Byzantine Empire Guided Notes

What happened to the Roman Empire by 500 A.D.?

1. After the ______the Roman Empire entered a period of decline.

2. The Roman Empire had a series of ______emperors.

3. Romans had a large trade ______(they brought in more than they produced.)

4. As Rome grew more in ______, the military became weak and began using foreign mercenary soldiers.

5. Emperor ______tried to save Rome by ______the empire.

6. The Western Roman empire continued to grow ______.

7. Emperor ______moved the Roman capital to ______in the Eastern Roman Empire.

8. By 476, ______conquered the ______Roman Empire.

9. The Western Roman Empire fell into the ______Ages (“Dark Ages”) from 500- 1300 A.D.

What happened to the Eastern Roman Empire?

10. While the Western Roman Empire was in decline…the ______Roman Empire remained strong.

11. The Eastern Roman Empire became known as the ______Empire.

How did physical geography impact the Byzantine capital of Constantinople?

12. The Byzantine capital was ______.

13. Constantinople was a wealthy trade city located between the ______and Black Seas.

14. Citizens in the Byzantine Empire thought of themselves as Romans & they shared some similarities with the Roman Empire: The Byzantine Empire kept alive ______culture. Constantinople was a center for learning where schools taught philosophy, ______, Greek and Latin grammar, geometry.

15. Citizens in the Byzantine Empire thought of themselves as Romans & they shared some similarities with the Roman Empire, like ______.

16. Citizens in the Byzantine Empire thought of themselves as ______& they shared some similarities with the Roman Empire: Constantinople used Roman-style architecture such as ______& domes Byzantine cities had forums for ______& arenas to ______citizens.

17. One of the most impressive architectural buildings in the Byzantine Empire was a Christian cathedral called the ______.

18. Citizens in the Byzantine Empire thought of themselves as Romans & they shared some similarities with the Roman Empire: The official language was ______, but most Byzantines spoke ______.

19. Because of its location close to Judea, most Byzantines had converted to ______before those in the Western Roman Empire.

20. Citizens in the Byzantine Empire thought of themselves as Romans & they shared some similarities with the Roman Empire: Both the Roman & Byzantine Empires were ruled by emperors who had ______power over the empire. ______was the most famous Byzantine Emperor.

21. About 50 years after the fall of Rome, Byzantine Emperor Justinian came to power & began ______Roman territories.

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

22. To oversee his new empire, Justinian ordered legal experts to consolidate old ______laws into a single law code. The ______served as the legal basis for criminal justice, marriage, property, slavery, & women’s rights. The law code became one of the most ______legacies of the Byzantine Empire & served as the basis for ______for the next 900 years.

23. In addition to expanding the empire & creating a uniform set of laws, Emperor Justinian also began large building projects. He ordered the construction of the ______to show the importance of the church. He built hospitals, ______, public baths, schools, & ______.

24. Justinian’s wife ______had a lot of power & influence in the Byzantine Empire: She met with & wrote to ______leaders. She ______Justinian & helped him pass laws. She encouraged building of Christian cathedrals.

The Division of Christianity

25. Christians in Western Europe: Believed that there should be a ______to oversee bishops &
give authority to all Christians. Christians in Western Europe accepted the ______of the Pope.

26. Christians in Eastern Europe: Believed that the Byzantine ______had authority over issues involving Christianity. Byzantine emperors relied on a ______to oversee the church, but the emperor had final authority. Christians in the Byzantine Empire ______accept the authority of the Pope.

27. One of the biggest controversies among Christians was the use of icons: ______were religious
images to help Christians in their prayers & worship. Some Christians thought this was “idol ______.” In 730, the Byzantine Emperor ______icons & many Christians rioted.

28. Emperor ______ordered the destruction of icons in the Byzantine Empire

29. Riots broke out between people who wanted icons & ______(those who wanted to ban icons)

30. The Pope in Western Europe supported the use of icons & called the Byzantine Emperor a ______(a believer of false ideas)

31. The Pope ______the emperor (kicked him out of the church)

32. These disagreements led to deep divisions among Christians the ______(split) occurred in 1054.

33. Christians in Western Europe became the ______Church.

34. Christians in Eastern Europe became the ______Church.