1. “New Rome”
Roman Emperor Constantine shifted Capital to Eastern Mediterranean and rebuilt the Greek city of Byzantium
Named it after himself, Constantinople
Great location makes it a crossroads for trade between the east and the west
Was a harbor and was built with massive land and sea walls for defense

3. Trading Post of the East
Many goods for all over the world were available in Constantinople
Silk from China
Wheat from Egypt
Gems from India
Spices from SE Asia
Furs from Viking lands
Emperors and Empresses lived lavishly
Had chariot races just like the Romans
Part of their Roman heritage

4. Justinian Reign
The Byzantine empire reached its peak under the emperor JUSTINIAN
Ruled from 527 to 565
Aimed to retake old Roman lands from invaders
Had a general BELISAURIUS who helped regain lands in North Africa, Italy, Iberian Peninsula (Spain)
The fighting exhausted the money supply and the empire only had the lands temporarily
Other emperors would lose the one after another

5. Rebuilding Constantinople
Constantinople suffered from devastating riots and a fire in 532
Justinian vowed to rebuild grander than before
Rebuilt the church of HAGIA SOPHIA and compared it to King Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem
He claimed to surpass Solomon
The structure is still standing today and has been an Eastern Orthodox cathedral, Roman Catholic cathedral and an Islamic mosque

6. Justinian’s Code Justinian then decided to reform law
He set up a commission to collect, organize and revise all law of ancient Rome
Called the “Body of Civil Laws” and then known as JUSTINIAN’S CODE
Roman laws passed by assemblies or emperors, legal writing of Roman judges and a student handbooks
Used by monarchs when forming their government
The “code” lasted a long time and reached Western Europe around 1100

7. Absolute Ruler Justinian unified the empire under his complete control
He ruled as an AUTOCRAT, sole ruler with complete authority
Had power over the Church
Given the distinction, Christ’s co-ruler on Earth
His wife Theodora was a sharp politician and was a co-ruler with Justinian

8. Economic and Military Might
Byzantine had a strong central government and plenty of money
Peasants worked the land, paid taxes and were soldiers in the military
Trade and industry flourished
When the Western Europe declined, Byzantine coins (Byzant) with emperor’s face on it was used circulated from England to China
Military was second to none
GREEK FIRE was unstoppable
The Byzantines used a liquid that would catch fire on contact and could not be put out, even on water
The recipe for the mixture was lost

9. Under Attack The empire faced many challenges after Justinian
Persians, Slavs, Vikings, Huns and Turks attacked the empire
The city was a stop to Muslim conquests
Arab armies began to control the Mediterranean
Byzantines held strong in Balkans and Asia Minor

10. Christianity
Western Europe Christianity and Byzantine Empire Christianity became different but equally influential
Two different practices caused friction though
The emperor controlled church affairs and appointed a PATRIARCH or highest church official
Byzantine Christians rejected the Pope’s claim that he had authority over all Christians

12. Byzantine Christianity
Differences
Western Europe Christianity
Head of Church was Pope
Clergy did not have the right to marry
Latin was religious language
More emphasis on Christmas
ICONS, holy images are allowed
Byzantine Christianity
Head of Church was Emperor
Clergy had the right to marry
Greek was religious language
Less emphasis on Christmas
ICONS were not allowed

13. The Church Divides
When the Byzantine church ended the use of icons, battles broke out
Icons were restored but the damage and divide were long lasting
THE GREAT SCHISM (split)
Eastern Church became known as Eastern, or Greek, Orthodox
West became known as the Roman Catholic church
Pope and patriarch excommunicate each and look at one another as enemies under the same faith (cray)

14. And Boom Goes the Empire
Byzantine was declining before the Great Schism
Western lords were gaining land
The Normans conquered southern Italy
Seljuk Turks advanced across Asia Minor
They converted to Islam going toward the west
The emperor calls for help from the west, claiming a block in the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, against the Islamic Turks

15. Crusades Abound
The West helped the East through a series of religious wars, CRUSADES
There were many more Crusades followed
By 1204, trade rivalry was occurring between Byzantine and Venice (in Italy)
VENETIAN MERCHANTS persuaded knights to during the Fourth Crusade to attack Constantinople
Many riches went west
Western Christians ruled for 57 years

16. The Downfall
Venetian merchants had control of all the trade and Byzantine was not receiving nearly as much money as before, even though Byzantine was reclaimed
1453, the OTTOMAN TURKS sacked Constantinople and after two months the Empire fell
Mehmet II entered the city in victory and renamed it Istanbul and was the capital of the Ottoman empire

17. Lasting Impression
Byzantine’s falling marked an end of Roman and Byzantine empires
Even the Ottoman empire adopted government, law, architecture and social life from the Byzantine empire
Byzantine was a mix of religious beliefs and Greek philosophy

18. Onward
Byzantine artists made great strides in religious art, a lot still used today
Gave people a personal contact with their God
Byzantine scholars also recorded all the Byzantine history as well as preserving the Roman and Greek philosophies of old
When the empire started to fall in the 1400s, Greek scholars left for Italian universities and brought valuable manuscripts and their knowledge helped spark the Renaissance in the West