CLEP Western Civilization 1: The Middle Ages P. 1

Byzantine

Eastern part of the Roman Empire. The only part to survive Germanic invasions.

395

Roman Empire is divided in half to ease administration.

Justinian The Great (527 - 565)

Byzantine emperor who tried to retake the western empire and succeeded. However most of these lands were re-lost after his death. He also is know for writing out the Roman law.

Theodora

Justinian's wife. Used to be a dancing girl and most of Jutinian's success is due to her. She also heavily influenced religion.

Nika Riots (532)

Riots that broke out at the chariot races between political factions and became a protest against the government.

Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom)

A cathedral built by Justinian and Theodora.

Corpus Juris Civilis (Body of Civil Law)

Codification of the Roman Law by Justinian.

Procopius

A historian who praised Justinian and Theodora in his public works but depicted them as tyrants and demon worshippers in his Secret History.

Heraclius (610 - 641)

Defeated the Sassanians 628 but left his empire so weakened that the Southeastern provinces soon fell to the Islam armies

Muhammad (570 - 632)

Founder of Islam and considered by Muslims to be the last prophet.

Medina

Muhammad was invited to Medina in 622 as a peacemaker and became leader of the city.

By 656 the Arabs had conquered

Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.

Shiites

A group of people who thought that the Caliph should be a descendant of Muhammad's.

Sunnites

A group of people who wanted Muawiyah, a kinsman of Uthman, to be the next Caliph.

Umayyads (661 - 750)

Muawiyah's dynasty. They moved the capital from Mecca to Damascus.

Abbasids (750 - 1258)

dynasty founded by Abul Abbas that overthrew the Umayyads and were overthrown in 1258 by the Mongols.

Cordoba

A surviving Umayyad caliphate capital in Spain.

Gaul and Britain

Germanic Kingdoms that would become modern day France and England.

Franks

Took control of Gaul in the fifth century. They. converted to Christianity during the reign of Clovis (481 - 511).

Pepin the Short (714 - 768)

The First Carolingian King. Made the Donation of Pepin which formed the papal states.

Charlemagne (Charles the Great)

Son of Pepin. He is known as for his expansion of the empire, bringing in the Carolingian Renaissance, and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

Louis the Pious (814 - 840)

Son of Charlemagne.

Treaty of Verdun

A treaty dividing Charlemagne's kingdom between Louis the Pious' three sons.

Treaty of Mersen

Replaced the Treaty of Verdun when the middle kingdom was lost.

Venerable Bede (673 - 735)

Wrote the History of the English Church And People.