Introduction to the Byzantine Empire

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Introduction to the Byzantine Empire
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Introduction

• Even though the Western Roman empire fell, the
  Empire still had much power in the east. The
  Eastern Roman empire became known as the
  Byzantine empire named after the capital city
  of Byzantium.

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• The Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the
  empire to Byzantium. Eventually, the city was
  named Constantinople in honor of the emperor.
  Constantinoples location made it a center of
  trade and it was also easily defended.

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Power in the East

• When emperor Constantine moved the capital of the
  empire to Byzantium he moved the power of Rome
  to the east.

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Justinian Builds a New Empire

• After the western empire fell, the Byzantine
  Empire prospered. The Byzantine emperor named
  Justinian (527-565) was the main reason for this.
  He and his wife Theodora were very gifted
  rulers.

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The Justinian Code

• Justinian used his power to help the empire
  succeed. Justinian is known for a lot of things,
  but one of the things he is most famous for is
  the creation of a law code called the Justinian
  Code. It was a system of governmental laws that
  established a well organized empire and kept the
  traditions of Roman law alive. Many nations
  include traditional Roman laws even today.

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Public Works

• Justinian had many public building projects that
  included buildings like Hagia Sophia the main
  church of the Greek Orthodox religion.

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Hagia Sophia
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Religion

• The Orthodox church in the east had many
  differences to the Roman Catholic church of the
  west. This eventually led to a schism or split.
  Some of the differences include
• The Orthodox church used Greek instead of Latin
• The head of the Orthodox church answered to the
  emperor, while the head of the Roman Catholic
  church (the Pope) claimed authority over all
  kings and emperors.
• The Orthodox church allowed priests to marry
  while the Roman Catholic church did not.

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Lets Review!!

• Important things to remember about Rome.

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• Roman Citizenship was significant because it
  allowed citizens to participate in government.
• The Law codes of Rome allowed equal justice for
  all just like in America.
• The use of foreign soldiers in the Roman army
  made it weaker because they had no loyalty to
  Rome.
• The Pax Romana was a period of peace and
  prosperity in Rome.

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• Barbarian groups like the Huns, Visigoths,
  Ostrogoths, and Vandals weakened the empire until
  it eventually fell in 476.
• At its height the Roman Empire stretched from
  Europe, to Africa, to Asia.
• The empire split and the eastern empire continued
  for another thousand years after the fall of the
  west.
• A major split or schism occurred between the
  eastern church (orthodox) and western church
  (catholic).