1. The Byzantine Empire

2. The Former Eastern Roman Empire

3. The Emperor Constantine rebuilt the Greek city of Byzantium and gave it the name Constantinople

4. Constantinople Located on the Bosporus Strait
Commanded the key trading route between the Mediterranean and Black Seas

5. Constantinople Had an excellent harbor
Was guarded on three sides by water

6. Constantinople Wealthiest city in Europe Hippodrome
An arena built in the 200s
Chariot races

7. Cultural Diffusion
Byzantine Empire lasted 1,000 years after the fall of Rome, why?
Blended Greek, Roman, and Christian influences and other cultures of the Mediterranean

8. Emperor Justinian Ruled from 527 to 565
Sent armies to reclaim the Provinces lost by Rome when it fell

9. Justinian reconquered North Africa, Italy and Southern Spain
The lands were lost once again by future Emperors

10. Beauty of Constantinople
Justinian launched a program to beautify Constantinople
A new church called the Hagia Sophia was built during this time

11. Hagia Sophia Had a large arching dome Built of colored marble
Silk curtains

12. Justinian’s Code of Laws
Had the laws of Rome collected, revised and reorganized
Western Europe and the Catholic Church would later use Justinian’s code as a basis for their own legal systems

13. Absolute Power
Justinian was an autocrat- a sole ruler with complete authority
He was the ruler of the government and the church

14. Attacks
The Byzantine Empire withstood attacks from Persians, Slavs, Vikings, Mongols and Turks
The Empire served as a buffer between these Barbarians and Western Europe

15. Byzantine Christianity
Rejected the Pope’s authority
The Emperor appointed a Patriarch – highest church official

16. Byzantine Christianity
Priests can get married
Greek was the official language (not Latin)
The chief holy day was Easter (not Christmas)

17. Byzantine Christianity
Icons were outlawed in the Byzantine Empire
An icon is a holy image of Jesus, the Virgin Mary or a saint
Later in history another Emperor would allow icons

18. Byzantine Christianity
The argument over icons other disagreements led the pope to excommunicate the Emperor
This led to the Patriarch to excommunicate the Pope
The Pope then excommunicated the Patriarch

19. Byzantine Christianity
This split in the churches is called the schism
The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern (Greek) Orthodox Church are to this day separate institutions

20. Crusades
The Byzantine Empire needed help repelling the Muslim Turks invading from the East
The Pope sent armies from Western Europe to help

21. Crusades
By the Fourth Crusade trade was flourishing between Western Europe and the Middle East
This caused a rivalry between the traders of Europe and the Byzantine traders

22. The Fourth Crusade
Rival Venetian traders with the help of European armies fought the Byzantine traders
The Western European armies won and they looted Constantinople

23. The Ottoman Turks
With the loss of the Fourth Crusade and the loss of trading for the Byzantine traders the Empire was left very weak
In 1453 the Ottoman Turks laid siege to Constantinople

24. The Ottoman Turks Muhammad II took the city and renamed it Istanbul
The Hagia Sophia was converted into a Mosque
Istanbul became the capital city of the new Ottoman Empire
(the Ottoman Empire would last until it’s loss to allied forces in World War I, today it is called Turkey)

25. Expanding culture
The Byzantine Empire expanded on Roman art, science and law

26. Cultural Diffusion
When the Empire fell Greek scholars fled into Western Europe
They brought with them valuable texts and knowledge
The work of these scholars contributed to the cultural revolution of Western Europe known as the Renaissance