CHAPTER 11/UNIT 8:Byzantine Empire

I. Byzantine Empire

a. After Rome fell, the eastern part of the Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire.

b. The people of the Byzantine Empire called themselves Roman, but spoke a dialect of the Greek language.

c. The culture became a blend of European and Asian cultures.

II. Location (Perfect)

a. They Byzantine Empire was considered to be a continuation of the Roman Empire.

b. At its height, the Byzantine Empire included parts of southern and eastern Europe, the Balkan Peninsula (Greece), southwestern Asia, and northern Africa.

• C. Today this area is known as modern day Turkey.

III. Constantinople (Previously known as Byzantium)

a. The thriving capital city of the Byzantine Empire was Constantinople, named after the Roman emperor Constantine.

b. Constantinople is located between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara.

c. It serves as a bridge between Europe and Asia which helped it become an important center for trade and education, and attracts many people.

LESSON 2 OUTLINE

Emperor Justinian  

I. Emperor Justiniana. He built many churches, including the

magnificent cathedral Hagia Sophia.

Justinian cont.b. His wife, Theodora, became his most trusted advisor.

c. He wanted to restore the Roman Empire and govern it as a whole.

i. To do this, he began paying Persian kings so that they would stop threatening the western part of the empire.

ii. He reconquered lost Eastern

Empire islands in Italy, Africa, and Spain. (This strained the empire’s resources).

II. Justinian Code

a. A uniformed code of law based on Roman law.

i. It included laws on marriage, slavery, poverty, women’s rights and crime.

b. Justinian collected and organized laws into a code that made them easier to understand.

c. The Code allowed empire to operate with an efficient and fair centralized government

III. Byzantine Orthodox Church

i. Emperors and church worked strongly together.

ii. The Church controlled cultural and political life.

iii. Justinian believed that God had chosen him to run the empire, and as a result the church protected the emperor.

A mosaic of Justinian with government officials and Byzantine soldiers (left) and a bishop and his priests (right).

Orthodox Church cont.

iv. Disagreement over religious icons (pictures or images of Jesus and saints) caused a split in the Church forever.

i. The Roman Catholic Church wanted to use icons of Jesus and saints while the Byzantine Orthodox Church did NOT want to use icons. The two religions separated:

Differences between the churches:

Roman Catholic Church

• Pope is the head of the church

• Use of religious icons• Separation of church and

government.

Byzantine Orthodox Church

 Emperor is the head of the church

• No religious icons• Integration of church and

government.

Lesson 3 outline

I. Muhammad “Praised One”

a. Prophet who spread the Islam religion.

b. He was troubled by polytheism, and while meditating an angel visited him and taught him the Islamic beliefs (who does this remind you of?)

c. He began to teach that there is only one God and that God requires people to submit to or obey him.

d. People who believed Muhammad were called Muslims, and they believed the words Muhammad heard came directly from God.

II. Persecution of Muslims

a. Muslims were being persecuted so they fled to Medina, where it was acceptable to practice Islam.

b. After 622, Islam spread quickly through Southwest Asia.

c. After Muhammad’s death in 632, caliphs (successors) carried on his mission and Islam spread to Africa, Europe, and places such as India, the Malay Peninsula, and China.

III. Quran or Koran (holy book)

a. Contains the “Pillars of Islam” five basic duties.

i. Profession of Faith – there is only one God and Muhammad is his prophet

ii. Five daily prayers are offered in a group at a mosque (place of worship).

iii. Muslims must give charity to the poor.

iv. Muslims fast (stop eating for a period of time as an act of religious observance) during the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, Ramadan.

v. Muslims must make a pilgrimage (religious journey) to Mecca once in their lifetime.

Mosque-Muslims place of worship

Mecca is located south of the Fertile Crescent in modern day Saudi Arabia.

Quran cont.

b. The Quran tells Muslims what not to eat or drink, gives a moral code on marriage, divorce, business affairs, and other matters.

c. There are no central religious leaders.

LESSON 4 OUTLINE

I. Conquered Landa. Muslims conquered many lands that were in the Byzantine Empire.

b. Code for Soldiers

i. do not kill an old man, a woman or a child

ii. do not injure date palms

iii. do not cut down fruit trees

Date trees are considered holy to Muslims.

II. Spread of Islam

a. Islam spread through trade and war.

b. Islam brought a system of

government, laws and society to

the people.

c. Muslims were treated better than

non-Muslims.

III. Non-Muslims

a. Had to pay special taxes

b. Couldn’t marry a Muslim

c. Their places of worship (churches

and synagogues) had to be hidden.

d. Could not hold positions of power

IV. Muslim Inventions

a. Islamic culture was known throughout many lands; Muslim traders brought knowledge about great advancements in their contact with Europe, Asia, and Africa.

i. Branch –banking made trade easier and safer

ii.Water clocks

iii.Complex irrigation systems

iv.Sulfuric acid – turned metals into gold

v.Chemical processing

Muslim Inventions cont.

vi. 1st to work with zero, algebra and trigonometry

vii.Made maps

viii.Put together the first encyclopedia (of medicine)

ix. Discovered that blood circulates throughout the body

x. Sailing ships that could sail into the wind; this allowed them to become master sailors and expand the Islamic world.

• Triangular sails called lateen sails made it possible for ships to sail against the wind.