BYZANTINE EMPIRE AND ISLAM
Unit 4 & 5
Byzantine Empire (330-1453) Constantine moves capital to Constantinople--located on land route between Europe and
Asia--will go on to last for another 1,000 years
Byzantine Religion United by their own form of Christianity—Eastern Orthodox Schism--EO did not recognize the pope in Rome as head of
the Church, had their own patriarch in Constantinople & along with emperor they control church
--used icons (images of Jesus and the Saints) to decorate Church’s, spread influence
Byzantine Culture Byzantine culture was
a mix of Roman, Greek, Christian, and Middle Eastern cultures
Constantinople major trade center (Spices & Silk—East, Furs—Russia)
Church of Hagia Sophia, icons, mosaics spread Byzantine influence
Justinian powerful emperor with strong
central govt and single set of laws
--used taxes to support a large standing army and conquer much of old empire
--required all people to belong to Eastern Orthodox church
Justinian’s Code --comprehensive legal code
using all Roman and religious laws
--basis for European law codes in the future
Decline of Byzantine Empire Continuous Battles with Slavs, Persians and Muslims
leads to loss of outer territory 1071 Seljuk Turks defeat Byzantine Army, empire begins
to be attacked on all sides In 1453 Constantinople conquered by Ottoman Turks
Influence on Russia Contact with Russia begins due to
trade with Constantinople Russians adopt Byzantine culture
such as Orthodox Christianity (many in eastern Europe convert to Christianity),alphabet, products, and architecture
Byzantine Legacy Preservation of Ancient Cultures—
saved heritage of classical civilization (Greek philosophy & science, Roman engineering, ancient texts)
Code of Justinian—consolidate roman laws into one code, guide for later western legal systems
ISLAM UNIT 5 PRE-AP WORLD
HISTORY
Rise of Islam Due to war in the area, trade is rerouted to different land and
sea routes Cities rise up to meet new routes, one of these was Mecca or
Makkah Mecca becomes the starting point of a new religion Islam
(submission to the will of god)
Mohammed: The Prophet of Islam Islam is founded by
Muhammed* has a vision the Angel Gabriel
commands him to convert the Arab tribes to believe in one God (Allah)
Muhammed flees to city of Medina (marks the beginning of Muslim calendar), raises an army to retake Mecca and wage holy war or jihad
Two years after victory he dies, by this time most tribes in Arabia had converted to Islam
The Quran (Koran) The Holy Book of Islam, believe that it is
the words that God revealed to Mohammed
Has 114 chapters that cover forms of worship, conduct, treatment of women
Fundamental doctrine:”There is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is his prophet
The Five Pillars of Islam Muslims worship god directly (no
clergy)Five Pillars of Islam (basic religious
duties that all Muslims must fulfill to strengthen faith)
--Confession of Faith (No God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet)
--Prayer (must face east toward Mecca and pray 5 times a day)
--Charity (give money to the poor & mosque)
--Fasting (Ramadan—no food or drink during daylight)
--Pilgrimage (must make religious trip to Mecca)
Islam spreads Islam unites Arab tribes with religion and new
language (Arabic) Begin “holy war” vs non-believers take over territory
from Indus valley to Europe Halted at Battle of Tours in Spain
The Caliphates Caliphs—Muslim leader who succeeds Muhammed Division of IslamMost Muslims (Sunnis) follow Umayyad Caliph, a small group
(Shiites) only agree to follow descendants of Mohammed
The Caliphates Umayyad Caliph—expansion through war Abbasid Caliph—expansion through trade As Islam expands caliphs enslave or convert
people to Islam--Eventually all people are treated equally, Jews
and Christians are permitted to self-govern themselves but had to pay tax
Golden age of Muslim Culture Arabs absorbed culture
of Rome, Greece, Persians, Jews & Byzantines
Empire became large trading area for goods from Asia, Africa, and Europe
Arabic becomes the common language of the empire
Seljuk Turks and Crusades lead to decline of Empire
Arab Cultural Achievements Math—Arab scholars
develop Arabic numerals & advance geometry & algebra
Arts & Crafts—forbid images of god or people, focused on design and creation of textiles, rugs and leather
Medicine—detailed study of anatomy, diagnosis of several diseases
Architecture—built palaces and mosques