BYZANTINE EMPIRE

EMPEROR CONSTANTINE

306 AD he became the Roman Emperor

Stopped the persecution of Christians
Converted to Christianity himself after he wins the Battle of Milvian Bridge
Christianity becomes the official religion of the empire
330 AD moves the capital city from Rome to Byzantium
Renames new capital Constantinople (Means city of Constantine)
People living around Constantinople still called Byzantines

THE ROMAN EMPIRE SPLITS

After the death of Constantine, the Roman Emperors who followed him continued to rule from
Constantinople
Roman Empire splits in two
Eastern half is based in Constantinople
Called The Byzantine Empire
Eastern half is more powerful
Western half is based in Rome
Western half is weak
476 AD Western half falls to the Barbarians

JUSTINIAN (REIGNS 527-565)

Most significant Byzantine ruler
1. Military gains and huge expansion to rebuild original Roman Empire
Gains in North Africa and Italy
2. Systemizes Roman legal code
Influences future law codes in Europe
Reduces legal confusion; united and organized the new empire
3. Projects to renovate Constantinople
Hagia Sophia engineering and architectural achievements (dome)
Light, Minarets, Mosaics
4. Makes Greek language official
BYZANTINE POLITICS

Rulers saw themselves as Roman emperors and as ordained by God; government was seen as
continuation of Roman Empire
Emperors were head of government and church
Complex bureaucracy (open to all classes but aristocrats dominate).
Bureaucracy helped to organize empire politically, socially, and economically.
Provincial governors appointed
Spy system created loyalty
Troops recruited locally and given land for services
Hereditary military leaders gain too much power

BYZANTINE CULTURE

Creativity in Architecture (domed buildings)

Richly colored religious mosaics in a distinct Byzantine style
Flat, frontal, formal
Icon paintings (paintings of saints and religious figures)
Cultural life blended Hellenism and Orthodox Christianity
Trade: silk production learned from China

A RELIGIOUS DISPUTE

The Catholic Church and the Pope in Rome were still very strong
The Byzantine Emperor outlaws icons
The Pope disagrees with this and banishes the Emperor from the church
Byzantines felt the Pope was wrong to do this
This argument leads to a schism
in 1054 AD
This results in two Christian Churches

Leader
Language
Icons

Roman Catholic Church

Pope in Rome
Latin
Yes

Eastern Orthodox Church

Patriarch in Constantinople
Greek
No (Until ban was lifted

SPREAD OF CIVILIZATION IN EASTERN EUROPE

Eastern Europe is influenced by Byzantine conquest, Christian missionaries and conversion efforts,
and trade routes
9th c.: Byzantine Christian missionaries (Cyril and Methodius) helped bring Orthodoxy northward
into Russia and the Balkans
Create new alphabet: Cyrillic script
Create literacy base in eastern Europe

THE FALL OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE

70,000 Turks surround the city of Constantinople

Turks drag their ships over land and then launch them into the harbor
Turks bring cannons to blast away the city walls
Defending the city were only 7,000 Byzantines
Finally, in 1453 AD, after the defenders hold out for 2 months, Constantinople falls
The Byzantine Empire is no more
The city is renamed Istanbul and to this day continues to be the capital city of the country of Turkey

ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION
UNITY, DISCIPLINE, ORGANIZATION

ARABIA BEFORE MUHAMMAD

THE ARABS:

During ancient times, the Arabs inhabited much of the area from the Arabian Peninsula to the
Euphrates River.

POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS FEATURES:

The Arab world in the early 7th century had no stable, large-scale political entities. People
belonged to close-knit clans, or extended families, that formed tribes. Most Arabs were
pagans, but small minorities were Jewish and Christian.

ECONOMIC COMPONENTS:
Bedouins
Farmers
Traders
MECCA : was the most important trade center in Arabia. It was dominated by the powerful tribe
of the Quraysh (KOOR-aysh).
THE KAABA: Mecca was also the location of the shrine known as the Kaaba, founded
according to Arab tradition by Abraham. For centuries people from all over Arabia had made
pilgrimages to Mecca to visit the Kaaba, site of a huge black meteorite.
MUHAMMAD (MOHAMMED, MUHAMMAD)

Muhammad is born into this harsh Arab/Bedouin culture around 570 AD.
He is born in Mecca and becomes a wealthy merchant
He is famous for being a wise man and very spiritual

GABRIEL VISITS MUHAMMAD

One day Muhammad is visited by the angel Gabriel who tells him that Muhammad is to be
Gods prophet
Gabriel recites the Quran (Koran) to Muhammad to memorize since Muhammad is illiterate

ISLAMS PROPHETS

Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last prophet, but not the only one.
Previous prophets include all the Jewish and Christian prophets like Moses and even Jesus
(they do not believe he is Gods son)

KORAN (QURAN)

The Quran is Islams holy book. It is word-for-word, the words Gabriel told Muhammad to
learn
Also is a book of the prophet Muhammads sayings called the Hadith and a book detailing his
actions called the Sunnah.
Together, these books are the guiding documents for Muslims

ISLAM

Means submission (to God)

People who practice Islam are called Muslims, which means one who submits (to God)

The Five Pillars of Islam

Shahad
a
Salah
Zakat
Sawm
Hajj

Accepting God.
Say: There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet.
Prayer
Muslims must face Mecca five times daily and pray.
Alms
Means giving to the poor.
Fasting
Muslims must fast during Ramadan to atone for Sins.
Pilgrimage
Able-bodied Muslims who can afford it must travel to Mecca

THE ISLAMIC STATE

It was a theocracy, in which government and religion were inseparable and there was no
distinction between secular and spiritual authority.
Thus, Islam was more than a religion. It was also a system of government, society, law, and
thought that bound believers into an all-encompassing community.

FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

Islam gave the many Arab tribes the unity, discipline, and organization to succeed in their
wars of conquest.
Under the first four caliphs, who ruled from 632 to 661, the Arabs overran the Persian
Empire, seized some of Byzantiums provinces, and invaded Europe

JIHAD

Muslim warriors believed they were engaged in a holy war (jihad) to spread Islam to
nonbelievers and that those who died in the jihad were assured a place in paradise.

A desire to escape from the barren Arabian Desert and to exploit the rich Byzantine and
Persian lands was another compelling reason for expansion.

THE ARAB EMPIRE, stretching from Spain to India, was unified by a common language
(Arabic), a common faith, and a common culture.
MUSLIM WOMEN

According to the Quran, men and women are equal before God. Today, Muslims offer these
practices as evidence of equality:
Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the
right to own and dispose of her property and earnings.
A marital gift is given by the groom to the bride for her own personal use, and she may keep
her own family name rather than adopting her husband's.
Roles of men and women are complementary and collaborative.
Rights and responsibilities of both sexes are equitable and balanced in their totality.

CLOTHING: Muslims say that both men and women are expected to dress in a way that is
simple, modest and dignified, but that specific traditions of female dress found in some Muslim
countries are often the expression of local customs rather than religious principle. Likewise, they
admit that treatment of women in some areas of the Muslim world sometimes reflects cultural
practices which may be incon-sistent, if not contrary, to authentic Islamic teachings.