Download The Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine
Empire
Rome Has Fallen!
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•
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Umm…. Not quite.
Sure, Rome is sacked by barbarians.
But only the Western Empire crumbles!
The Eastern Empire exists for 1,000
more years.
• Capital is Constantinople
• Called the Byzantine Empire
Rome Divided
By…
Into…
Rome Divided (2)
Constantine
-rebuilt the old Greek
port of Byzantium
-renamed it
Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople
• Constantinople is in middle of trade routes.
• City was naturally protected.
• Controlled the water between the Aegean
and Black Sea.
• City became rich from taxes on trade.
Back to The Byzantines
• At first, this Empire controlled only
a small area around the eastern
Mediterranean
• but during the reign of Justinian
(527-565), it started to recover much
of the territory of the old Roman
empire.
Emperor Justinian
• Comes from a poor
family.
• He retakes some
Roman provinces.
• Is a tremendous
ruler.
• Builds the Hagia
Sophia. (more on this
later)
Autocrat
• Justinian rules as an Autocrat
which means a ruler with
absolute power
Justinian’s Code
• Preserved Roman law.
• Forms the basis of
medieval and modern
legal systems.
• Called the “Body of Civil
Law”
• His work inspired the
modern concept and the
very spelling of
"justice".
Politics & Military
Political
• Good people running civil service.
• Good negotiators with foreigners.
• Arranged marriages with foreign princes.
Military
• Soldiers trained, given medical aid, and
updated weapons.
• Used “Greek Fire” at sea.
After Justinian…
• Empire shrinks in size due to foreign
invasions.
• Seljuk Turks invade in 1000s AD.
• Series of Crusades take place to drive out
Turks.
• Byzantines recapture Constantinople.
The End of the Byzantines
• The Byzantine Empire drew to a close
in 1453 when forces from the Muslim
Ottoman Empire surrounded and
conquered Constantinople.
• The ancient Christian city was
renamed Istanbul and became the
capital of the Ottoman Empire.
THE BIG IDEA
The Byzantine Empire:
• had a strong government and a
uniform code of laws under Justinian
• was closely tied to the Orthodox
Christian Church
• Made contributions in architecture,
engineering, and art
• Affected the later development of
Russia and other nations of Eastern
Europe