Chapter 9: Christian Societies Emerge in Europe, 600-1200 Flashcards
When were the Middle Ages?
Between the Classical Period (Greco- Roman) and Modern Period (Renaissance)
The Dark Ages are after the fall of what? What were they like?
Rome. Byzantium was robust and self-confident with late Roman society and economy. Western Europe had no political unity and severe economic depression.
By the year 1200 what were Byzantium and W. Europe like?
Byzantium showed signs of decline and military weakness. W. Europe showed renewed vitality and military strength.
Who was Justinian and what did he do?
Justinian was a ruler of the Byzantine Empire. He was determined to re-establish the glory of the
Roman Empire in the entire Mediterranean world. He took N. Aftrica and Italy, but neither lasted long. He codified Roman Law and had the Hagia Sophia built.
What happened after the Bubonic Plague/ what were the effects in the Byzantine Empire?
The Bubonic Plague arrived via trade routes in Constantinople. Population, wealth, urban elite, and trade declined. Women became more confined to the home, wore veils, and only socialized with family men.
What/where was the Byzantine Empire? How was it ruled?
The Eastern half of the Roman Empire that lived after the fall. Constantinople was the capital.
Byzantine emperors ruled by absolute authority, especially over the economy, whose industries were monopolized.
What was the Justinian Code of Law?
A law code including Roman laws, legal writings, and a student handbook to help preserve the basis of the Roman Catholic Church.
What important international factor did Constantinople control?
Key trade routes that linked Europe and Asia until the Crusades when Italian city-states started to rise.
What was Eastern Orthodox Christianity?
The Byzantine emperor controlled the overall business of the Church and appointed the patriarch. It used Caesaropapism, an autocratic/ religious leader comparable to a caliph
What was the Great Schism?
a permanent split between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church beginning in 1054
What was the Investiture Controversy?
a rivalry between popes and kings to appoint clergy/ the bishop (ecclesiastical appointments)
What did the Vikings do in Kievan Russia?
They raided and pillaged, settled, and traded
What was Christianization of the eastern Slavs like?
Vladimir I, Prince of Novgorod from 970 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 978 until his death in 1015, picked Eastern Orthodox instead of other religions like Judaism and Islam.
He converted in 988, which was a significant event in the process; the decision didn’t meet much notable resistance. It’s undisputed that this event occurred proximally to his marriage to a Byzantine princess and his siege and capture of a Byzantine city in the Crimea; quite what the relation of these events are to each other is disputed.
What was the economic system of Kievan Russia like?
The basis of wealth was trade, not land.
How did new technology lead to population growth in Western Europe?
The horse collar, horseshoes, and plow increased agriculture and food supply, thus increasing the population.
Describe the self-governing cities in Italy and Flanders.
There was trade, and they asked lords for independence. Serfs fled there because they could become free.
What was the impact of the Crusades?
Islamic forces eventually united under Saladin. Italian trading cities became wealthy and there was an exposure to Muslim culture, including advanced technology and Arabic commentaries and translation of ancient Greek work. Constantinople was sacked, and Christians were no longer a significant force in the Middle East.
What did the Byzantine emperors establish as the official religion?
Christianity. This represented the continuation of Roman imperial rule and tradition.