1. AP World History Chapter 10
The Byzantine Empire
AP World History
Chapter 10

2. The Fall of the Roman Empire
476 = end of the western Roman Empire
Eastern half remained intact = the Byzantine Empire (aka Byzantium)

3. The Byzantine Empire Unified and centralized government
Capital was Constantinople
Religion = Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Attempted to preserve some elements of the Roman Empire

4. The Byzantine State
Reached its largest size during the reign of Emperor Justinian ( CE)
Lost many territories due to Arab/Muslim expansion in the 7th century

5. Preservation of the Roman Empire
Elements of the Roman Empire within Byzantium:
Roads
Taxation
Military structures (strong Navy)
Centralized gov’t
Laws & Courts
Code of Justinian: Codified Roman laws

6. Nika Riots Groups who rooted for competing charioteers
Wore specific colors, from specific areas
Often clashed (like soccer hooligans)
One riot was so widespread that much of Constantinople burned, 30,000 killed
Nearly destroyed empire…

7. Political State of Byzantium
Centralized authority in Constantinople
Emperor viewed as “God’s earthly representative”
Caesaropapism = Church and state were connected, emperor was also head of the Church
Made decisions about religious doctrine/rules
Unlike in Western Europe, where the Pope (Roman Catholic Church) was independent from political authorities (but usually in charge)
Patricians (wealthy landowners) held lots of power as well

8. Competing Churches Byzantine Empire Greek
Rejected the authority of the Pope of Rome
Western Europe (Rome)
Latin
Accepted the Roman Pope as the sole authority for Christians everywhere
Eastern Orthodox
Roman Catholic

9. Catholic v. Eastern Orthodox
Both Churches excommunicated each other in (Great Schism)
Declared that those in the opposing Christian tradition were not real Christians

10. Trinitarianism v. Arianism
Competing Christian theologies
Trinitarians: Jesus, God, Holy Spirit all equal
Arians: God > Jesus
Religious conflicts for decades
Eventually Trinitarians win out, call Arians heretics and burn some at the stake.
Some Byzantine Christians will welcome Arab rule over being ruled by a different Christian sect

11. Byzantium & the World Byzantium faced many threats from outsiders
Persian Empire
Arab armies/the Islamic world
Crusaders from Western Europe
Biggest military weapon = “Greek fire”
Worked like a flamethrower

12. Byzantium & the World
Central player in Silk Road trade
Competed with China in Silk production
Preserved ancient Greek learning and transmitted it to the Islamic world and Western Europe
Aristotle

13. Byzantium & the World
Spread of Eastern Orthodox religion to the Slavs (Balkans and Russia)
Creation of a Slavic alphabet (Cyrillic script)

14. Slavic Peoples
Cyrillic Alphabet

15. Conversion of Russia
Most significant expansion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity to Kievan Rus
Modern-day Ukraine and western Russia
Prince Vladimir = Prince of Kiev
Unified the diverse peoples, linked Rus to the West