Chapter 1 The Byzantine and Muslim Empires
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Transcript Chapter 1 The Byzantine and Muslim Empires
Mrs. Hansen
Medieval Times
Section 1: Byzantium
Constantinople: Byzantine Capital
Located on the Bosporus strait
○ Ideal for trade because it connects the Black
Sea and the Sea of Marmara and is an area
where Europe and Asia meet
○ Constantinople became rich from trade and
charging taxes for trade items
History of Constantinople
First it was part of Greece
Byzantium
Then part of the Roman Empire
Later Constantine (1st Christian Emperor of
Rome) moved the capitol
He then renamed it Constantinople meaning the
“City of Constantine”
Now it belongs to the country of Turkey and
is called Istanbul
Rome Splits apart
The western ½ was overrun by invaders
The Eastern ½ survived in Byzantium
○ WHY??
Trade, A strong army who used “Greek Fire” among
other weapons
A great Byzantine emperor = Justinian
An emperor from a poor background who
married an actress
○ He was a good listener, hard worker, had a
steady temper, but was very stubborn
○ He ruled for many years in part due to
following his wife, Theodora’s, advice in
politics.
The fall of Byzantium
There was a schism within the church
○ Some people prayed to saints or holy people
represented on icons
○ Others thought people should only pray to God
The debate reached the leaders of the church
○ The Patriarch in Constantinople
○ The Pope in Rome
The church split
○ The Greek Orthodox in the East
○ The Roman Catholic in the West
After the split in the church
The Byzantine Empire fell to invasion
supported by the Roman Catholic church
What the Byzantine Empire gave us!?!
The Code of Justinian
○ Justinian ordered the laws to be organized
and written down
○ This code became the backbone for many
European Legal systems
The Byzantines wrote down and kept much
of the knowledge of ancient Greece and
Rome safe while western Europe was in a
chaotic state