Byzantine Empire Notes
Main Idea: After the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, the _____________________________________
emerged as the dominant eastern power, with _______________________________ as its political,
economic and religious center. The empire lasted over 1,000 years.
Background
1. What year did the western half of the empire fall?
2. Who rebuilt and renamed the city of Constantinople?
Geography of Constantinople
1. How is the geography similar to that of Rome?
2. How was the city protected?
3. Why is the location of Constantinople geographically
important?
4. Constantinople was far from what invaders in the west?
6. Eventually, Constantinople will be taken over by what group? What is the city named today?
Role of Constantinople
1. Constantinople served as the __________________________ until it was taken over by the
Ottomans.
2. What culture did Constantinople preserve?
How Justinian was described
1. Why are there opposing views of Justinian in history?
Achievements of Byzantine Emperor Justinian
1. What legal code did Justinian create?
a. What types of laws were included?
b. What is the significance of this code?
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3.
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5.
a. What building is most significant?
6.
7.
Theodora
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5.
Write down three things you learned from the video:
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3.
How would the following people view Theodora?
The poor Women Nika rebelsJustinianHer friends-
Hagia Sophia
History of the Hagia Sophia:
1.
2.
3.
Architecture
What does the exterior symbolize?
What does the interior symbolize?
What two places show some influence in the design in the Hagia Sophia?
Byzantine Art and Architecture
What are pendentives?
What are mosaics?
What two things served as inspiration for most of Byzantine
art?
What are icons? Give an example.
What are the two most important structures and what is their purpose?
Byzantine Culture
How was Greek and Roman knowledge preserved?
What language was used in the Byzantine empire?
What Christian church was dominate in the Byzantine Empire?
The Great Schism
Background: ________________________ and __________________________ slowly caused the doctrines
and rituals of Western and Eastern Christianity to split in the 11th century.
What are icons?
What is an iconoclast?
Who is a Patriarch?
Who has the most power in the Western part of empire?
Who has the most power in the Eastern part of the empire?
What was the Great Schism?
What year did it happen?
What is excommunication?
How can the Roman Catholic Church be described?
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6.
7.
How can the Eastern Orthodox Church be described?
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7.
What are similarities between the two churches?
The Fall of the Byzantines and Russia
What factors led to the decline of the Byzantine Empire?
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Which trade routes led to the spread of Byzantine culture in Eastern Europe and Russia?
What role did missionaries play?
Who invented an alphabet for the Slavic people? What role did this play?
What other influences did the Byzantine Empire have on Eastern Europe and Russia?