Chapter 9: Civilization in Eastern Europe – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
Why did Vladimir feel he had to choose a major religion for his people?
answer
Vladimir was nearly blind at the time, and when he was baptized, he recovered his sight. Calling it "a miracle of god," Vladimir spread Christianity to his people for hope that the baptisms would improve their lives.
question
What religion did he choose? Why didn't he choose one of the others?
answer
Vladimir turned to Christianity. He was eager to avoid the influence that came with Roman Catholicism, which he knew about through the experiences of the Polish Kingdom. Orthodox Christianity was a valid alternative to the prevailing animism. Islam was rejected, according to one account, because Vladimir could not accept a religion that forbade alcoholic drink.
question
Why was Vladimir's decision important for the future of Russia and Europe?
answer
The church in Russia remained closely allied with the prince, and the Russian people identified themselves culturally with the Byzantine East instead of western Europe.
question
What 2 Christian civilizations took shape in Europe during the postclassical period?
answer
One was anchored in the Byzantine Empire, which straddled western Asia and southeastern Europe and sponsored the spread of Orthodox Christianity to eastern Europe. The other was defined above all by the beliefs and institutions of Catholicism in western and central Europe. These Empires were the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires.
question
What time period did the Byzantine Empire span?
answer
The Byzantine Empire spanned for about 1,000 years.
question
What events were going on at the beginning of the Byzantine Empire?
answer
The Empire lasted almost a thousand years between Rome's collapse in the west and the final overthrow of the regime by Turkish invaders.
question
What caused the empire to fall?
answer
Following a number of civil disputes in the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Turks subjugated the Byzantines as vassals in the late 14th century and attempts to relieve this vassal status culminated in the Fall of Constantinople in 1453.
question
What form of Christianity was practiced in the Byzantine Empire?
answer
The Byzantine sponsored the spread of Orthodox Christianity into eastern Europe.
question
What was the Byzantine capital?
answer
The capital of Byzantine was Constantinople.
question
What areas did the Byzantines influence?
answer
The Byzantines influenced eastern Europe. That included a territory in the Balkans, the northern Middle East, and the eastern Mediterranean. They also influenced western Russia.
question
What began to spread northward?
answer
Civilization spread northward because of the missionary appeal of the religion itself. Also, Christianity spread north.
question
How were Eastern and western Europe developing differently?
answer
They produced different versions of Christianity, which culturally as well as organizationally were separate, even hostile. The majority of Eastern Europe was more advanced than the west in political sophistication, cultural range, and economical vitality.
question
Which Roman emperor moved the eastern capital to Byzantium?
answer
Constantine moved the capital to Byzantium.
question
What areas did it include?
answer
It included the Balkan Peninsula, the northern Middle East, the Mediterranean coast, and north Africa.
question
What language did it use?
answer
Greek was the common tongue.
question
Why was this language beneficial?
answer
Knowledge of Greek enabled the scholars of the eastern empire to read freely in the ancient Athenian philosophical and literary classics and in the Hellenistic writings and scientific treatises. Latin was inferior to Greek, but still present.
question
Who was allowed to participate in the bureaucracy that had not during the Roman times?
answer
Hellenized Egyptians and Syrians were allowed to participate in Bureaucracy.
question
Who was the empire under the threat of?
answer
The empire was under the threat of the Sassanian Empire (Persia) and Germanic invaders.
question
What were some of the negative attributes of Justinian?
answer
Justinian was somber, autocratic, and prone to grandiose ideas. A contemporary historian named Procopius described him as "at once villainous and amenable; as people say colloquially, a moron. He was never truthful with anyone, but always guileful in what he said and did, yet easily hoodwinked by any who wanted to deceive him." He was also heavily influenced by his wife, Theodora.
question
What were some of his positive achievements?
answer
Justinian's positive contributions to the Byzantine Empire lay in rebuilding Constantinople, ravaged by earlier riots against high taxes, and systematizing the Roman legal code. He made a large contribution to engineering and architecture by building the church, Hagia Sophia as well.
question
What helped to unify the empire, like it did during the Roman Empire?
answer
Unified law not only reduced confusion, but also united and organized the new empire, paralleling the state's bureaucracy.
question
What type of "environmental mosaic" was sought after in Northern Africa?
answer
Justinian's forces made their temporary capital Ravenna, a key artistic center, embellished by some of the most beautiful Christian mosaics known anywhere in the world.
question
What was the reason for raising taxes?
answer
Both offensive and defensive wars required the raising of taxes.
question
What method was used to convert people in the Middle East to Christianity in the 600's?
answer
Persian successes in the northern Middle East were reversed in the 7th century, and the population was forcibly reconverted to Christianity.
question
What eventually threatened Byzantine holdings in the Middle East? What military means did they use?
answer
The Byzantine Empire was strong enough to withstand the Arab Muslims in the 7th century, but not without massive losses. By the mid-7th century, the Arabs had built a fleet that challenged Byzantine naval supremacy.
question
What new scientific weapon did the Byzantines use to combat the Arabs?
answer
They used a weapon called Greek Fire.
question
When did the burden of maintaining the empire fall, militarily and economically?
answer
Wars with the Muslims had added new economic burdens to the empire, as invasions and taxation weakening the positions of small farmers, resulted in greater aristocratic estates and new power for aristocratic generals.
question
What caused this group additional strain?
answer
The free rural population that had served the empire during its early centuries-providing military recruits and paying the bulk of the taxes-was forces into greater dependence.
question
In what period was the Byzantine at its height?
answer
The empire was at its height at the end of the 10th century.
question
Which government was the Byzantine government similar to? How?
answer
The Byzantine government was closely related to the earlier patterns of Ancient China. The emperor was held to be ordained by God, head of church as well as state. The Byzantines also had an elaborate bureaucracy.
question
Who was the head of the church?
answer
The emperors were at the head of the churches.
question
How do we know that women exerted more importance/power during the Byzantine Empire?
answer
Empress Theodora was held highly in the eyes of all of the Byzantines. She was strong and opposed the inequality of women to men.
question
Who served in the Byzantine bureaucracy?
answer
Aristocrats who had been trained in Hellenistic knowledge in a secular school system served in the Byzantine bureaucracy.
question
What did they have to be schooled in?
answer
They had to be schooled in Greek classics, philosophy, and science in a secular school.
question
Who held positions close to the emperor? Why do you think?
answer
The eunuchs were mostly near the emperor, because they wouldn't be distracted by the wives.
question
How were military recruited? Who was this similar to?
answer
Military were recruited locally. This is like the Romans, because they exchanged land for the men's services.
question
What did the Byzantine Empire effectively do for Europe until the 15th century?
answer
The Byzantine effectively served as a buffer for Europe and Muslims until the 15th century.
question
What new role did the Byzantine Empire take in the economy? Who did it mean to benefit and why? Whom did it hurt and why?
answer
Bureaucracy regulated trade and food prices. The large urban classes benefitted, but the merchants and peasants with the most tax revenue got hurt.
question
What trade item did the Byzantines become famous for?
answer
They became famous for silk from China.
question
What philosophy did their cultural life center around?
answer
Byzantine cultural life centered on the secular traditions of Hellenism and Orthodox Christianity.
question
What kinds of artistic/architectural innovations came out of Byzantium?
answer
Domed buildings, colored mosaics and painted icons came out of Byzantium.
question
What first major religious controversy arose in the 8th century? Why?
answer
The use of icons in the churches was widely debated. Some thought that it was a violation of the commandments.
question
To what extent was the Byzantine empire tolerant of diversity?
answer
They allowed other orthodox faiths and even Muslims into the empire.
question
In 1054, what brought the differences between the East and West to a head?
answer
There were arguments about bread without yeast and the celibacy of priests.
question
What united the nomadic invaders?
answer
Islam united them.
question
What caused the biggest blow to the empire's economy?
answer
Seljuk Turks cut off the most prosperous sources of tax revenue and the territories that had supplied most of the empire's food.
question
What resulted from the Byzantine appeal for help from the West?
answer
They were ignored, but they motivated western crusades.
question
How much longer does the Byzantine Empire last after the crusaders attack Constantinople?
answer
The Byzantine empire lasts for two centuries after the attack. (1204-1453)
question
When did Constantinople fall to the Turks?
answer
1453
question
What made this empire significant?
answer
The Byzantine Empire had been so durable and important, anchoring a vital corner of the Mediterranean even amid the rapid surge of Islam. The empire's trading contacts and ability to preserve and spread classical and Christian learning made it a vital unit throughout the postclassical period.
question
Who spread Christianity north?
answer
Orthodox missionaries spread it north.
question
Why are Cyril and Methodius so important?
answer
They were missionaries who devised a written script for the Slavic language devised from Greek letters. To this day, the Slavic alphabet is known as Cyrillic.
question
What made the spread of Orthodox Christianity successful in its spread north?
answer
Orthodox Christianity allowed diversity and local languages to be used.
question
What region did Jews migrate? Why?
answer
They migrated to Eastern Europe, especially to Poland. They were fleeing from the Middle East and western Europe.
question
In what area of the economy were Jews allowed to participate?
answer
They were allowed to participate in commerce.
question
Due to the treatment from Christians and forced cultural isolation, what behavior did they emphasize?
answer
They emphasized extensive literature and education, almost to a point of secluding themselves.
question
What ethnic group of people settled this area of eastern Europe?
answer
Slavic
question
Briefly describe their political and cultural tradition.
answer
They were animists (folk music and oral legends).
question
What group of people migrated into this area? How? Why?
answer
Scandinavian; trade (agriculture through the Dnieper River through Byzantium)
question
Who set up a principality in Kiev?
answer
Rurik
question
Where did the word Russia come from?
answer
It is the Greek word for "red" to describe their hair color.
question
Whom did they trade with?
answer
Byzantium-Constantinople
question
What did Yaroslav do to build unity?
answer
Codified the law, built churches, translation religious literature from Greek to Slavic
question
Compare/contrast Byzantine & Russian political institutions.
answer
Russian - not as elaborate in bureaucracy or education; ceremonial and strong central ruler
question
How were Russian aristocrats different than in Western Europe?
answer
Boyars had less political power than those in western Europe and had to negotiate with the princes.
question
What internal problems did Kievans have?
answer
Rival princes competing governments, royal family quarreled over succession
question
Externally, what effected Kievan economy?
answer
Invasions, rapid decline; Byzantine falls - interrupts their trade
question
What nomadic group laid the final blow in Kiev? What did they call them?
answer
Mongols (Tatar)
question
How long did Tatars control Russia?
answer
Over two centuries
question
Russians were left to their day to day activities as long as they did what?
answer
Paid the taxes
question
What did the Russians consider themselves?
answer
The third Rome
question
What happened at the end of the postclassical period that confirmed a separate development for eastern and western Europe?
answer
Western Europe remained free from outside control and, despite some new problems, maintained a clearer vigor in politics, economy, and culture. When eastern Europe did reemerge, it was at some disadvantage to the West in terms of power and economic and cultural sophistication.
question
What continuities with the past were still present when eastern Europe and Russia began to recover?
answer
Not only Christianity but also the east European assumptions about political rulers and church-state relations and the pride in a lively artistic culture served as organizing threads when Russia and other Slavic societies turned to rebuilding.
question
What was the geographical significance of the Byzantine Empire?
answer
It served as a buffer and regulated trade.
question
What caused Russia's isolation? What happened as a result?
answer
Russia became dependent on Byzantium, and when it declined, Russia was attacked by the Mongols. Russia began to regain independence by the 15th century.
question
How many times did this set say "Byzantium" or a word relative to it?
answer
48 times
