Bell Ringer

Map Question: Page 223

Chapter 10 Test - Essay Questions

1. Discuss the influence of religion on the Byzantine Empire and Kievan Russia.

2. Consider the Emperor Justinian, Vladimir I, and Ivan the Terrible. Who had the biggest impact and why?

Chapter 10 Section 1

The Byzantine Empire

Objectives

• Identify the factors that contributed to the growth and strength of Byzantine Empire

• Explain how the Christian Church came to be divided

• Analyze the cultural contributions made by the Byzantines

• Explain the factors that contributed to the downfall of the Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire

• The Western Roman Empire fell to Germanic tribes, but the eastern empire successfully fought off invaders.

• The empire lived on in Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt etc…

• This was known as the Byzantine Empire.

The Founding

The Growth of the Byzantine Empire

• Justinian – Emperor of the Byzantine empire from 527-565.

• Justinian Code – A collection of laws of the Roman Empire (ordered by Justinian)

3 parts of the Code

1. Code – useful Roman laws

2. Digest – summarized Roman legal opinions

3. Novellae – laws passed after 534

• The code became the framework for many European legal system.

• People should be ruled by laws, not by the whims and corruption of leaders.

Check Question

What made up the Justinian Code of laws?

Able Advisors• Theodora – wife and advisor to Justinian• She helped to change law to affect

women’s status….ie divorce settlements• Dowry – the money or goods a wife

brought to a husband at marriage.• He allowed Christian women to own

property equal to the value of their dowry.

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• Belisarius – General of the army that put down the Nika Revolt.

• Belisarius also won back former Roman lands from the Germanic tribes, growing the Byzantine Empire to its greatest size.

Strengths of the Empire• Greek Fire – chemical weapon on

ships which burst into flames when sprayed/thrown on enemy ships

• The location of Constantinople allowed the Byzantines to control sea trade routes between Asia and Europe.

• Their trade taxes paid for: soldiers, gov. officials, and public buildings.

Byzantine princes married princesses from other countries.

Strength Importance

These marriages brought the empire into alliances with other countries.

The Christian Church

• The church was divided, because the Pope (west) was not recognized by the eastern Christians.

• Icons – Holy pictures of Jesus, Mary etc..

• Byzatinians in the east believed having icons displayed was to worship an idol.

• Iconoclasts – belief that having and icon in a church was the same as worshiping idols

• Iconoclastic controversy – the debate between the defenders and opponents of icons in churches.

• The Pope decreed that not allowing icons was heresy.

• Heresy – an opinion that conflicts with official church beliefs.

• Excommunication – barring a person from church membership

• The 2 churches split: Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.

Byzantine Culture• Byzantine scholars passed on the

learning's of Greece, Rome and the East.

• Cyril and Methodius – Christian missionaries that taught the Bible to Slavs

• They also created an alphabet since they had no written language.

• This Cyrillic alphabet is still used by many Slavic people today

Check Question

What issue led to a split in the Catholic Church (creating an East and West)?

Art

• Religion was the main subject of Byzantine art.

• Mosaics – picture or design made from small pieces of enamel, glass or stone

• The art was not meant to be realistic

Architecture

• Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) – Church in Constantinople

• Justinian had this built, and now thought to be an architectural wonder.

• There is a round dome on a rectangular building, which was tough to complete.

Decline of the Empire

• Ottoman Turks – Group that eventually captured Constantinople and ended the Byzantine Empire.

• The Ottoman Turks slowly captured cities starting in 1361 and took Constantinople in 1453

Bell Ringer

Read “The Christian Church” on 224-226

Question – How did the council of bishops in Rome feel about

Byzantine views of Christianity?