Final Flashcards
1
Q
How did Diocletian attempt to save the empire?
A
- By persecuting the Manichaeans & later Christians (he believed that the gods might punish all Romans who didn’t believe in them).
- Wanted to solve the problems by becoming more autocratic.
2
Q
What were Diocletian’s most significant reforms?
A
- Punishments raised to brutal levels.
- Ruled in a Tetrarchy (rule by 4).
- Created smaller administrative units (Dioceses).
3
Q
Why was the empire in great economic trouble?
A
- Diocletian imposed price and wage controls and a new taxation system to try and control inflation.
- These measures failed; citizens began hoarding what they could buy which only worsened inflation.
4
Q
How and why did Rome become Christianized in the fourth century?
A
- Eventually, Christianity became the religion of most people.
- Christianity became the state religion in 391 when Theodosius I enforced a ban on privately funded polytheist sacrifices & ordered their temples to close in 395 which were then converted to churches.
5
Q
What was the Byzantine Empire?
A
- The Eastern Roman Empire of Constantine (Constantinople the capital).
- Trade and agriculture kept it from poverty and emperors used force, diplomacy, and bribery to prevent invasions from the north and repel attacks by the powerful Sasanid Empire in Persia.
6
Q
How “Roman” was the Byzantine Empire?
A
- Very, they attempted to preserve the memory of classical Roman culture and values by preserving earlier literature, both non-Christian and Christian.
- Acted and dressed as Romans, Spoke Greek but not many spoke Latin primarily.
- It was a multi-lingual / multi-religious empire.
- Constantinople was modeled after old Rome.
7
Q
Who was Justinian and why was he important?
A
- Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Emperor who wanted to reunite the Roman Empire and restored imperial glory of the Augustinian Period.
8
Q
What does it mean to call Justinian the “last of the Romans”?
A
- Justinian wanted to keep the Roman tradition alive, the “mos maiorum”.
- He was also the last Roman emperor to speak Latin.
9
Q
How and why was the classical literature preserved in the Eastern Empire?
A
- Texts survived because Christian education and literature depended on non-Christian models (Like Greek & Latin).
- Scholars preserved classical literature because they saw it as a crucial part of an elite education.
- Some knowledge of pre-Christian classics was required for a successful career in government service.
- Also, the use of classical rhetoric and its techniques were used for making persuasive arguments to present Christian theology.
10
Q
What does Procopius reveal to us about Justinian and Theodora?
A
- They were both bloodthirsty and to blame for poverty, prosecution, and slavery.
- They were liars of the first order. They only cared about themselves and what they wanted (a.k.a they were bad people).
11
Q
What is Islam?
A
- Religion that formed under Muhammad.
- Religion name means “Submission to God”
- Muslim means “those who submit to Islam”
- Muslims practice this religion.
12
Q
What are Islam’s central beliefs and practices?
A
- “Ummah” - a community of believers who share both a belief in God & a set of religious practices.
- Islam stresses individual belief in God & adherence to the Qu’ran.
13
Q
Who was Muhammad?
A
- Muhammad was the founder of Islam.
- Born in Mecca & was married to Khadija.
- Around 610 Muhammad had a vision that summoned him to worship the “God of the Jews & Christians”.
- Over the next few years, he received messages which were later compiled in the Qu’ran.
14
Q
How/Why/Where did Islam spread?
A
- At Muhammad’s journey to Medina (Hijra) he found those who were ready to listen to his religious message and accept him as their leader (the Jews did not show their support for Islam at first).
15
Q
Why was Islam so successful & why did people convert?
A
- Muhammad fought & won the battle of Badr which secured his position in Medina and silenced his doubters.
- He gained many new adherents after this victory.
- Muhammad took on many military conquests in order to subdue Arabs and he welcomed converts from every tribe.
16
Q
What was the Islamic Renaissance?
A
- It occurred throughout the Islamic world.
- The dissolution of the caliphate multiplied centers of learning and intellectual productivity.
- Prominent in capital cities such as Córdoba, Spain.
- Islamic scholarship was diverse, scholars studied mathematics, philosophy, & astronomy.
- Institutions of higher learning were where a rich Muslim might demonstrate his piety & charity by establishing a madrasa (school attached to a mosque) where the Qu’ran could be interpreted as well as literary & legal texts.
- Students (only male) paid a fee for learning.
- Islamic scholars wrote on paper which was cheap and they spoke to a broad audience.
17
Q
What is a Caliphate?
A
- a Caliphate is an Islamic state under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of “Caliph”.
18
Q
What was the Abbasid Caliphate & why was it important?
A
- The Abbasids were a new dynasty of Caliphs who ruled from 750 - 936.
- The Abbasids rose to the Caliphate after civil war ousted the Umayyads in 750.
- Under the Abbasids, Islamic rule shifted from Damascus (a city that has roots in the Roman tradition) to the newly founded city of Baghdad in Iraq.
- Adhered firmly to Persian courtly models, w a centralized administration, large staff, & control over the appt. of regional governors.
- Caliph Harun al-Rashid presided over a flourishing empire that declined after his death.
19
Q
What is “Christian Paganism”?
A
- A form of Christianity formed in Western Europe.
- Christian religious culture with elements of pagan practice (ex: Christmas Tree).
20
Q
What was Monasticism, and why did it develop?
A
- Religion that rejects the norms and favors a harsh life of solitude and spiritual discipline.
- It developed because adherents wanted to show a stronger commitment to God.
21
Q
What does monasticism have to do with book production?
A
- Monasteries monopolized book production because of Benedict’s insistence on study (creation of the 1st libraries).
22
Q
Who was Charlemagne, where did he rule, and what were his most important achievements?
A
- Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, was king of the Carolingians between 768 and 814.
- He forced Pagans to receive Christian baptisms.
- the Pope placed the imperial crown on his head which made him furious even though he admired the Pope because he feared the reaction of the Byzantines because Charlemagne was crowned “Augustus” who was the 1st roman emperor.
- Waged many successful wars and dreamed of an empire that would unite the traditions of Roman & Germanic worlds with the legacy of Christianity.
- by 790s, his kingdom stretched east beyond Germany, southeast to Austria, & south to Spain & Italy.
- Heavily supported education (yet never learned to write) and sponsored many public building programs and appointed special officials.
23
Q
How does the primary source tell us both about Charlemagne’s self-presentation, and his vision for his empire?
A
- He dressed like the common people and treated people and foreigners with respect.
- A very noble man.
- He wanted the empire to expand and take over foreign nations who he was alliances with.
- Also revealed that his self-presentation was confident and caring & close to his family.
