1. Dr. Afxendiou Global History and Geography 9 Sachem North High School
BYZANTINE EMPIRE
Dr. Afxendiou
Global History and Geography 9
Sachem North High School

2. So, what happened so far?
The collapse of Rome left Europe divided. To the West, medieval civilization emerged. To the east, the Roman Empire survived as the Byzantine empire.

3. The Byzantine Empire, Russia and Medieval Europe

4. What happened after?
Byzantine civilization influenced Eastern Europe, bringing Greek culture as well as Orthodox Christianity to the Slavic people, starting with Russia.

5. Byzantine Empire Survived for 1000 years after the fall of Rome.
Capital at Constantinople
Changed its language from Latin to Greek
Its size kept changing with conquests and loses but it was mainly Greece and Asia Minor

7. Religion Christianity
Byzantine Emperors were both head of the church and the state
The Schism- The Christian church split into Western and Eastern branches:
Latin-speaking Roman Catholics in the West
Greek-speaking Orthodox Christians in the East

8. Emperor Justinian Many emperors but most influential was Justinian
Built most magnificent Orthodox Church the Hagia Sophia
brought together all of the laws of the Roman Empire into a single legal code that became the basis for modern legal systems in Europe. Came to be known as the Justinian Code.

9. The Hagia Sophia Best-known example of Byzantine architecture
the largest Christian church in the world
became the model for later Eastern Orthodox churches

10. Influences on Russia Trade between Byzantine Empire and Russia
Russians visited Constantinople and were exposed to magnificence of Christian churches
Early Russian ruler married the sister of a Byzantine Emperor and converted to Christianity
Missionaries spread the religion – Cyril and Methodius
Cyrillic alphabet – based on the Greek, put the sounds of Slavic languages into writing so they could read the bible
Russian alphabet based on Cyrillic alphabet thus it is derived from the Greek alphabet
Russian culture, art and architecture, resembled those of the Byzantine Empire

11. The end of the Byzantines
1453 – Constantinople captured by Muslim conquerors
The Byzantine empire is overtaken by the Ottoman Empire
Constantinople is renamed Istanbul
Minarets are added to the Hagia Sophia as it is converted into a mosque, all its murals are covered and replaced with Muslim geometric and other decorative patterns