Early Medieval Europe and Byzantium

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key historical figures, events, concepts, and developments in early medieval Europe and the Byzantine Empire.

Byzantium

A small fishing and market town with strategic significance blessed with a natural harbor called the Golden Horn, after which the Byzantine Empire was named.

Golden Horn

The natural harbor that provided a strategic advantage to the town of Byzantium.

Bosporus Strait

The strait controlled by Byzantium that connected the Black Sea, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles, Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean.

Constantinople

The new capital of the Byzantine Empire, renamed from Byzantium by Emperor Constantine in the early 4th century.

Caesaropapism

The policy used by Byzantine Christian leaders to maintain subject loyalty by presenting the emperor as having divine favor.

Justinian and Theodora

Early Byzantine rulers noted for building the Hagia Sophia; Justinian was born to a Macedonian peasant family and known as the sleepless emperor, while Theodora was a former circus dancer.

Hagia Sophia

The most notable construction project under Justinian meaning 'Holy Wisdom', which was later converted into a mosque by Ottoman conquerors.

Justinian Code

Justinian's most significant political contribution, which organized and reviewed all Roman laws in one place, influencing future laws in Europe, Japan, and Louisiana.

Ravenna

The city that remained the single center of Byzantine authority in the western Mediterranean after Rome was abandoned following Justinian's death.

Greek Fire

A military weapon used by Byzantines that burns on water, destroying wooden enemy boats and inducing panic in opposing forces.

Theme System

An administrative system that placed imperial provinces under generals appointed by the emperor, uniting military and government duties to make the army more effective.

Odoacer

The leader who deposed the last western Roman emperor in the late fifth century.

Franks

The most influential Germanic people who conquered much of Roman Gaul and gained imperial rule after 200 years of fighting.

Battle of Tours

The early 8th-century battle led by Charles Martel that convinced Muslim rulers not to continue conquests in western Europe.

Carolingian Empire

The empire founded by Charles Martel in the early 8th century after the Battle of Tours.

Charlemagne

Grandson of Charles Martel who reigned from 768 to 814, reestablished temporary centralization, spoke Latin and Greek, and was crowned emperor by Pope Leo III in the year 800.

Missi Dominici

Envoys of the lord ruler who traveled annually to inspect and maintain control over aristocratic counts in Charlemagne's realm.

Louis the Pious

Charlemagne's son whose weak rule lost local authority, leading his three sons to dispute the empire into three separately ruled kingdoms.

Magyars

Descendants of nomadic people who invaded the Carolingian Empire from the east and settled in Hungary.

Vikings

Scandinavian invaders from Vik in southern Norway who raided monasteries, towns, and cities using shallow-draft sailing ships suited for rivers and open seas.

Heavy Plows

An agricultural tool that allowed deeper soil penetration, increasing medieval crop yields when hitched to oxen or horses.

Feudalism

A hierarchical system of land ownership and duties where nobles held land from the Crown in exchange for military service, and peasants provided labor and rent in return for protection.

Pope Gregory the First

Pope who organized defenses against the Lombards in Italy, established the Bishop of Rome as the ultimate authority, and instituted the practice of confessing sins to a priest.

Iconism

A movement initiated by Emperor Leo III, who declared religious icons sinful, sparking major political controversies and riots.

St. Scholastica

Sister of St. Benedict who assisted in founding a monastery specifically for women.

Missionaries

Individuals who travel away from their home societies to convert others to their faith, build churches, and open schools.

Schism

The formal split during the mid-11th century between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church caused by theological and political disagreements.