- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the learning targets by applying their skills to new knowledge about the Byzantines.
- This station is worth up to 12 points.
- The directions for this station are on the website and your work may be submitted on paper, emailed, or shared through Google Drive.
REMEMBER THAT GOOGLE CHROME HAS A TEXT-TO-SPEECH FUNCTION AND YOU CAN LISTEN TO THIS AS YOU READ ALONG IF YOU'RE WEARING HEADPHONES.
LEARN THIS: Are you a fan of amazing videogames? Then chances are that you've experienced the capital city of the civilization discussed here. Assassin's Creed: Revelations takes place in the city of Constantinople during the Ottoman Empire. You'll get to see one of the best games in this series when Mr. Brock plays it during our unit on the Renaissance in a lecture about architecture. Revelations might not be the best game of the series (Brotherhood for sure) but if you're a true history or architecture nerd then you won't want to miss this opportunity to climb Constantinople's greatest structures. |
The Byzantines were centered around their capital, Constantinople, which was situated in modern day Turkey where the regions of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East meet. The original name of the city had been Byzantium and from this the civilization got its name.
Before the collapse of the Roman Empire, a decision was made to split the empire into two different units: the East and the West. The Western Roman Empire would collapse and that part of Europe would become the decentralized Medieval Europe that we are now studying. The Eastern Roman Empire would survive and even flourish as the Byzantine Empire.
Before the collapse of the Roman Empire, a decision was made to split the empire into two different units: the East and the West. The Western Roman Empire would collapse and that part of Europe would become the decentralized Medieval Europe that we are now studying. The Eastern Roman Empire would survive and even flourish as the Byzantine Empire.
Why did the Byzantine Empire not collapse and decentralize as the western half had? Primarily, because the eastern half of the empire was not plagued by invasions like the western half had been. Byzantines also benefited greatly from being right in the middle of the major trade routes of the time. A man named Justinian deserves much of the credit for their success as he ushered in an era of art, expansion, and law that centralized the Byzantine Empire. Constantinople flourished under Justinian and he called for the building of the city’s greatest structure: a massive church called the Hagia Sophia. |
Christianity was also split by the fall of Rome and rise of Constantinople. Distance between the Europe of the pope and that of the Byzantines led to the development of two different ways churches. The pope in Rome spoke Latin and taught one thing about his faith. The so-called patriarch in Constantinople spoke Greek and taught a similar yet different message about his faith. Eventually, several controversies would drive the Western and Eastern Churches to separate into the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches, respectively.
DIRECTIONS:
Answer the questions that follow using the information you discovered in the “Learn This” section. Refer to your Feudalism and Manorialism Notes from Station #3 as well.
1. How are any of the causes of decentralization apparent in the history of the Byzantines? Relate at least
one specific example from the reading to a cause of decentralization. Bear in mind that the Byzantines
were centralized when explaining your answer.
2. Use information from the “Learn This” section to fill in the blanks below. Use the words from Station #1
as your word bank. Do not use the same word twice.
There were many differences between western Medieval Europe and the Byzantine Empire. Medieval Europe had a decentralized system of government while the Byzantines had a strong BLANK #1 government in place. The Catholic Church had a great deal of influence over feudal lords while in the Byzantine Empire BLANK #2 leaders held power over clergy. These are just two examples of the many differences between BLANK #3 Europe and the Byzantine Empire.
3. Explain the role of the Catholic Church in the Byzantine Empire. Use at least one example from the
reading in the “Learn This” section.
4. Use the map below and your Europe Reference Map (Station #2) to identify the region of Europe to
which the Byzantines were closest.
DIRECTIONS:
Answer the questions that follow using the information you discovered in the “Learn This” section. Refer to your Feudalism and Manorialism Notes from Station #3 as well.
1. How are any of the causes of decentralization apparent in the history of the Byzantines? Relate at least
one specific example from the reading to a cause of decentralization. Bear in mind that the Byzantines
were centralized when explaining your answer.
- Invasions
- Downfall of Cities
- Concept of Government Changes
- Disruption of Trade
- Decline of Learning
2. Use information from the “Learn This” section to fill in the blanks below. Use the words from Station #1
as your word bank. Do not use the same word twice.
There were many differences between western Medieval Europe and the Byzantine Empire. Medieval Europe had a decentralized system of government while the Byzantines had a strong BLANK #1 government in place. The Catholic Church had a great deal of influence over feudal lords while in the Byzantine Empire BLANK #2 leaders held power over clergy. These are just two examples of the many differences between BLANK #3 Europe and the Byzantine Empire.
3. Explain the role of the Catholic Church in the Byzantine Empire. Use at least one example from the
reading in the “Learn This” section.
4. Use the map below and your Europe Reference Map (Station #2) to identify the region of Europe to
which the Byzantines were closest.