Kingdoms and Christianity ch. 12 *By the 4th century A.D., the Roman Empire was divided into two parts: the West governed from Rome and the East governed from Constantinople. Western Roman Empire fell to Germanic invaders by 476 but the eastern part survived until 1453 and became known as the Byzantine Empire. *Under Emperor Justinian, the Byzantine Empire expanded westward and reached its greatest heights. Justinian conquered northern Africa, southern Spain, and Italy. *The Byzantine Empire ended in 1453 when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks.

Byzantine Empire *The emperor, regarded as God’s representative, exercised absolute power over all Empire affairs. He regulated the economy, derived a large income from taxes, and dominated the Byzantine, or Greek Orthodox, Church. *The Patriarch of Constantinople headed the Greek Orthodox Church which catered to the religious needs of the Byzantine people. In the Byzantine Empire, the patriarch deferred to political rulers, while in western Europe, the pope attempted to control political rulers. *During the Middle Ages, the Byzantine Empire and westernEurope both practiced a common religion.

Christianity *Christianity greatly influenced the artistic and architectural lives of the Byzantines. Most art, architecture, and literature was based on religious themes. *Over time the use of art in churches deeply divided society. The controversy involved the use of paintings or sculptures (icons)of sacred figures. Some Christians rejected the use of sculptures because they believed that the sculptures were too close to the non-Christian worship of idols. These people became known as iconoclasts or icon breakers. *Over time, more issues caused the eastern and western churches to separate. The governing of the church was a major rift. The Byzantine Empire (East) the patriarch deferred to political rulers, while the Western Church Leaders allowed the Pope to control political rulers. Followers of Eastern Orthodox did not believe in Papal supremacy, or allowing the Pope to have great power. *The Catholic church granted the title of Holy Roman Emperor to kings as evidence of the political and religious unity of western Europe under Christianity. *The divine right of Kings is the concept that Kings received their power from God and answered only to God, and therefore must not be challenged.

The Great Schism *In 1054 the differences became so large that the Great Schism or split occurred. The church in the east became the Orthodox Church and the church in the west remained the Roman Catholic Church. * The Great Schism had affected medieval society by weakening the influence of the church.

Western Christianity *When Rome fell in the late 400s, Christianity was mostly confined to southern Europe. By 600, the religion had spread northward into other parts of Europe. The conversion of people like the Anglo-Saxons and the Franks helped make western Europe into a largely Christian society. *After the fall of Rome, many people lives were filled with doubt, suffering, and hardship and Christianity offered them comfort, the promise of a happy afterlife, and a sense of community. The expansion of Christianity in western Europe provided a common culture that helped unify groups separated by geography. *Creating a hierarchical church structure helped uphold the Roman Catholic Doctrine after the fall of the Roman Empire. *