JEOPARDY Byzantine and Kievan Rus Civilization

Categories Geography The Empire Russia People The Mongols Vocabulary

Who was Rurik? He was a native of Denmark and became the first legendary king of Kievan Rus.

Who was Jan Hus and his followers were called Hussites ( not Hussies) ? Who was the Czech religious dissenter who criticized the Catholic church and helped bring on the Protestant Reformation in subsequent years?

What was the Battle of Manzikert? This battle destroyed much of Byzantine power in 1071 and the empire never recovered its grandeur or world status.

What was Tatars ( Got that Tater?) This is the name the Russians called the Mongols, or nomadic invaders.

What was the Bulgarian Empire? This was the Slavic Kingdom that in addition to the Turks, also exerted pressure on the Byzantine Empire in the 10 th century.

Who was Emperor Justinian I? He was the great leader of the Byzantine Empire.

What was the Nika Rebellion? This was the revolt that took place in Constantinople and threatened to bring down the reign of Justinian.

Who was Belisarius? He was Justinian’s brilliant general, who with the aid of Greek fire extended the empire to almost the size of the old Roman Empire.

Who were Methodius and Cyril? These were the two brothers who extended Byzantine and Greek Orthodox teaching into Slavic Eastern and Central Europe.

What was the Hagia Sophia? This was the huge church built by Justinian in 532 A.D. with a huge dome 165 feet high.

Daily Double “Don’t Choke!”

Who was Yaroslav the Wise? He was the greatest ruler of Kievan Rus and ruled from A.D.

Who was Genghis Khan? He was the first Mongol leader who organized the various tribes of the eastern steppe into a lethal fighting force.

Who were the boyars? They were the Russian nobles.

Who was Theodora? She was Justinian’s brilliant wife, who many said was the power behind the throne.

Who was Basil II or Bulgaroktonos ( slayer of the Bulgarians)? He was the Byzantine Emperor who defeated the Bulgarian kingdom and, who blinded more than Bulgarian captives.

What was Ravenna? This was the Italian city that was made a temporary capital of the Byzantine Empire during the campaigns to re-conquer the west.

Who were Zoe and Theodora? ( The original Thelma and Louise) These were the two sisters who ruled the Byzantine Empire during the early 11 th century.

What was the Taiga? This was the forest zone of northern Kievan Rus frozen most of year with a limited four month growing season.

What was the Pravda Russkaia? This was the first Russian law code issued by Yaroslav the Wise.

What are the Dneiper, the Dvina, the Dniester, the Don and the Vistula? These are the five important rivers of the Russian steppe that begin with D and one with V that empty into the Baltic or Black Seas.

Daily Double “Don’t Choke!”

What were Novgorod and Kiev? These were the two cities in Kievan Rus that prospered along the Viking trade routes.

What was Roman Catholicism? This is the religion that the Poles and Lithuanians were converted to during the Mongol invasions?

What were Poland and Hungary ( also could say Austria)?. These were two European countries that the Mongols began to conquer, but failed due to the death of the Great Khan.

What was Samarkand? This was the capital of the Mongol empire before they established the Yuan dynasty in China.

What were well made roads and better systems of taxation and communication? These were two innovations that the Mongols left the Slavic people of eastern Europe.

What is a dowry? This is the term used for the wealth ( often mandated) that a woman brought to a marriage.

What are icons? This is the term for the holy pictures of Jesus and the Virgin Mary so important in the Greek Orthodox Church.

What was the iconoclastic controversy? This is the act that split the Roman and Greek Christian churches and caused a permanent separation between the two.

What are mosaics? These are pictures or designs formed by inlaid pieces of stone, glass, or enamel. (Also often done in kindergarten with colored macaroni)

What was the Justinian Code? This was the Byzantine preservation of Roman Law sometimes called the Corpus Juris Civilis.