Mrs. Hansen

Medieval Times

Section 1: Byzantium

Constantinople: Byzantine Capital Located on the Bosporus strait

○ Ideal for trade because it connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara and is an area where Europe and Asia meet

○ Constantinople became rich from trade and charging taxes for trade items

History of ConstantinopleFirst it was part of GreeceThen part of the Roman Empire

Later Constantine (1st Christian Emperor of Rome) moved the capitolHe then renamed it Constantinople meaning the

“City of Constantine”

Now it belongs to the country of Turkey and is called Istanbul

Byzantium

Rome Splits apartThe western ½ was overrun by invadersThe Eastern ½ survived in Byzantium

○ WHY??Trade, A strong army who used “Greek Fire” among

other weapons

A great Byzantine emperor = JustinianAn emperor from a poor background who

married an actress○ He was a good listener, hard worker, had a

steady temper, but was very stubborn○ He ruled for many years in part due to

following his wife, Theodora’s, advice in politics.

The fall of ByzantiumThere was a schism within the church

○ Some people prayed to saints or holy people represented on icons

○ Others thought people should only pray to GodThe debate reached the leaders of the church

○ The Patriarch in Constantinople ○ The Pope in Rome

The church split○ The Greek Orthodox in the East○ The Roman Catholic in the West

After the split in the church The Byzantine Empire fell to invasion

supported by the Roman Catholic church

What the Byzantine Empire gave us!?!The Code of Justinian

○ Justinian ordered the laws to be organized and written down

○ This code became the backbone for many European Legal systems

The Byzantines wrote down and kept much of the knowledge of ancient Greece and Rome safe while western Europe was in a chaotic state