THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE

Formerly known as the Eastern Roman Empire Lasted from 395 to 1453 Capital = Constantinople = larger and richer city than Rome Its position allowed it to control trade between Asia and Europe

Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora Dreamed of restoring original Roman Empire Rebuilt Constantinople with grand new monuments, such as the church Hagia Sophia Decide to reform Roman law which had fallen into a state of confusion Justinian set up a system that codified, or arranged, the empire’s existing laws and legal opinions into a clear system Also updated and expanded to include laws created by Justinian himself Known as Justinian’s Code

Built the church Hagia Sophia, which is considered to be the highlight of Byzantine architecture and was the world’s largest cathedral for nearly a 1000 years Byzantine culture Strong Greek traditions Greek was made the official language of the Empire (replaced Latin) Split between the Western and Eastern Church Western Church = Roman Catholic Eastern Church = Orthodox Church