religious sacraments throughout life

Question 19

Iconoclasm

Answer 19

In 730 C.E., Byzantine Emperor Leo banned the use of all religious images in Eastern Orthodox Churches
**Emperor thought people were worshiping the pictures, rather than God
Diarchy

Question 20

Political Issues

Answer 20

In 800 C.E., the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church crowned Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor
The Pope did not think Empress Irene could be a strong leader for the empire
**This outraged the Byzantines because they wanted Irene to rule the remains of the Roman Empire

Question 21

Religion

Answer 21

Churches finally split (schism) after the Pope of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated each other due to differing beliefs