Unit #4 – The Byzantine Empire

Please copy the following in your Social Studies Notebook: 1) Constantine: The last Emperor of Rome. He moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the east and re-named it Constantinople. 2) The Byzantine Empire: The Eastern half of what was the Roman Empire. This empire grew and became influential and wealthy as the old Roman Empire died out. 3) Peninsula: An area of land that is surrounded by water on three sides.

Please copy the following in your Social Studies Notebook: 4) Justinian Code: The body of Roman civil law collected and organized by order of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. 5) Empress Theodora: The most powerful woman in Byzantine history. She worked alongside her husband to improve conditions for the average person and especially for women.

Please copy the following in your Social Studies Notebook: 6) The Great Schism: The time in church history when the Christian church split into two different branches – Roman Catholic to the west and Eastern Orthodox to the East. 7) Icon: A religious image used by the Eastern Orthodox church. 8) Papal Authority: The understanding in the Roman Catholic Church that the Pope has the ultimate authority over the worldwide Catholic Church.

Please copy the following in your Social Studies Notebook: 9) Mosaics: A picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile, or glass. 10) Hagia Sophia: A church that Emperor Justinian built to bring honor to the Eastern Orthodox church. This translates to mean “Holy Wisdom” in Greek.

Please copy the following in your Social Studies Notebook: 11) Ivan the Great: Russian czar who defeated the Mongols and set up Russia as an Empire. 12) Genghis Khan: Mongol conqueror who began a time of conquest and terror to neighboring lands and countries. He was famous for his brutality.