Flashcards
The Byzantine Empire
Flashcards do conjunto (10)
- 1Constantinople-the capital of the Byzantine Empire
-crossroad for land and sea trade routes
-strongly defended by walls and towers - 2What does Hagia Sophia mean, where is it located and why was it built?1. "Holy Wisdom"
2. Constantinople
3. previous church was destroyed in riots - 3Who was Justinian's wife and what was her role in Constantinople?Theodora- was shrewd politician
-co-ruled with Justinian
-made policies that helped women, children, and poor
-started at the bottom of society - 4what initially caused the Great Schism?The Pope (Western Christianity) and the Patriarch (Eastern Christianity) disagreed over whether or not symbols should be included in worship (Pope was for, Patriarch against)
- 5autocrata ruler with complete authority over secular and religious matters
- 6What made Constantinople a vital center of the Byzantine empire?-well protected (by walls and towers and water on 3 sides)
-on the edge of Europe and Asia
-great place for trade because of location - 7Justinian's code-Justinian's reform of the law
-A massive collection of laws passed by Roman assemblies or decreed by emperors, also included the legal writings of Roman judges to be used as a handbook for students
-other civilizations modeled their laws from it - 8Who formed the backbone of the empire?peasants=>
-worked the land
-payed taxes
-were soldiers in the military
-had one of the strongest military forces in the world - 9What led to the decline and eventual destruction of the Byzantine Empire?-struggles over succession, court intrigues, and constant wars
-lords took control of land
-the Seljuk Turks invaded => led to the crusades which weakened Constantinople
-Ottoman Empire took over - 10What did the Ottoman Empire rename Constantinople?-Istanbul
-the Hagia Sophia was turned into an Islamic house of worship