Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
• The Roman Emperor Constantine started the Byzantine Empire when he moved the capital of Rome to Byzantium (Today the city is called Istanbul in Turkey)
• Christian Empire and religion was very important• Name changed to Constantinople to honor
Constantine and by 500 AD, 500,000 people lived there
• Huge city with markets, baths, paved roads, and a circus (just like Rome)
Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire• Trade center: Crossroads for trade from Europe to Asia, Europe to
Africa, and Asia to Africa
• It was the largest, greatest empire of the middle ages
Byzantine Empire
• Justinian was one of Byzantine’s greatest rulers• Became emperor in 527 AD• Wrote a code of law for all Byzantine people to
understand• The Justinian Code was not only the law of the
empire, it was a blueprint for most modern law systems in Europe today
• Justinian law preserved Greek, Roman, and Christian culture and traditions
• People living in the Byzantine Empire called themselves Romans
Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
• Byzantine Empire was constantly at war with Germanic tribes (Vandals, Goths), Persians, Arabs, and finally the Turks
• The Empire gained and lost and regained territory for 1000 years
• Byzantine emperors were the leaders of the government and the church
• In 1054, the church split into the Roman Catholic Church in the west and the Greek Orthodox Church in the east
• This split weakened the Empire• In 1453, the Turks captured Constantinople, and the
Byzantine Empire ended.
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