Introduction  Even though the Western Roman empire fell, the Empire still had much power – in the east. The Eastern Roman empire became known as the Byzantine empire – named after the capital city of Byzantium.

 The Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the empire to Byzantium. Eventually, the city was named Constantinople in honor of the emperor. Constantinople’s location made it a center of trade and it was also easily defended.

Power in the East  When emperor Constantine moved the capital of the empire to Byzantium – he moved the power of Rome to the east.

Justinian Builds a New Empire  After the western empire fell, the Byzantine Empire prospered. The Byzantine emperor named Justinian ( ) was the main reason for this. He and his wife Theodora were very gifted rulers.

The Justinian Code  Justinian used his power to help the empire succeed. Justinian is known for a lot of things, but one of the things he is most famous for is the creation of a law code – called the Justinian Code. It was a system of governmental laws that established a well organized empire and kept the traditions of Roman law alive. Many nations include traditional Roman laws even today.

Public Works  Justinian had many public building projects that included buildings like Hagia Sophia – the main church of the Greek Orthodox religion.

Hagia Sophia

Religion  The Orthodox church in the east had many differences to the Roman Catholic church of the west. This eventually led to a schism or split. Some of the differences include:  The Orthodox church used Greek instead of Latin  The head of the Orthodox church answered to the emperor, while the head of the Roman Catholic church (the Pope) claimed authority over all kings and emperors.  The Orthodox church allowed priests to marry while the Roman Catholic church did not.

Important things to remember about Rome. Let’s Review!!

 Roman Citizenship was significant because it allowed citizens to participate in government.  The Law codes of Rome allowed equal justice for all – just like in America.  The use of foreign soldiers in the Roman army made it weaker because they had no loyalty to Rome.  The Pax Romana was a period of peace and prosperity in Rome.

 Barbarian groups like the Huns, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, and Vandals weakened the empire until it eventually fell in 476.  At its height the Roman Empire stretched from Europe, to Africa, to Asia.  The empire split and the eastern empire continued for another thousand years after the fall of the west.  A major split or schism occurred between the eastern church (orthodox) and western church (catholic).