Byzantine Empire

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Byzantine Empire
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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)

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Byzantine Empire
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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

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Byzantine Empire

• Justinian was one of Byzantines 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

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Byzantine Empire
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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.