🇬🇷 Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire

Eastern Roman Empire that continued after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Constantinople

Capital of the Byzantine Empire and a major center of trade between Europe and Asia.

Eastern Orthodox Christianity

Christian tradition centered in the Byzantine Empire and distinct from Western Catholic Christianity.

Justinian I

Byzantine emperor who attempted to restore Roman territory and ordered the compilation of Roman law.

Justinian Code

Compilation and organization of Roman laws under Emperor Justinian.

Hagia Sophia

Massive Byzantine church in Constantinople built under Justinian.

Greek Fire

Powerful incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine military, especially at sea.

Byzantine Bureaucracy

Administrative system that helped emperors govern the empire.

Byzantine Trade

Constantinople's location allowed the empire to profit from trade between Europe and Asia.

Byzantine Cultural Influence

Byzantium influenced Orthodox Christianity, Slavic societies, architecture, art, and law.

Eastern Roman Heritage

Byzantines preserved Roman political, legal, and cultural traditions while becoming predominantly Greek-speaking.

Great Schism

1054 split between the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.

Roman Catholic Church

Western Christian church centered in Rome.

Eastern Orthodox Church

Eastern Christian church centered historically around Constantinople.

Byzantine Decline

Pressure from invading peoples, territorial losses, internal problems, and Ottoman expansion weakened the empire.

Constantine XI

Last Byzantine emperor, killed during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453.