Unit 7: The Byzantine Empire and the Rise of Islam (450-1453)

Unit 7: The Byzantine Empire and the Rise of Islam (450-1453)

This unit emphasizes the events which caused the split in the Roman Catholic Church and the characteristics of the Islamic religion.

The Byzantine Empire was a vast and powerful civilization with origins that can be traced to 330 A.D., when the Roman emperor Constantine I dedicated a “New Rome” on the site of the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium. Though the western half of the Roman Empire crumbled and fell in 476 A.D., the eastern half survived for 1,000 more years, spawning a rich tradition of art, literature and learning and serving as a military buffer between Europe and Asia. The Byzantine Empire finally fell in 1453, after an Ottoman army stormed Constantinople during the reign of Constantine XI.

Fun facts about the Byzantine Empire

• Byzantine art is almost entirely focused on religion.
• The official language of the Byzantine Empire was Latin until 700 CE when it was changed to Greek by Emperor Heraclius.
• Constantinople was attacked and plundered by the Crusaders during the Fourth Crusade.
• The emperor often paid gold or a tribute to enemies to keep them from attacking.
• Emperor Justinian granted the rights of women to buy and own land which was a big help to widows after their husbands had died.
• From the time of the early Roman Republic to the fall of the Byzantine Empire, Roman rule had a major impact on Europe for nearly 2000 years.
• The city of Constantinople is called Istanbul today and is the largest city in the country of Turkey.

Unit Focus

• significance of the location of the Byzantine Empire
• contributions of Justinian
• contributions of the Byzantine Empire
• characteristics of the Islamic religion
• contributions of the Islamic civilization