Byzantine Empire Byzantine Empire The Roman Emperor Constantine

Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire • The Roman Emperor Constantine started the Byzantine Empire when he moved the capital of Rome to Byzantium (Today the city is called Istanbul in Turkey) • Christian Empire and religion was very important • Name changed to Constantinople to honor Constantine and by 500 AD, 500, 000 people lived there • Huge city with markets, baths, paved roads, and a circus (just like Rome)

Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire • Trade center: Crossroads for trade from Europe to Asia, Europe to Africa, and Asia to Africa • It was the largest, greatest empire of the middle ages

Byzantine Empire • Justinian was one of Byzantine’s greatest rulers • Became emperor in 527 AD • Wrote a code of law for all Byzantine people to understand • The Justinian Code was not only the law of the empire, it was a blueprint for most modern law systems in Europe today • Justinian law preserved Greek, Roman, and Christian culture and traditions • People living in the Byzantine Empire called themselves Romans

Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire • Byzantine Empire was constantly at war with Germanic tribes (Vandals, Goths), Persians, Arabs, and finally the Turks • The Empire gained and lost and regained territory for 1000 years • Byzantine emperors were the leaders of the government and the church • In 1054, the church split into the Roman Catholic Church in the west and the Greek Orthodox Church in the east • This split weakened the Empire • In 1453, the Turks captured Constantinople, and the Byzantine Empire ended.