Download Chapter 2 Section 1 “The Roman Empire (Pages: 24-29)

Chapter 2 Section 3 “The Byzantine Empire”
Main Ideas:
1. Eastern Emperors ruled from Constantinople.
2. The people of the eastern empire created a new society that was very
different from the West.
3. Byzantine Christianity was different from religion in the west.
Big Idea: the Roman Empire split into two parts and the eastern
prospered for hundreds of years after the western empire fell.
Emperors rule from Constantinople:
 It was built on the site of an ancient Greek trading city called Byzantium
located between the Black and Mediterranean Seas
 Justinian ruled from 527-565 and tried to reunite the empire. He also was
passionate about the law and church.
 He ordered officials to re-examine laws and remove any out of date or
unchristian laws, thus creating the Justinian code that guaranteed fair
treatment for all.
 However not all were happy with him, two groups joined forces and rioted in
532.
 His wife Theodora kept him from running away and convinced him to have
his soldiers kill the 30,000 rioters to save his throne.
 Barbarians, Persians and Muslims all continued their invasions after his
death and later emperors lost the lands he conquered.
 In 1453 the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople bringing the eastern
Roman empire to an end.
A New Society:
 After Justinian’s death many things changed
 More non-Roman influcences changed things such as speaking Greek instead
of Latin. Studying Greek instead of Latin Philosophy.
 This led to it losing it’s Roman roots and developing a new society, however
they always considered themselves as Romans.
 Modern historians gave them the new name of the Byzantine Empire.
 The Byzantines’ interaction with outsiders in trade caused the society to be
different.
 Traders from all around Europe, Asia, and Africa caused the society to
change in Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire.
 Byzantine Emperors had more power than the western emperors.
 people had to crawl on their hands and knees to talk to the emperor
 The power was greater because the emperor was considered the head of the
church as well as political ruler. He was chosen by God. In the west the
emperor was political leader and the Popes and Bishops were the leaders of
the church.
Byzantine Christianity:
 Just as in the west Christianity was central to the Byzantines’ lives.
 Nearly everyone was Christian.
 Artists created beautiful works of religious art such as mosaics with gold,
silver and jewels.
 Justinian had the Hagia Sophia church built in the 530’s.
 As time passed, the Christian religion changed in the east and the west
differently. Priests could get married in the east; services were in Greek
instead of Latin.
 In the 1000’s those differences caused a split in the Christian church creating
the eastern orthodox church and the Roman Catholic church.