CHAPTER 11/UNIT 8:

Byzantine Empire
I. Byzantine Empire
a. After Rome fell, the eastern part of
the Roman Empire became known as
the Byzantine Empire.
b. The people of the Byzantine Empire
called themselves Roman, but spoke
a dialect of the Greek language.
c. The culture became a blend of
European and Asian cultures.
II. Location (Perfect)
a. They Byzantine Empire was considered
to be a continuation of the Roman
Empire.
b. At its height, the Byzantine Empire
included parts of southern and eastern
Europe, the Balkan Peninsula (Greece),
southwestern Asia, and northern Africa.
• C. Today this area is known as modern day
Turkey.
III. Constantinople (Previously known
as Byzantium)
a. The thriving capital city of the Byzantine
Empire was Constantinople, named after
the Roman emperor Constantine.
b. Constantinople is located between the
Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara.
c. It serves as a bridge between Europe
and Asia which helped it become an
important center for trade and education,
and attracts many people.
LESSON 2 OUTLINE
Emperor Justinian
I. Emperor Justinian
a. He built many churches, including the
magnificent cathedral  Hagia Sophia.
Justinian cont.
b. His wife, Theodora, became his most
trusted advisor.
c. He wanted to restore the Roman Empire
and govern it as a whole.
i. To do this, he began paying Persian
kings so that they would stop
threatening the western part of the
empire.
ii. He reconquered lost Eastern
Empire islands in Italy, Africa, and
Spain. (This strained the empire’s
resources).
II. Justinian Code
a. A uniformed code of law
based on Roman law.
i. It included laws on
marriage, slavery, poverty,
women’s rights and crime.
b. Justinian collected and
organized laws into a code
that made them easier to
understand.
c. The Code allowed empire
to operate with an efficient
and fair centralized
government
III. Byzantine Orthodox Church
i. Emperors and church worked strongly together.
ii. The Church controlled cultural and political life.
iii. Justinian believed that God had chosen him to run
the empire, and as a result the church protected the
emperor.

A mosaic of Justinian with government officials and

Byzantine soldiers (left) and a bishop and his priests (right).
Orthodox Church cont.
iv. Disagreement over religious icons
(pictures or images of Jesus and saints)
caused a split in the Church forever.
i. The Roman Catholic Church wanted
to use icons of Jesus and saints while
the Byzantine Orthodox Church did
NOT want to use icons. The two
religions separated:
Differences between the churches:
Roman Catholic Church Byzantine Orthodox Church

• Pope is the head of the  Emperor is the head of

church the church
• Use of religious icons • No religious icons
• Separation of church and • Integration of church and
government. government.
Lesson 3 outline
I. Muhammad  “Praised One”
a. Prophet who spread the Islam religion.
b. He was troubled by polytheism, and while
meditating an angel visited him and taught
him the Islamic beliefs (who does this remind
you of?)
c. He began to teach that there is only one
God and that God requires people to submit
to or obey him.
d. People who believed Muhammad were
called Muslims, and they believed the words
Muhammad heard came directly from God.
II. Persecution of Muslims
a. Muslims were being persecuted
so they fled to Medina, where it
was acceptable to practice Islam.
b. After 622, Islam spread quickly
through Southwest Asia.
c. After Muhammad’s death in 632,
caliphs (successors) carried on
his mission and Islam spread to
Africa, Europe, and places such
as India, the Malay Peninsula, and
China.
III. Quran or Koran (holy book)
a. Contains the “Pillars of Islam”  five basic duties.
i. Profession of Faith – there is only one God and
Muhammad is his prophet
ii. Five daily prayers are offered in a group at a
mosque (place of worship).
iii. Muslims must give charity to the poor.
iv. Muslims fast (stop eating for a period of time as
an act of religious observance) during the ninth
month of the Muslim calendar, Ramadan.
v. Muslims must make a pilgrimage (religious
journey) to Mecca once in their lifetime.
Mosque-Muslims place of worship
Mecca is located south of the
Fertile Crescent in modern day Saudi
Arabia.
Quran cont.
b. The Quran tells Muslims what
not to eat or drink, gives a
moral code on marriage,
divorce, business affairs, and
other matters.
c. There are no central religious
leaders.
LESSON 4 OUTLINE
I. Conquered Land
a. Muslims conquered many lands that
were in the Byzantine Empire.
b. Code for Soldiers
i. do not kill an old man, a woman or a
child
ii. do not injure date palms
iii. do not cut down fruit trees

Date trees are considered

holy to Muslims.
II. Spread of Islam
a. Islam spread through trade and
war.
b. Islam brought a system of
government, laws and society to
the people.
c. Muslims were treated better than
non-Muslims.
III. Non-Muslims
a. Had to pay special taxes
b. Couldn’t marry a Muslim
c. Their places of worship (churches
and synagogues) had to be hidden.
d. Could not hold positions of power
IV. Muslim Inventions
a. Islamic culture was known throughout
many lands; Muslim traders brought
knowledge about great advancements in
their contact with Europe, Asia, and Africa.
i. Branch –banking made trade easier and safer
ii.Water clocks
iii.Complex irrigation systems
iv.Sulfuric acid – turned metals into gold
v.Chemical processing
Muslim Inventions cont.
vi. 1st to work with zero, algebra and trigonometry
vii.Made maps
viii.Put together the first encyclopedia (of
medicine)
ix. Discovered that blood circulates throughout
the body
x. Sailing ships that could sail into the wind; this
allowed them to become master sailors and
expand the Islamic world.
• Triangular sails called lateen sails made it possible for
ships to sail against the wind.