fall of rome & rise of the byzantine empire. constantinople modern day istanbul located on the...
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Fall of RomeFall of Rome&&
Rise of the Byzantine Rise of the Byzantine EmpireEmpire
ConstantinopleConstantinople
• Modern day Istanbul
• Located on the Bosporus Straits
• Built by Constantine the Great in the 4th Century
• First Christian city
ConstantinopleConstantinople
• Chain extended the Golden Horn to protect against invaders
• Center of trade for centuries
Walls and MilitaryWalls and Military
• divided land into Themes or regions to recruit troops
- largely ineffective and created powerful governors
- invention of “Greek Fire”
- petroleum based product stuck to surface and could not be put out
• Frequently paid invaders for peace
- military was generally weak- usually filled with
mercenaries
IconsIcons• frequent problems between
differing factions in ChristianityIconoclasts vs. IconodulesNature of Christ
- Divine or manInfluence spread to Russia
through Orthodox
Justinian’s CodeJustinian’s Code
• Emperor Justinian's desire that existing Roman law be collected into a simple and clear system of laws, or "code”
• Saved Roman Law for today
Fall of Western RomeFall of Western Rome
• Chaos in Europe
• Constant warfare
• Beginning of the Middle Ages:
476-1350
Middle AgesMiddle Ages
VocabularyVocabulary
Serf/serfdom-Rural-Feudalism- Urban-Centralized-Decentralized-Bartering-Fief-Vassal-Chivalry-Investiture-
CharlemagneCharlemagne
• Stopped Muslim advance into Europe- United much of Western Europe under his kingdom- Defeated German tribes
- converted Germanic tribes to Christianity - Pope Leo proclaimed him Holy Roman Emperor
- - basically in charge of the Catholic Church
VikingsVikings
• Terrified Europe with their raidsExplored wide areas of the Atlantic-even America!Viking ships needed very little water to float, so to get
into rivers and attack deep into heart of EuropeGiven Normandy in France as protection from further
raids
Prince JohnPrince John
• brother of Richard the “Lion hearted”- threw people off of their land - raised taxes- abused power of king
1215-Magna Carta- nobles united against John and attempted to
limit the power of the monarchy- held democratic principles
KnightsKnights
• Aristocrats– Primogeniture- first born son inherits everythingLarge population of knights with no land or future/ caused lots ofproblems
MonarchyMonarchy
• Generally very weak– Held limited authority over their kingdom– Nobles were frequently more powerful than
the king– King controlled through
ability to give out honors
such as: land and titles as
well as through the nobilities
okay.
Serfs and ManorsSerfs and Manors
• Serfs were the lowest class– Tied to land, much like slaves – Extremely poor– No chance to improve
• Manors– Medieval town– Born and died here!– Self sufficient economy
• Barter system
FeudalismFeudalism
CastlesCastles
• Cities became fortified since the king had limited control from raiders like the Vikings.
• Nobles built them for protection and to rival the kings authority.
The Norman InvasionThe Norman Invasion
• English kings began to marry into French nobility from Normandy (old Viking region)
• Edward the Confessor was King of England from 1042-1066 and left no heir to his throne.
• Harold Godwinson, was the most powerful noble in England and easily claimed the throne.
The Norman InvasionThe Norman Invasion
• Upon taking the throne Harold had to fight two contenders for the throne:
• Harold’s exiled brother Tostig invaded England from the north.
• The Battle of Stamford Bridge– Harold defeated and killed Tostig- Victory cost Harold several thousand troops
The Norman InvasionThe Norman Invasion• Harold then moved south to fight William the
Conqueror, Duke of Normandy• The Battle of Hastings
– Infantry vs. Cavalry– William could not break Harold’s infantry formations
and was losing.– William faked retreating to lure Harold’s army to chase them.– William turned and destroyed Harold’s army and became the undisputed king of
England.
The Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church
• Only organized bureaucracy in Europe– Nations had no economy after
Rome fell and little political control
• Educated– Clergy could read
• Europe had about 90% illiteracy rate
• Collected taxes and controlled vast amounts of land
Avignon PapacyAvignon Papacy
• France was becoming a powerful nation and wanted a French pope.
• Forced election and moved Papacy to Avignon, France for 100 years– Destroyed credibility of Church
• Italy eventually elected an Italian Pope while the French elected their own.– Attempted to move back to Rome, but mobs
almost killed the Pope• To fix the problem a third Pope called the
“Anti-Pope” was elected to arbitrate– In the end all three resigned and a new Pope
was elected in Rome.