John P. McKay ● Bennett D. Hill ● John Buckler
Patricia Buckley Ebrey ● Roger B. Beck
Clare Haru Crowston ● Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks
A History of World Societies
Ninth Edition
CHAPTER 8
Continuity and Change in
Europe and Western Asia, 200–850
Copyright © 2011 by Bedford/St. Martin’s
I. The Byzantine Empire
A. Sources of Byzantine Strength
1. Roman identity
2. Military threats
3. Fortifications of Constantinople
I. The Byzantine Empire
B. The Sassanid Empire and Conflicts with Byzantium
1. Prime location
2. Religious affiliation
3. Sassanid expansionism
I. The Byzantine Empire
C. The Law Code of Justinian
1. Reformation of Roman law
2. Corpus juris civilis
D. Byzantine Intellectual Life
1. Literature
2. Mathematics and science
3. Medicine
I. The Byzantine Empire
E. Life in Constantinople
1. Markets
2. Aristocracy
3. Political instability
4. The Byzantine household
II. The Growth of the Christian Church
A. The Evolution of Church Leadership and Orthodoxy
1. Dioceses
2. Nicene Creed
3. Theodosius
II. The Growth of the Christian Church
B. The Western Church and the Eastern Church
1. The Petrine Doctrine
2. Successors of Peter
3. The patriarch
4. The Orthodox Church
II. The Growth of the Christian Church
C. The Iconoclastic Controversy
1. Icons
2. Iconoclasts
3. Political ramifications
D. Christian Monasticism
1. Eremitical life
2. Benedict of Nursia
III. Christian Ideas and Practices
A. Christian Beliefs and the Greco-Roman Tradition
1. Saint Jerome
2. Gender issues
III. Christian Ideas and Practices
B. Saint Augustine
1. The Confessions
2. The sacraments
III. Christian Ideas and Practices
C. Missionary Activity
1. Royal conversions
2. Saint Patrick
3. Cyril and Methodius
III. Christian Ideas and Practices
D. Conversion and Assimilation
1. Pagan customs and practices
2. Penance
3. Veneration of saints
IV. Migrating Peoples
A. Social and Economic Structures
1. Barbarian society
2. Patriarchal structure
IV. Migrating Peoples
B. Chiefs, Warriors, and Laws
1. War bands
2. Barbarian law codes
IV. Migrating Peoples
C. Migrations and Political Change
1. Celts
2. Central Asian Huns
3. Odoacer
D. The Frankish Kingdom
1. Clovis
2. Carolingians
3. Charles Martel
IV. Migrating Peoples
E. Charlemagne
1. The new emperor
2. Expansionist policies
3. Carolingian Renaissance
4. Treaty of Verdun