1. Byzantine Empire 330 A.D. to 1453 A.D.
In 330 A.D. the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium in the eastern half of the empire.
Constantine named this new capital Constantinople

2. Constantinople
Constantinople was ideally located on land that connects Europe and Asia.
It controlled the Bosporus, a narrow waterway connecting the important trade route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.

3. Byzantine Culture Develops
The western half of the Roman Empire collapsed in the 5th century, but the eastern half survived for another 1,000 years.
A new Byzantine culture developed, but the people of Byzantium saw themselves as simply continuing the Roman Empire.
The Byzantine Empire became a powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe.
Even though the western empire was destroyed the Byzantines preserved the Greco-Roman culture of Greece and Rome.

4. Byzantine Empire and Christianity
Byzantine Empire created its own form of the Christian religion called Eastern Orthodoxy.
This church was separate from the Catholic Church of Rome.
Byzantines did not recognize the Pope as head of their church, they had a Patriarch.
Byzantines used icons, images of Jesus and saints
Byzantines even had a different shaped cross.

5. Hagia Sophia
The Hagia Sophia was a magnificent church with a giant dome and tall spires (towers).
Valuable metals were used to decorate the church.
Colorful icons and glass mosaics were created to decorate it.

6. Reasons for Survival of Byzantine Empire
Benefitted from influence of Greek, Roman, Christian, and Middle Eastern cultures.
At the crossroads of Europe and Asia which was a major center for trade.
It had a strong central government ruled by powerful emperors with a single set of laws.
A powerful army paid by taxes.
Constantinople in now called Istanbul

7. Justinian and ‘The Code of Justinian’
Justinian became emperor of the Byzantine Empire in 527 A.D.
His rule was greatly influenced by his wife Theodora, and women in his empire had greater rights and privileges.
He reconquered much of the old Roman Empire, but at a great cost .

8. Justinian’s Empire During Justinian’s reign he was able to reconquer much of the western half of the Roman Empire

9. Justinian’s Code
The Code of Justinian was the greatest accomplishment of the Byzantine Empire and had the greatest effect on other cultures by serving as a model of law for future cultures.
Like the ‘Code of Hammurabi’ or the ‘Twelve Tables’, the code collected all of the old Roman laws and listed them into a single set of laws, plus these laws were written down.

10. Decline of the Byzantine Empire
After Justinian’s rule came to an end the Byzantine Empire began to suffer from invading forces, just as Rome had.
The Slavs from the north, the Persians from the east, and the Muslims in the south.
By 1071 the Seljuk Turks gained controlled of much of the eastern part of the Byzantine Empire.
By 1453, the capital city of Constantinople itself was conquered by the Ottoman Turks.

11. Byzantine Influences on Russia
Because the Byzantine Empire controlled access to the Black Sea, it greatly influenced the region that would become Russia.
Byzantine Empire influence is still felt today:
Orthodox Christianity
Cyrillic alphabet

12. The Barbarian Invasions
Romans considered those who lived outside the boundaries of the Roman Empire to be ‘barbarians’.
In the 4th century a war-like tribe called the Huns came to Europe from Central Asia.
The Huns forced the barbarians to move onto lands controlled by the Roman Empire.

13. The Barbarian Invasions
The Visigoths moved into the Roman Empire and by 410 A.D. they sacked Rome.
Various other barbarians invaded Europe:
Angles & Saxon invade England
Visigoths continued toward Spain
Lombard's take northern Italy
Franks settle in Gaul (aka France)
See barbarian invasion map on next page