Download The Story of Constantine and Justinian

The Roman Empire Divided in
294
Barbarians invaded the Roman
Empire.
The Eastern Empire
• Germanic invaders
took over Western
Europe.
• Imperial, or ruling,
power shifted to the
Byzantine Empire (the
eastern part of the
Roman Empire).
Byzantium was a small fishing village in
the eastern empire.
Byzantium had a strategic location. Emperor Constantine made it
his capital and renamed it Constantinople.
Constantinople was on a peninsula. It was between the Black Sea and the
Aegean Sea.
Because of it’s geography, Constantinople was easy to defend. Also, it was
a center for trade and it was part of the Silk Road.
Constantine’s City-Constantinopolis
Constantine built many palaces and
churches in Constantinople.
Constantine also built theaters and a university.
Furthermore, Constantine brought statues
and art from other places in the empire to
Constantinople.
Constantinople: A Greek
City
(Istanbul Today)
Sunset on the “Golden
Horn”
Justinian became
emperor in 527 A.D.
He married Theodora
and she helped him
rule the Byzantine
Empire.
Justinian’s Imperial Goal: Unity
• Justinian’s goal in the
East was to centralize
government.
• He wanted everyone to
have the same laws.
• He wanted everyone
to practice the same
religion.
One God
One Empire
One Religion
One Religion
• 380 A.D. Constantine,
made Christianity the
official religion of the
eastern empire.
• Justinian also wanted
Christianity to be the
one central religion.
The Great Schism
Roman Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Pope vs. Patriarch
Rome
VS.
Constantinople
One Law: Justinian’s Code
• Justinian standardized
Roman law.
• Justinian’s Code
influenced the laws in
many parts of Western
Europe today.
One Empire
Strong Cities
• During Justinian’s reign, the
empire was strong.
• It was strong because it had
more than 1,500 cities.
• Constantinople was the
largest city.
• It had 350,000 inhabitants
(people)
• Constantinople was the
cultural crossroads of Asian
and European civilizations.
One Empire
Strong Cities
• "Not since the world was made
was there . . . so much wealth as
was found in Constantinople. For
the Greeks say that two-thirds of
the wealth of this world is in
Constantinople and the other
third scattered throughout the
world."
• --Robert of Clari, a French crusader who witnessed
the pillage of the city in 1204, describing
Constantinople.
Extensive Building Plans
Justinian was an ambitious builder. He built
the magnificent church of Hagia Sophia
(Holy Wisdom). It was constructed in just five
years (53237).
“For a king, death is better than dethronement and exile.”
Empress Theodora
• Not everyone liked
Justinian.
• In 532, many people
protested and tried to get
him to leave power.
• They burned down many
buildings.
• Justinian won the battle and
rebuilt the city.
The Byzantine Empire at Its Height
The empire was at its height In 565, during Justinian’s reign. It
included most of the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.