Byzantine Empire

SOCIAL STUDIES
The outcome of Constantine The Great decision

Constantine transferred the capital of the

Roman Empire to Byzantium (324 CE)

Hastened the demise of the West

Preservation of Greco-Roman culture

Imperial Rule in the East for 1000 years
The Byzantine Empire includes Greece
The Byzantine Empire includes Asia Minor
The Byzantine Empire includes Palestine
The Byzantine Empire includes Syria
The Byzantine Empire includes Egypt
Constantinople on the map
Byzantine rulers

The Byzantine emperors ruled as autocrats

wielding absolute powers.
The emperor was anointed by the Patriarch
of the Church, which sealed his claim to
divine providence and the blessing of the
church.
The Byzantine emperor was acknowledged
as the head of both the Church and the state.
As head of the Church, he appointed the
Patriarch, who served as the highest Bishop
of the Church of Constantinople.
Reign of Justinian
Justinian

Justinian is considered one of the

greatest Byzantine emperors.
He launched campaigns of
conquest against the Germanic
tribes in the West in order to
reunify the Roman Empire.
In 533 CE, he gained control of
North Africa after defeating the
Vandals.
Justinian

Justinian is credited for having

codify the laws of Rome that
produced the Codex Justinianus
or Justinian’s Code in 529 CE also
known as Corpus Juris Civilis or
Body of Civil Laws.
Justinian

Justinian was also a great

builder.
His greatest achievement
was the construction of
the Hagia Sophia, or the
Church of Holy Wisdom
 Split of the
Christian Church
Split of the Christian Church

Under Constantine the Great, the Christian

Church grew and spread throughout the
Roman Empire.

The fall of the Roman Empire in the West in

the hands of the Germanic tribes, the church
began to develop along slightly different paths.
 West
1. In the West, the Christian Church
began to play a central role in the lives
of the people and began to assert itself
in politics.
2. The Western European Churches
continued the tradition of the use of
Latin.
3. Western European Churches did not
allow priests to marry.
4. In the West, the Pope asserted his
claim to be the supreme head of the
Christian Church and was independent
of any king or emperor.
East
1. In the East, the Byzantine emperors
gained greater power and prestige that
allowed them to assert authority over
the Church of Constantinople.
2. The Byzantine churches adopted the
use of the Greek language.
3. The Byzantine churches allowed
their priests to marry.
4. In the Byzantine Churches, the
Patriarch was appointed by the
emperor and therefore acknowledged
the authority of the emperor.
Iconoclastic Controversy (726-843)

It refers to the dispute over the use of religious

images (icons) in the Byzantine Empire in the
8th and 9th centuries.

Icons are religious images typically painted on

small wooden panels used for worship.
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm literally means
“image breaking” and refers
to a recurring historical
impulse to break or destroy
images for religious or
political reasons.
The widespread destruction
of icons fueled protests and
even revolts.
The Pope in the West
condemned the emperor's
iconoclasm and eventually
excommunicated him.
The iconoclast or icon
smashers were declared
heretics by the Pope and
were subjected to sanctions.
Iconoclastic Controversy (726-843)

The Byzantine emperor in

843 finally conceded and
upheld the use of icons in
veneration and worship.

In 1054 CE the Pope and the

Patriarch excommunicated
each other.
 Final Split

The excommunication
marked the final split of
Christian Church into the
Roman Catholic Church in
the West with Rome at its
center and the Eastern
Orthodox Church with
Constantinople as its center.
 SEATWORK 1

Direction: Identify and write the word being described by the following.

1. These are religious images typically painted on small wooden panels

used for worship.

2. He is considered one of the greatest Byzantine emperors.

3. What do we call the legal code which is composed of various sets of laws
and legal interpretation and was produced in 529 CE?

4. What do we call the structure which is also known as Church of Holy

Wisdom.

5. It refers to the dispute over the use of religious images (icons) in the
Byzantine Empire in the 8th and 9th centuries.

6-10. What are the five countries included in the Byzantine Empire?