1. Byzantine Empire – Eastern Roman Empire

3. Byzantine Empire (330 CE-1453 CE)
The Eastern Empire split from Rome after 330 CE, and continued under Greek rule
While the West fell in 485 CE, the East continued and was a dominant force
In economics, politics, trade, and culture throughout the P-C Era
Throughout the Post-Classical Era, the Byzantine Empire would connect
The trade routes of the MSTN to the East through the Silk Road in Antioch
At its height, Justinian ( ) and Theodora reconquerd the West
However, plagues, like the Black Death (14th century), rebellions (Basil the
Copperhand), and invasions (Arabs and Turks) would lead to its decline in 1453

5. Eastern Orthodox Church – 1054 CE to Present
United with the pope in Rome, religious differences causes the Great Schism
in 1054, starting the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople
This split in Christendom established the Roman Catholic Church and
the Eastern Orthodox Church separately, and as enemies
However, the Patriarch of Constantinople was setup as the equivalent of the pope in Rome
and gave legitimacy to the emperor by anointing him (constructed Hagio Sophia)
Religious hierarchy was similar to the Church in Rome, with
bishops and priests heading churches and convents throughout
From here, missionaries (Cyril and Methodius) spread throughout
eastern Europe, and converted the Kievan Rus and other Slavic peoples

6. Byzantine Domestic Policies and Issues
Initially, caesaropapism the gave the emperor both political
and religious power as head of both the state and the church
However, it soon became clear that having a moral religious leader and political leader
were impossible, as well as the presence of laws that were Christian-focused in nature
As a result, law became a civil (purely state, and not religious) subject under the Byzantines
Common laws were formed that applied to all citizens, and attempted to be treated as
fair rules and regulations for human beings, rather than simply a way for rulers to exert power
Code of Justinian – was established as the form of common law throughout the empire,
& marked the beginning of a unified civil law (with juries, judges, etc.) that cont. in the West

7. Kievan Rus

8. Hagia Sophia

9. Contemporary Hagia Sophia