The Byzantine Empire Flashcards
Constantinople
The capital of the empire
Important trading city located between the Mediterranean and Black Seas, allowing trade between three continents.
The culture was a combination of Greek, Roman, and Christian influences as well as other cultures in the area
What was traded in and out of Constantinople?
Silk, gems, spices, and slaves were traded between empires.
Was Christianity validated in The Byzantine Empire?
Yes; via the Edict of Milan
Hippodrome
A place for chariot races; the Byzantine equivalent of the Roman Circus Maximus
Did Justinian want to rebuild the Roman Empire?
If so, how?
He wanted to rebuild ancient Rome by attacking the barbarians in the west
This is a stupid decision in the long term – the Byzantine empire was making the same mistake of overextension as Rome – there was too much land to manage
Who did Justinian send to retake prevoiusly Roman lands?
Sent General Belisarius to retake lands in Northern Africa, Italy, and Spain.
Justinian’s successors would lose this land later on
Hagia Sophia
The church of Holy Wisdom
A church built to “recapture” Roman glory
It had a vaulted (arching) dome, marble floors, silk curtains—signified massive power
Justinian’s Code of Laws
He wanted to collect & revise old Roman laws
Corpus Juris Civilis (Body of Civil Law), was the book containing all the laws
Called Justinian’s Code
Long term influence of Justinian’s code of laws-
These laws had an influence on people long after the Byzantine Empire
Much of the information we have about Rome is thanks to the Byzantines
The Byzantines saved Roman culture – one of the best things they did
Justinian was not an autocrat
True or False
False
Justinian was an autocrat (total control), like any other emperor or king
Justinian had a large ———– to help with his orders
bureaucracy
Justinian was also a spiritual leader of the Empire. What did this make his reign?
A theocracy (gave him more power)
He put himself next to God, ruling alongside him.
Justinian’s wife ——– helped him a great deal
Theodora
The tale of Theodora’s clutch play-
At one point, Thousands upon thousands of rioters, against Justinian, marched to the palace.
Justinian was going to flee, but Theodora humiliated him in front of all his officials-
1. She said that even if he fled the palace, she would stay there
2. She said she would rather die a royal than flee
3. This was basically calling Justinian a coward
4. Justinian decided to stay because of this
She saved the Byzantine Empire
The empire was able to hold off attacks from the-
Persians, Slavs, Arabs, Vikings, Mongols and Ottomans.
Byzantine was a —— between Asian invaders and european countries
buffer
**Byzantine allowed western Europe to develop with few interruptions
How were The Byzantine Empire able to hold off all those invaders?
They were able to hold off the invaders because they had a strong central government and a good economy
What was the significance of peasants to the Byzantine Empire ?
Peasants were also very important because they:
Worked the land
Paid the taxes
Served in the army
The Byzantines had a ——– economy while most of the world ——–
monetary
bartered
The Byzantines picked their own “Pope” called him a ———
Patriarch
They were the emperor and highest church official in Constantinople
They rejected the Pope’s authority
Most of this religious foundation has been carried through modern day Grecian religion
The patriarch was the —— of the church
“father”
(the highest man of the Byzantine Christian family)
What did the Byzantine church accept and reject?
Rejected the Western Christian’s “Christmas” and embraced Easter; similarly, the Easterns embraced Greek rather than latin.
Schism
Caused over the use of icons (Holy Images)
1054 the two branches of Christianity officially split apart
Explain the use of icons in prayer-
Praying using a statue in your hand or hanging pictures of Jesus
Furthermore, to pray using an icon was taboo—in Byzantine (700s)
Then the Pope excommunicated the Emperor; meaning you are not allowed in a church of your faith, forever.
Two branches of Christianity-
Roman Catholic — Catholic meaning universal; all-welcoming
Eastern (Greek) Orthodox — Orthodox meaning correct
Irony of the churches splitting-
Now, they not only both use icons, the Orthodox makes arguably better icons than the Catholic
Internal decay of Byzantine Empire-
Corruption → vulnerable to outside attacks
Crusades
During the time of Christianity; Islamic people claimed Jerusalem, and thus Christians justified a holy war with the Muslims
What happened to The Byzantine Empire after the 4th one?
Byzantinians were attacked during the Crusades’ after the 4th one—causing their fall. Mutual hate (enemy of my enemy is my friend) ensured for the most part help.
The fourth crusade attacks on Byzantine was spurred by-
Venetian merchants bribing crusaders. The pope then got mad at the crusaders and excommunicated them
What year did The Byzantine Empire fall?
1453
4 stages of The Byzantine Empire’s fall-
Ottoman Turks took control under Muhammad II
Constantinople became Istanbul
The Hagia Sophia became a Muslim house of worship
Islam was now the dominant culture in the area
Byzantine Heritage: Learning-
Preserved Greek/Roman classics
Historians: Procopius – Secret History
He was Justinian’s personal historian
In Procopius’ personal history he wrote about hating Justinian
