The Byzantine Empire
• The _________________ half of the old Roman Empire
• 527- ___________________ succeeds his uncle to throne of the
Byzantine Empire
• Uses his best general, _______________, to seize back land lost from
the east (North Africa, Italy, Spain) makes him feel like the new
Caesar
• The Byzantine emperors rule absolutely over the __________ and the
___________, but live under risk of assassination (29 are murdered,
13 abandon throne out of 88 total)
Life in the New Rome
 Citizens feel connected to old Rome in religion and in heritage, but
disconnected in that they speak ___________
• After unifying the east and the west, Justinian creates a panel of
legal experts to create his _____________________
• Consisted of four works which regulated __________, _____________,
______________, ______________, ____________ rights, and ____________ law
• His code rules over the Byzantine Empire for over 900 years
1. ______________- nearly 5,000 Roman laws that were still useful
2. ______________- summarized the opinions of Rome’s greatest
thinkers about the laws
3. ______________- textbook that informed law students how to use the
law
4. _______________ (New Laws)- presented laws passed after 534 AD
Creating the Imperial Capital
• Justinian rebuilds old _________________ of Constantinople (14 milelong stone wall along the coastline)
• Justinian rebuilds ______________ because he viewed it as a sign of
the connection between church and Byzantine state
• “____________________” (Holy Wisdom)- rebuilt church that was
destroyed in riots in Constantinople in 532
• Restored ________________ culture; valued education by studying the
epics of ______________, geometry from _____________, history from
______________, and medicine from ______________
Constantinople’s Hectic Place
• Main street in the city was called the ____________ (MEHS-ee)
• ______________ lined the streets and ________________ performed
• The ____________________ offers entertainment in chariot races and
performance acts; holds 60,000 people
• In 532 AD, the __________________ breaks out between two fan groups
watching entertainment. After rioting, 30,000 rioters are
slaughtered by Belisarius Justinian considers fleeing but stays
with advice from his wife
The Empire Falls
• After Justinian’s death in 565 AD, the empire faces setbacks
1. ___________________- disease arrives from Indian merchant ships
infested with rats. In 542, ten thousand die PER DAY!
2. _________________ (east and west)- Avars, Slavs, Muslims and Bulgars
repeatedly attack Byzantine Empire
• The Byzantines used bribes, diplomacy, political marriages, and
military power to keep enemies at bay
• Heraclius reorganizes the empire along military lines, which
worked for a while but eventually deteriorated the empire
• By 1350, the empire was reduced to the tip of the _____________
peninsula. Finally fell to the ____________________ in 1453
The Church Divides
Religious Split
• In the east, they believed in the idea a _____________ who answers to
the emperor. In the west, they believe in the idea of a __________.
• 730- _________________ (east) banned the use of ____________ which
caused the pope back west to ________________ the emperor
• In 1054, both the pope and the patriarch excommunicate each
other over ______________________ caused the split between the
_____________________________ and the ______________________________
Byzantine Missionaries Convert the Slavs
• The two traditions in Christianity begin to fight for
__________________
• Orthodox believers take their religion to the __________. Two saints
(_________________ and ___________) work with Slavs in 9th century to
create the ________________ so that Slavs could read the ______________
• …meanwhile, the Slavs themselves are creating a _______________
culture