The Byzantine Empire and
The Rise of Russia
Social
Political
Interaction with
the Environment
Economic
Cultural
The Byzantine Empire
- Controlled the gov./ church for a
traditional form of legitamicy. - Mediterranean remained a Christian
Empire - Diplomatic Alliances/ dynasty
marriages led to olitical unity
(in surrounding areas)
Justinian code
- Eastern Roman Empire 527
- The code: useful Roman Laws
- The digest: summarize legal opinions
- The institutes: guide for law students
- The Novellae: laws passed after 534
- Western Europe
- Byzantine law
- European legal systems
Constantinople
- Sat at the end of the Silk Road, so it was
the center of of trade between - Was protected from attacks from the
outside (Attika the Hun)
Theodora
- Wife of Justinian
- Advisor
- Fought for legalization of
women rights in Byzantine - Allowance of Christian women
to own property
Nika Revolt
- Rebellion to overthrow Justinian
-Theodora advised him to stay
and fight back - Belisarius led his troops
- Victory over rebels
Greek Fire
- Military weapon for Byzantine
- Chemical
- liquid bursts into flames and
catches everything on fire
once thrown at enemies
Eastern Christian Church
- not same as the west (Roman Catholic church)
- Constantinople: Patriarch
- Early Iconoclasts: worshipped icons as idols
(which stirred a controversy) - Was allowed later
- Modern- day Eastern Orthodox
Iconoclastic Controversy
- 726: All icons destroyed by order of Emperor
Leo II and people rejected the order - Pop called bishops together in 787
- Council decision: heresy not to allow icons
- threatened iconoclasts with excommunication
- result: church split in 1054
heresy
- an opinion that conflicts with
the official church beliefs
Hagia Sophia
- Meaning “holy wisdom”
In Constantinople
Ordered by Justinian to be built
Slavs
- Settled in most of Eastern Europe
- Byzantines converted the majority
into Christians - Invaders such as the Huns and
Magyars made them into slaves - Trade with the vikings helped them
move into the region
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Kievan Russia
- Rurik was the leader of
the Vikings (Rus) - Created Kiev; trade route
between constantinople
and the Baltic Sea
Boyars
- Council of nobles advises the
princes of Russia
Veche
- Town meetings with the head of
the households in a public
marketplace - Called by the princes
Yarslav the Wise
- introduced the first Russian law
- Pravda Russkia - Russian Justice
- Combination of tradition, tribal
customs, and older laws
Vladmir I
- Wanted to marry the Byzantine
emperor's sister (dynastic marriage) - Converted to christianity, leading
to the conversion of others' - Had all pagan statues
Kievan Russia Economy
- Trade
- Taiga/ wood- Iron, iron ore, furs and honey
- Farming
Ivan III
- His grandfather ( Ivan !) established
Moscow (Muscovite Russia) - Moscow becomes more independent
as Moscow's power increases - Ends the mongol rule
- Unifies the tribes under Rusian under his absolute reaction.