OBJECTIVE Today we will explain why the Roman Empire split and eventually fell. We will discuss the rise of the Byzantine Empire and the effect that Emperor Justinian and his code had on the empire. We will also compare the Justinian code to present day issues and examples.
BELLWORK Who was the emperor who helped Rome move from persecuting Christians to accepting them? What bridge did his army fight at? What did his soldiers do to their shields? What is something fun you did this weekend?
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BYZANTINE EMPIRE!
BYZANTINE Before Constantine’s reign, the Roman Empire divided into east and west. Each side was ruled by someone different The western half of Rome had a lot of struggles (corruptions, unemployment) and got invaded by Germanic tribes. By 476, the city of Rome got invaded and the western Roman Empire fell.
BYZANTINE EMPIRE Constantine lead western Rome and rebuilt the city Byzantium He renamed it “Constantinople.” Today it is the city Istanbul, in Turkey The eastern Roman empire became known as the Byzantine Empire
MORE BYZANTINE EMPIRE! Emperors now lived in Constantinople instead of Rome Christianity very important to Byzantine Empire The empire thrived, blending Christian beliefs with Greek and Roman culture. The Empire lasts from 476 til the 1400s!
EMPEROR JUSTINIAN Justinian one of the most famous emperors of Byzantine Wanted to create a “new Rome”, and had military campaigns to take over parts of western Roman Empire that were lost He also creates the “Justinian Code”
JUSTINIAN CODE Emperor Justinian wanted to collect all the laws and rulings of ancient Rome and put them together in a “code” He had several legal ministers and scholars work for months to collect all the Roman laws and court hearings.
JUSTINIAN CODE The finished product of the Justinian Code had 4 different books 1. Institutes: like a textbook for students and lawyers 2. Digest: Covered many trials and decisions 3. Codex: collection of laws and principles 4. Novels: New proposed laws
JUSTINIAN CODE By the 1100’s the code spread out to western Europe, and kings would use it as an example for their own law The Justinian Code guided legal thinkers who put together today’s international law.