Byzantine Empire and Kiev Russia – Flashcards
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What is the major contributions of the Byzantine Empire to World History?
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Byzantine law and governance, Justinian's code, and the Renaissance
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What is the significance of the Byzantine Empire adopting Greek as its official language?
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Trade, standardized language, Greeks around them, and books and knowledge
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What did the Byzantines learn to produce that gave them a distinct trading advantage?
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Silk from East Asia
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What are the positive contributions of the Emperor Justinian?
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Justinian's Code, Construction of the Hagia Sophia, and the re-building of Constantinople
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What was the negative impact of Justinian's expansion program?
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Wars created tax pressures on Empire, lose territory- weakens empire at home
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What was the largest military threat to the Byzantines during the 7th and 8th centuries?
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The Muslims
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How was the Byzantium bureaucracy similar to that of Han China?
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Each had highly educated scholars-trained, aristocrats predominated all classes, and had elaborate system of spies that preserved loyalty
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How does the Church and State differ between the Byzantium Empire and the Western Roman Empire?
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The head of the church is also the head of state in Rome, while the state held the power over the church in Byzantine
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What were the language differences between the Byzantium Empire and the Western Roman Empire?
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Rome spoke Latin, Byzantine spoke Greek
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What were the primary causes for the Great Schism?
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It was a split between the Western Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church, different languages
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What was the cultural makeup of the Slavic people who settled in the plains in Russia?
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They spoke similar languages but had no cultural unity
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Who develops a healthy trade with the Byzantines?
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The Slavs from 500-700 C.E
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What is the most notable city where the Slavs establish a government in?
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Kiev
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Who is Rurik of Denmark?
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The first king of Kievan Rus in 856 C.E
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What does Yaroslav use as a template for his legal code?
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The Justinian Code
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How did the fall of Constantinople in 1,453 C.E directly impact Kiev?
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It drastically impacted trade and wealth because they could sail by river and sea to Constantinople to trade
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Why does Russia begin a cultural and intellectual decline in 1,241 C.E?
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The Mongols attacked and demolished Kiev, Batu Kahn and the Golden Hoarde, and Ivan III refuses to pay any longer, re-establishes Russian sovereignty in 1,480
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What is the true significance of the Byzantine Empire?
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The empire lasted for almost 1,000 years and from Constantinople radiated one of the 2 major branches in Christianity- Greek learning= Renaissance
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Where does Byzantine spread it's culture and religion to?
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The Balkans and Western Russia
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Did the Byzantine Empire serve as a major agent in inter-regional trade?
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Yes
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What was the everyday language of the people in Byzantine?
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Latin was the language of the courts, but Greek was the everyday language of the people
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Why was Greek considered to be a superior language?
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Knowledge of Greek enabled scholars to read freely in the ancient Athenian philosophical and literary classics, and Hellenistic writings and scientific treatises
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How were the Byzantines able to hold off enemy invaders?
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Superior defenses and the Legendary Walls of Constantinople
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Who tried to reunite the Western Roman Empire with the Byzantine Empire in 533 C.E?
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The Emperor Justinian
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How do some historians characterize Justinian?
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A moron, easily deceived
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Who was Justinian's power-hungry wife?
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Theodora
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How did the Byzantines ensure the Persian's world would assimilate to Byzantine culture?
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They were forcibly reconverted to Christianity
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Which military innovation allowed Constantinople to repel attacks by Muslim forces in 717-718
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Greek Fire
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What is the first major Slavic threat to Constantinople?
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The Bulgarians to the North
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What does Emperor Basil II do?
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Blinds 15,000 captives of the Bulgarian Empire- Bulgaroktonos
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How was the Byzantine political system similar to China?
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Both served as important examples to state building- head of church and state
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Were women able to hold the Imperial Throne of the Byzantine Empire?
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Yes
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Who checked unruly nobles and limited bureaucratic corruption?
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Theodora (not Justinian's wife)
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How did the Byzantine Emperors ensure they would have a long lasting and loyal military?
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They recruited soldiers locally and rewarded them with grants of land in return for their service- passed down
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Where did the Byzantines take their policy from?
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The Romans
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What did the Empire socially and economically depend on?
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Constantinople's control of the countryside
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How did the empire keep the peasants happy?
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Food prices were kept low- price floors and ceilings
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What is the Hagia Sophia?
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Church of holy wisdom
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What is a Hippodrome?
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Byzantine version of Coliseum
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What is a mosaic?
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The art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored class, stone, or other materials
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What is a mosaic a technique of?
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Decorative art or interior design
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What do Byzantine mosaics represent?
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The translation of carefully controlled church theology into artistic terms- religious in theme
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What does the entrance Mosaic at the Hagia Sophia depict?
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On the left: Justinian handing Hagia Sophia to Mary; in the middle: Mary and Jesus; and on the right: Constantine handing over Constantinopleq
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What does the entrance Mosaic at the Hagia Sophia demonstrate?
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The merging of church and state
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What does the Desse Mosaic depict?
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On the left: the Virgin Mary; in the middle: Jesus Christ; and on the right: John the baptist
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What is the Christ Pantocrator?
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The most famous of the surviving Byzantine Mosaics, in the south gallery of Hagia Sophia
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What is Mihrab?
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The direction of Mecca
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What are Rondels?
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Calligraphic "circles"
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Where do the Slavic people settle during the Roman Empire?
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Near the plains of Russia and Eastern Europe
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What are some accomplishments of the Slavs?
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Use iron, extend rich soils of modern day Ukraine and Western Russia
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What religion are the Slavs?
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Animist, folk music and oral legends
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What do the Slavs develop?
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Loose regional kindgoms
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Who does trade develop between in 500-700 B.C.E?
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Scandinavia and Byzantine Empire
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Who is militarily superior to the Slavs?
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Scandinavians
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Where does Christianity spread?
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North into Russian territory via trade
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Who is Prince Vladimir I?
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Rurik descendant who rules from 980-1,105
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What is the major accomplishment of Prince Vladimir I?
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He converts his empire to Christianity
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How did Vladimir I convert people to Christianity?
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Orders mass baptisms, accompanied by military pressure
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Where are early Russian church leaders brought from?
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Byzantium- they train a literate priesthood
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What do Christian values replace?
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Traditional Slavic practices
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What is the Bible converted to?
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From Greek to Slavic
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What does religion dominate?
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Art and Literature
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What are Boyars?
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Russian Aristocrats
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What is the Varangian guard?
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Elite bodygaurd of Byzantine Emperor- like secret service
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Who employs the Varangian guard?
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Bail II
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What do regional powers begin to undermine?
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The Monarch and Royal Family
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What does Kiev miss out on?
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The Renaissance
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When do the Mongols sweep through Central Asia?
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1,237- 41
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What is a Tatar?
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Russian word for Mongol
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What is left to "run" the empire?
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Aristocrats and religion
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When are Tatars forced out of Russia?
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In the 1400's
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How did the fall of Constantinople economically impact the Western European powers?
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Ottoman Turks now controlled the spice trade and set prices for goods higher, this trigger the age of exploration to find new trade routes
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Who are the rival civilizations in Western Europe besides Constantinople?
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The Abbasids
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How do the European's respond to the Ottomans' control of Anatolia
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They tried to find a different way to trade without the obstacle of the Turks
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What are some of the reasons Byzantium was able to survive?
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It was extremely difficult to breach the capital's defenses with it located on a strait, they had a stronger administrative center and internal political stability, and great wealth compared with other states, and the eastern emperors were able to exert more control over the empire's economic resources
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What does political stability equal?
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Economic success
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Which Pope issued the "call for the First Crusade"?
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Pope Urban II because Emperor Alexius I turned to the West for help with the Seijuk Turks
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Which Crusade led to the looting of Constantinople?
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The Fourth Crusade in 1204
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Which Crusade was known as the King's Crusade?
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The 3rd Crusade
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Which Muslim Turk was responsible for the conquest of Constantinople?
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Mehmed II "The Conqueror"
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How did the Byzantine Empire impact civilization after its demise?
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Culture and civilization continued to exercise an influence on countries that practiced its Orthodox religion
