By Big Jay

Constantinople Emperor Constantine wanted to build a capital and he chose the Greek city of Byzantium. Byzantium had many advantages such as it sat on a peninsula and could easily be defended. It also had trade routes between Europe and Asia.

The Age of Justinian The emperor Justinian ruled from 527 to 565, and was the last emperor to speak Latin. In 534 Justinian began a series of wars to recover provinces in the west that had been conquered by Germanic invaders. The Byzantine empire reached its greatest territorial size under Justinian.

The Contributions of Justinian He is known for reforming the laws of the empire. He organized, and revised all Roman laws, such as the Body of Civil Law, know as Justinian Code. During Justinian’s rule, a new silk industry started such as many churches.

Divisions in the Empire and the Church Religious disputes began from within the empire. Violence turned in the 700s and 800s, many people died over religious pictures and statues. Many people prayed to icons Disagreements over the use of religious images that are regarded as sacred turned violent.

Recovery and Disaster in the Byzantine Empire After attacks during the 600s and 700s the economy of the Byzantines Empire recovered. In the 900s and 1000s The Byzantine empire reconquered more land. In 1071, disaster struck the Byzantine Empire, Invaders form France drove the Byzantines out of southern Italy.

Attacks on Constantinople Trade disputes caused violence between the Byzantine Empire and Venice in Italy. In 1204, the Venetians persuaded the Christian knights to attack Constantinople. Christian Knights captured the city and held it for more than 50 years

Lasting Influence of the Byzantine Empire The fall of the empire did not end its influence. New Roman law and engineering were built upon it. They kept alive Greek art, literature philosophy, and science. Historians such as Procopius and Anna Cornea wrote about their own time in a poem called “Deigns Arias” that describes a hero who defends the empire against bandits and invaders

By Big Jay

Land Forms and Climates Russia is divided into three broad areas. The far north is the Tundra. The tundra is a wild band of forest. South of the Tundra is the steppe. The steppe is a great plain with few trees that extends from Europe east into Asia. The Dnieper, Don, and Volga Rivers are most important. They flow south into the Black and Caspian Seas.

Varangians and Russians During Roman Times, the Slavs—any member of a group of Slavic— speaking people of east, southeast, and central Europe—moved into Russia In the 700s, Vikings began migrating out of the northern European region of Scandinavia. The Varangians settled at trade centers as well.

Byzantine Influence Byzantines sent missionaries to Kiev and in 957, Princess Olga of Kiev converted to eastern Orthodox Christianity. In 990, Greek priests baptized all the Kiev citizens in the Dnieper River. The Byzantines had such a huge impact on culture in this region that later Russians rulers came to see themselves as the heirs to the Byzantine Empire.

The Rise and Fall of Kiev After Vladimir died, however, Kiev fell into decline when rivals battled for the throne. He came to be called Yaroslav the Wise for his many contributions to Kievan culture. After Yaroslav’s death, Kiev was divided between Yaroslav’s sons, but they fought constantly.

Invasion of Russia The Mongols were a nomadic people who lived in the grasslands north of China. The Russian people first encountered the Mongols in The invasion of Russia was only a part of the Mongol plan, as Mongol armies swept into Europe.

Impact of Mongol Rule The Mongols were fierce warriors, but they were tolerant rulers. The impact of the Mongols on Russia is still debated. Mongol rule brought peace to the lands between eastern Europe and China. How much influence the Mongols had on the Russian style of rule is also still debated.

Moscow Benefits From Mongol rule During the Mongol period the prince of Moscow increased their power by earning the Mongols’ trust. The Russian Orthodox Church was another powerful ally of the princes of Moscow.

The Rise of Moscow Moscow replaced Kiev as the political center of Russia around Then Grand Prince Ivan III, known as Ivan the great, propelled Moscow to greatness. Ivan the Great, like others before him, looked to the Byzantine Empire for inspiration.

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV, grandson of Ivan the Great, crowned himself czar at the age of 17. Czar is the Russian word for rule. He called a representative assembly. Ivan restarted trade with western Europe, and opened the large region of Siberia, in northern Russia, to Russian settlement.

By Big Jay

Slavic Settlement Wars in the west and the east forced the Byzantines to leave the northern boarder of the Balkans undefeated. Around 550, Slavs poured into the Balkans, the first as raiders and then as settlers. Byzantine efforts were not all successful, however some Slavs didn’t accept the culture or the authority of the empire.

The Foundation of Bulgaria In the late 600s, the Bulgars, a nomadic group moved into the northern Bulgaria. The greatest Bulgarian ruler was Simeon, who ruled from 893 until 927.Simeon had been a student in Constantinople. Although Simeon’s war unsuccessful, he did conquer neighboring Balkan states.

Serbia Serbia was one of the early Slavic in the Balkans. Like the Bulgarians, the Serbs were influenced by the Byzantine empire. In the 1200s, Serbia had begun to grow more powerful and wealthy at the same time that Serbia’s neighboring lands. Stefan Dusan ruled Serbia from 1331 to He was perhaps the greatest ruler of Serbia during the period.

Rulers of Poland The rules of Poland adopted Roman Catholicism in the 900s when missionaries from western and central Europe converted them to Christianity The first king of Poland was crowned in Poland expanded east, fighting other Slavs, Lithuanians, and Russians. The region of Queen Jadwiga Brought a new age of greatness to Poland.

Changes in Government and Society Royal power was decreased in Poland over time. The nobles of Poland met in a legislative assembly called the Sejm. This group elected the king. In the 1500s and later, the king was often a foreigner. Over time, Poland became home to many different ethnic groups.

Magyar Invasion For some time, the Magyars lived in the steppe of southern Russia. In the late 800s they migrated into the Hungarian Plain. In the first half of the 900s, as the Vikings raided by sea, the Hungarians attacked by land.

Saint Stephen The first king of Hungary, Stephen I, ruled in the early 1000s.He unified the Hungarians. The Hungarian king’s authority was limited, however king Andrew the II of Hungary forced a sign document. Hungary faced disaster in 1241 when the Mongol army destroyed the Hungarian army and massacred many Hungarians.