Download The Byzantine Empire and Russia

The Byzantine Empire and Russia
Read each paragraph below. Then underline the sentence that best describes the main
idea of each paragraph.
1. From 527 to 565 C. E., Justinian was the ruler of the eastern empire. Justinian’s’ great
dream was to restore the old Roman Empire to its former greatness. To accomplish this
aim, he did several things. He conquered North Africa in 533. He also took back the
Italian peninsula from the Ostrogoths and the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula
from the Visigoths. He then reestablished the old Roman laws and taxes in these lands.
He also tried to make his capital city, Constantinople, a showcase of beauty and
greatness. He ordered the restoration and construction of roads, bridges, aqueducts, and
theaters. Justinian’s’ greatest accomplishment was the Justinian Code of laws. He set up a
special group of lawyers to summarize and organize the many parts of Roman law. The
resulting code gave many later European countries their basic system of laws.
2. Eventually, the Eastern [Orthodox] Church and the Roman Catholic Church became
permanently divided. A major point of disagreement was Rome’s claim to supreme
authority. The Byzantines rejected this claim. The division grew deeper during the rule of
Byzantine Emperor Leo III. He believed that icons [small religious paintings or statues]
must be removed from churches. The pope believed that they should remain. The
controversy lasted for more than a hundred years. In 1054, Pope Leo IX and Patriarch
Michael Cerularius of Constantinople excommunicated each other. Many people view
this as the final break between the Roman and Byzantine churches.
3. Byzantine people became known for their achievements in architecture and the
decorative arts. One of the most famous examples of architecture is the Church of Hagia
Sophia in Constantinople. It was built by order of Emperor Justinian. This huge church is
topped by one of the greatest domes ever built. Justinian himself said, “Glory be to God,
who hath deemed me worthy to complete so great a work.” Byzantine artists were also
noted for their fine ivory carvings, cloisonné pieces, and gold articles. And they made
beautiful mosaics. These are colored bits of glass or stone made into pictures or fancy
patterns. Mosaics were used to decorate the inside walls of palaces, churches, and other
buildings.
4. The Byzantine Empire was weakened by the attack on Constantinople during the
Fourth Crusade. Then the empire suffered through civil wars among the leaders who
wished to become emperors. Religious differences also caused problems. The Ottoman
Turks took advantage of the situation and attacked. By 1445, only the city of
Constantinople remained outside Turkish control. The Turks laid siege to Constantinople
in 1453, and after several months, the city fell. One of those killed in the final battle was
Constantine XI, the last of the Byzantine emperors. Thus Constantinople met the same
fate as Rome as it declined and finally fell to foreign invaders.