Byzantines

The location of Constaniople benefited the Byzantine empire, because it was a quick and easy access for most other civilizations to trade with them. It was surrounded by Islam where the Islamic people constantly tried to take over their empire. Homework: Day 1
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This is a picture of Justinian

The Hagia Sophia which was one of Justinians most successful achievements.

Foundation of Byzantine Empire:
 * Began in the 4th century C.E.
 * The people spoke Greek which enabled them to read Greek documents from the hellenistic period.
 * The Capital was Constantinople and it made up the eastern part of Rome.
 * Instead of having armies they recruited mercenaries.
 * Justinian (527-565 C.E.) was the emperor of the Byzantine empire and he helped to build it into the srong and powerful empire, that it was.

Justinian's Achievements:


 * Came into power in 533 C.E. when he tried to reconquer the western territories in order to try and recreate the great empire of Rome.
 * The great historian Procopias described him as "at once villainous and amenable; as people say colloquily a moron. He was never truthful with anyone, but always guileful in what he said and did, yet easily hoodwinked by any who wanted to deceive him."
 * One of his successful contributions to the Byzantine empire, was rebuilding Constantinople. It was in Constantinople that he built the Hagia Sophia, a church which still stands in the present day world. This also allowed this to become a time of technological and engineering advancements.
 * With the help of army general Belisarious he extended his empire into northern Africa and Itlay.
 * The new key temporary capital of the Byzantine empire was Ravenna which became a key artistic center. Some if the most beautiful Christian mosaics were created during this period.
 * Justinian died in 565 C.E.
 * He was devoted to his wife Theodora who was said to have pushed him to become a stronger ruler. She concentrated on pushing the expansion of their territory.

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Document 1: Natural, Civil, and Marriage law Slaves were seen as people who were lucky enough to be preserved by their masters. If you are born into slavery you will remain a slave and you will not be able to make a name or life for yourself. Very strict laws on marriagge i.e. brothers cant marry sister. the marriage would be prohibited and would be void from society. If you had a prostiture wife and you had a son you will not be able to prove that you are the true father.

Document 3: Civil Laws and Trading Laws (some verbal agreements) contracts had a basic foundation that talks about the verbal agreements made with a few people. Set up a language Their goal overall was all about money. Even if something was not fair or safe they would still trade or use to make a profit. If a deal does not go through, then there will be a harse punishment. if you dont fullfill your trade then you have to do double work.

Justinians law code was all about making things fair and equal for everybody. For example, if a slave escapes from confinement they will be able to go right back to being a free man. There were also punishments and penalties for not following these rules, For example if a person doesnt fulfill their trade quota then they have to double what they were originally supposed to do. Justinians law code was based on creating laws and regulations to help the Byzantine empire remain powerful.

Homework 3: Questions 1-6 pgs 203-209
 * 1) Who were Cyril and Methodius? What did they accomplish?
 * 2) How did events in the Middle East affect the demographics of the East Central borderlands?
 * 3) Outline the development of the Kievan Rus
 * 4) What important decision was made by Vladimir I?
 * 5) What were some of the major similarities and differences between Byzantium and the Kievan Rus?
 * 6) What factors led to the decline of the Kievan Rus?

1.) Cyril and Methodius were missionaries sent by the Byzantine government in 864 to the territory, which is now the Czech and Slovak republics. It was during this time, where Christian mercenaries were successful. Since they spoke the Slavic language, they were able to be heard by the people. The devised a written script using this language, which was derived from Greek letters. Still to this day the Slavic alphabet is known as Cyrillic. They accomplished spreading Christian beliefs to the Balkan and southern Russian people.

2.) Events in the Middle East affected the demographics of the East Central borderlands by,causing a steady increase of Jews migrating to Europe. In eatern Europe different monarchies were being formed, with loose governments and power-hungry aristocrats.

3.) __Kievan Rus__
 * People started pouring into eastern Europe and Russia from different Asian territories, during the time of the Roman Empire.
 * Traders from Scandanavia began to trade with the people of the Slavic lands, helping them to base their economy.
 * Rurik a local prince became the first prince around 855 C.E.
 * The name Russia

4.) Vladimir I's most important decision was to convert his people and himself to Christianity. 5.) Byzantium and Kievan Rus Similarities 6.) One factor that led the decline of the Kievan Rus in the 12th century, were the two invasions from the Mongols (1237-1238) and (1240-1241) During these invasions the mongols took over Russia with ease. The people of Russian began to call the Tatars and were referred to as "the accursed raw-eating Tatars" and they easily and quickly became despised and feared. Tatar control was finally forced out in the second half of the 15th century, which allowed Russian traditions and customs to come back into the people's lives. However after trying to copy the powerful nation of Rome, they began to fall through the cracks. Also with the decline of Byzantium, trade and the wealth of the people declined.
 * The Byzantines had the Hagia Sophia (church built by Justinian) and the Kiev Rus practiced the Russian orthodox, which made them both religious territories
 * The Kiev Rus, gvt system was based upon that of Byzantium. The Byzantium military systems had a strong affect on Eastern Europe, where Kieven Rus was located, so the military systems are said to have led to the development of the Kieven Rus.
 * They both worshipped and created religious monaics (aka icons), which depicted saints or other religious figures.
 * The major difference between the two, is that Byzantium had a bureaucracy and a structured gvt, while the Kieven Rus, did not. They focused mainly on the thought of God and what he was planning for them.