1. THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE Essential Question:
What is the significance of the Byzantine Empire?
Why did the Christian Church split into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox denominations?
THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE

2. The Fall of the Roman Empire
After the Pax Romana, the Roman Empire entered an era of decline
Romans had a trade imbalance (they bought more than they produced), which resulted in a huge debt

3. The Fall of the Roman Empire
The Roman Empire had a series of weak emperors

4. The Western half of the Roman Empire continued to weaken
The Eastern half was economically stronger, so Emperor Constantine moved the capital of Rome east to Constantinople
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Emperor Diocletian then tried to save the Roman Empire by dividing it to make it more manageable

5. The Fall of the Roman Empire
By 476 CE, Germanic barbarians conquered the Western Roman Empire

6. The Western Roman Empire fell into the Middle Ages (or “Dark Ages”) from 500 to 1300 CE

7. What happened in the Eastern Roman Empire?

8. The Eastern Roman Empire survived and became the Byzantine Empire

9. How did physical geography impact the economy of Constantinople?
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Constantinople became wealthy because it was at the crossroads of trade between Europe, Asia, and Africa

10. How did physical geography impact the Byzantine capital of Constantinople?
Its location on the water made it easy to defend the city from outside invaders

11. Culture of the Byzantine Empire
The Byzantines thought of themselves as Romans
The Byzantines kept Greco-Roman culture alive while the Western half was plunged into the Middle Ages

12. Culture of the Byzantine Empire
Constantinople became a major center of learning
Schools taught philosophy, medicine, geometry, and Greek and Latin grammar

13. Culture of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine architecture was influenced by Roman architecture
The Hagia Sophia, a Catholic church, was the most impressive achievement of the Byzantine Empire

14. Culture of the Byzantine Empire
The Hagia Sophia is an example of syncretism, because it will become a mosque when the Byzantine Empire is conquered by the Islamic Ottomans

15. Culture of the Byzantine Empire
Other building projects include: hospitals, aqueducts, public baths, and courts

16. Culture of the Byzantine Empire
The Romans spoke Latin, however, most people in the Eastern half spoke Greek. As a result, Greek became the Byzantines’ official language

17. Both Roman and the Byzantine Empire were ruled by emperors who had absolute power over their empires

18. PURPLE: BYZANTINE EMPIRE WHEN JUSTINIAN ROSE TO POWER
About 50 years after the fall of Western Rome, Emperor Justinian came to power & expanded the Byzantine Empire
ORANGE: OLD ROMAN TERRITORY THAT JUSTINIAN ADDED TO BYZANTINE TERRITORY
PURPLE: BYZANTINE EMPIRE WHEN JUSTINIAN ROSE TO POWER

19. In addition to empire building, what else did Emperor Justinian value?

20. The Justinian Code
To govern his empire, Justinian consolidate and updated Roman laws into a single law code
It was called the “Justinian Code” and had laws about criminal justice, the military, property, & women’s rights

21. The Great Schism: the Split of Christianity
How was religion similar?
ROMAN RELIGION
BYZANTINE RELIGION

22. The Division of Christianity
When Christianity was allowed in the Roman Empire, it developed differently in the Eastern and Western halves.

23. The Division of Christianity
All Christians, both in the East and the West, based their faith on Jesus Christ and the Bible

24. The Division of Christianity
The Church was organized in the same way in both halves of the Empire
Archbishops and bishops oversaw regions where Christianity was practiced

25. The Division of Christianity
Priests led individual churches and performed sacraments like baptism & last rights
However, Christians in the East and West disagreed over the leadership of the Church

26. The Division of Christianity
Christians in Western Europe believed that a leader called the Pope was the top authority of the Church & should oversee the bishops
Pope
King

27. The Division of Christianity
In the East, a religious leader called a Patriarch oversaw Church operations, but the Byzantine emperors had final authority
Emperor
Patriarch

28. The Division of Christianity
Byzantine Christians did not accept the authority of the Pope

29. The Division of Christianity: Iconoclast Controversy
The biggest issue between Christians of the West and East was over the use of icons
Icons were religious images (paintings, statues) that Christians would have during prayers and worship

30. The Division of Christianity
Some Christians, called iconoclasts, thought icons were “idol worship”
In the year 730, the Byzantine emperor Leo III banned all icons and many Christians rioted

31. The Pope supported the use of icons and excommunicated the Byzantine emperor (formally banned him from the Church)

32. The Division of Christianity
These disagreements led to deep divisions between Christians
The Great Schism (split) occurred in 1054 CE

33. Christians in Western Europe became the Roman Catholic Church
Christians in Eastern Europe became the Eastern Orthodox Church

34. Differences after the
Great Schism of 1054