The World After the Fall of The Roman Empire

 Remember: split, west fell, east survived…  Byzantium- would survive for 1,000 and preserve the glory of Rome- most spoke Greek

 Restoring the Roman Empire  Justinian’s Code was the first step.  Captured many islands (Sicily) and Northern Africa  Short – lived… continued invasions of the West  Did hold off invasions to the Eastern Empire

 Set up a panel of legal experts to regulate Byzantine’s increasingly complex society.  The panel combed through 400 years of Roman law to create a single, uniform code of laws. Included laws on marriage, slavery, property, inheritance, women’s rights, and criminal justice

 Laws were fairer to women. They could own property and raise their own children after their husbands died.  Children allowed to choose their own marriage partners.  Slavery was legal and slaves must obey their masters.  Punishments were detailed and fit the crime  His work inspired the modern concept and, indeed, the very spelling of "justice".

 Justinian launched program to beautify the capital:  Constantinople- 14-mile stone wall Churches Hagia Sophia (“Holy Wisdom” in Greek) Palace complex, baths, schools, hospitals… Hippodromes- “horse-racecourse” 60,000 seats Hippodromes-  Modeled after the one in Rome

 Many crisis arise after Justinian’s death riots, religious quarrels, foreign dangers, etc. Each time the empire moved to the edge of collapse it found some way to revive – only to face another crises  Plague- resembled bubonic plague Lasted until around 700 Height in ,000 people per day died – destroyed a huge % of population  Attacks from East and West Used bribes, marriages, and diplomacy to resist  Slowly the Byzantine Empire shrank under the impact of foreign attacks. Constantinople managed to survive, but fell in 1453 to the Ottoman Empire  Ends the Byzantine Empire

 The real threat to the empire came from the Arab Muslims  The Muslims were out to spread Islam and make money  By the AD 630s—the Arabs had taken Syria, Palestine, Persia, and Parts of North Africa  The Byzantines were unable to regain the land lost to the Arabs

 AD 1071—the Seljuk Turks (a group of Arab Muslims) began to move closer to Constantinople  The Byzantine emperor ask the Roman Catholic Pope for help in defending Christianity from the Muslim invaders  The Pope called on Western Europe to help  Western European forces went to Palestine to fight the Muslims—Crusades Crusades – series of military campaigns for control of the Holy Land in the Middle East between Christians and Muslims

Roman Catholic  Services conducted in Latin  Pope has power over Bishops  Pope claims power over all kings and emperors  Priests may not marry  Divorce is not permitted among its members Eastern Orthodox  Services conducted in Greek  The patriarch and the other head Bishops lead the Church as a group  The emperor claims authority over the bishops of an empire  Priests may be married  Divorce is allowed

 Slavs (natives) interacted with Byzantines- blended into Russian culture (trade) Slavs were a group of people from the forest region north of the Black Sea  Between the Black and Baltic Seas- near the Ural Mountains, and three rivers- Dnieper, Don and Volga  North of the Black Sea exist vast plains, thick forests, and large rivers  Soil in the area is rich and dark  Climate makes farming very difficult  Little rainfall  Cold temperatures make the growing season short