Byzantine Empire: 500-1450
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What time period (years) did the Byzantine Empire span?
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500-1450
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What events were going on at the beginning of the Byzantine Empire?
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Rome was falling
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What caused the Byzantine Empire to fall?
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Ottoman Turks
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What form of Christianity was practiced in the Byzantine Empire?
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Eastern orthodox Christian church
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What was the Byzantine capital?
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Constantinople
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What area did the Byzantines influence?
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Balkans and western russia
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What began to spread northward?
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Christianity- due to missionary work
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How were Eastern and Western Europe developing differently?
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East and West = 2 different versions of Christianity (Roman Catholic church v. Eastern Orthodox church). E-political sophistication, cultural range, and economic vitality, interregional trade
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Which Roman emperor moved the eastern capital to Byzantium?
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Constantine
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What area did it include?
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Balkan peninsula, Northern Middle East, the Mediterranean Coast, and Northern Africa
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What language did it use?
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Greek
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Why was this language beneficial?
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Athenian philosophy and literary classics could be studied; Hellenistic writings and scientific treatises
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How did the status of the merchant change from Roman times?
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Higher level of commerce
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Who was allowed to participate in the bureaucracy that had not during Roman times?
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Hellenized Egyptians & Syrians
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Who was the empire under the threat of?
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Persians and germans
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What were some of the negative attributes of Justinian?
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Somber, autocratic, and prone to grandiose ideas. Not considered wise, easily influenced by others including his wife's influence (Theodora)
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What were some of his positive achievements?
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Rebuilding previously ravished Constantinople, Codifying Roman Law, Hagia Sophia
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What helped to unify the empire, like it did during the Roman Empire?
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Unified Law
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What type of "environmental mosaic" was sought after in Northern Africa?
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Ravenna - key artistic (Italian holdings) center, but lost to Germanic invaders
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What was the reason for raising taxes?
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Wars (offensive and defensive)
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What method was used to convert people in the Middle East to Christianity in the 600s?
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Forced
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What eventually threatened Byzantine holdings in the Middle East? What military means did they use?
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Naval combat through Arabs
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What new scientific weapon did the Byzantines use to combat the Arabs?
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Greek fire
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Where did the burden of maintaining the empire fall, militarily and economically?
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Invasions and taxation weakened the position of small farmers - peasants/rural population paid the most for the burden (evident: more aristocratic roles)
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What caused this group additional strain?
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Military recruits paying the bulk of the taxes
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In what period was Byzantine at its height?
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By the end of the 10th century
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Which government was the Byzantine government similar to? How?
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China emperor ordained by God, surrounded by elaborate court ritual, headed both church and state, women occasionally held the throne. Elaborate bureaucracy supporting the emperor...aristocrats predominated; provincial governors
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Who was head of the church?
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Emperors
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How do we know that women exerted more importance/power during the Byzantine Empire?
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They were rulers
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Who served in the Byzantine bureaucracy?
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Aristocrats who had been trained in Hellenistic knowledge in a secular school system, could be recruited from all classes (used spies)
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What did they have to be schooled in?
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Greek classics, philosophy, and science in a secular school
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Who held positions close to the emperor? Why do you think?
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Eunuchs - not distracted by wives
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How were military recruited? Who was this similar to?
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Locally - Romans (gave the land for their service)
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What did the Byzantine Empire effectively do for Europe until the 15th century?
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Blocked the path to Europe for Muslims
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What new role did the Byzantine Empire take in the economy? Who did it mean to benefit and why? Who did it hurt and why?
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Bureaucracy regulated trade and food prices
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What trade item did the Byzantines become famous for?
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Silk from China
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What philosophy did their cultural life center around?
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Hellenistic secular traditions and Orthodox Christianity
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What kinds of artistic/architectural innovations came out of Byzantium?
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Art and architecture. Domed buildings; colored mosaics, and painted icons (art linked to religion)
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What first major religious controversy arose in the 8th century (700s)? Why?
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Use of icons in the church (violation of commandments) - iconoclasm
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To what extent was the Byzantine tolerant of diversity? Evidence.
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allowed other orthodox faiths and even the Muslim (see quote on pg 211)
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In 1054, what brought the differences between the East and West to a head?
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Arguments over bread without yeast and celibacy of priests
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What united the nomadic invaders?
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Islam
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What caused the biggest blow to the empire's economy?
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Seljuks cutting off the most prosperous sources of tax revenue and the territories that had supplied most of the empire's food
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What resulted from the Byzantine appeal for help from the West?
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Ignored; but motivated western crusades
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How much longer does the Byzantine Empire last after the crusaders attack Constantinople?
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1204-1453 = 2 centuries
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When did Constantinople fall to the Turks?
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1453
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What made this empire significant?
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Islamic power/empire
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Who spread Christianity north?
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Orthodox missionaries
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Why are Cyril and Methodius important?
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Missionaries who devised a written script Cyrillic, providing a Slavic language, providing a base for literacy in eastern Europe
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What made the spread of Orthodox Christianity successful in its spread north?
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Allowed local languages to be used = diversity
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What region did Jews immigrate? Why?
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Eastern Europe - specifically Poland. Fleeing intolerance in M.E. and W. Europe
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What area of the economy were Jews allowed to participate?
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Commerce
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Due to the treatment from Christians and forced cultural isolation, what behavior did they emphasize?
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Extensive literacy and education - almost to a point of secluding themselves
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What ethnic group of people settled this area of Eastern Europe?
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Slavic
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Briefly describe their political and cultural tradition.
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Religion - Animist (folk music and oral legends, political = loose religious kingdoms)
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What group of people migrated into this area? How? Why?
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Scandinavian; trade (agriculture through the Dnieper River through Byzantium)
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Who set up a principality in Kiev?
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Rurik ( from Denmark)
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Where did the word Russia come from?
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Greek for "red" to describe their hair color
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Who did they trade with?
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Byzantium - Constantinople
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Why did Vladimir I adopt Orthodox Christianity as the religion for his people? (Why not the others?)
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Because of the trade contacts with Byzantium/Constantinople; Then, the military forced the rest to become Christians and baptized them all. (See powerpoint notes)
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What did Yaroslav do to build unity?
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Codified the law, built churches, translation religious literature from Greek to Slavic
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Compare/Contrast Byzantine and Russian political institutions.
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Russian - not as elaborate in bureaucracy or education; ceremonial and strong central ruler
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How were Russian aristocrats different than in Western Europe?
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Boyars had less political power than those in W.E. and had to negotiate with the princes
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What internal problems did they have?
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Rival princes competing governments, royal family quarreled over succession
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Externally what affected their economy?
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Invasions, rapid decline; Byzantine falls - interrupts their trade
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What nomadic group laid the final blow? What did they call them?
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Mongols (Tatar)
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How long did they control Russia?
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Over 2 centuries
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Russians were left to their day to day activities as long as they did what?
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Pay tribute (tax)
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What did the Russians consider themselves?
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the 3rd Rome
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How is the Byzantine Empire different from other centers of civilization (like China and India)?
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Active in interregional trade. Linked N. Europe and the Mediterranean. Only isolation was when they were conquered by Mongols
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How did it greatly affect the development of Christianity?
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Eastern Orthodox Church is 1st of many denominations, Russian Orthodox Church, break from Roman Catholic Church
