Byzantine Empire

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Byzantine Empire:

Byzantine Empire

Here's a quick overview of the Byzantine Empire: (Skip to 8:00-End)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PszVWZNWVA (Embed)

Constantinople:

Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire due to the following contributing reasons:

Constantinople was a city that thrived off of trade thanks to its strategic location that made it easy for shipments to maneuver throughout Europe.

These trade routes linked Europe and Asia

They had strong defenses

Justinian:

Justinian was an exceptional emperor for the following reasons:

He used his reform of law called 'Justinian's code' to unify the empire

He rebuilt the Hagia Sophia and returned it to its former glory

Took back much land in attempt to recapture all of Ancient Rome

During his rule, he was deemed as Christ's co-ruler on Earth.

Theodora: Theodora was Justinian's wife during his rule and is a very unique character in history for the following reasons:

Her origins come from that of an actress, which was looked down upon at the time.

She was very political

She co-ruled alongside Justinian (and even convinced him to not flee during hard times with riots)

She pursued her own policies and took charge of things she thought needed to be fought for such as making rape a highly offensive crime.

She aided Justinian in terms of control.

Hagia Sophia:

"HOLY WISDOM"

Culture and Geographic importance

was destroyed and rebuilt (by Justinian)

Prior to it's modern role as a museum, it was a Roman cathedral and a mosque

Now as a museum it contains:

Mosaics and sculptures from both faiths

Famously known for its dome which was ahead of its time when originally constructed.

Constructed by professors

Byz Flash cards

Want some more practice? Here's some more information on the Byzantine Empire, just use the flashcards below.