byzantine final review

Byzantine Empire

A continuation of the Roman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean, existing from 330 to 1453.

Constantine the Great

First Christian emperor, ruled from 306 to 337, known for the Edict of Milan and the Council of Nicea.

Edict of Milan

Issued in 313, it granted religious toleration for Christianity and other religions within the Roman Empire.

Arianism

A Christian heresy claiming that Christ was created by the Father and did not exist before being born.

Tetrarchy

A form of government established by Diocletian around 293 where the empire was divided into four regions, each ruled by a co-emperor.

Council of Nicea

The first ecumenical council held in 325, addressing the controversy of Arianism and establishing the Nicene Creed.

Monophysitism

The belief that in Christ there is only one nature, which is divine, absorbed by the divine.

Justinian I

Emperor from 527 to 565, known for his ambitious building projects, military campaigns, and codification of laws.

Corpus Juris Civilis

The 'Body of Civil Law' compiled under Emperor Justinian, which became the foundation for legal systems in many Western countries.

Iconoclasm

The rejection or destruction of religious images or icons, prevalent in Byzantine history, notably in the 8th and 9th centuries.

Theodosius I

Emperor from 379 to 395 who made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire.

Heraclius

Emperor from 610 to 641, noted for his struggle against Persia and the beginning of the Islamic conquests.

Schism of 1054

The formal division between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Filioque

The Latin term meaning 'and from the Son,' added to the Nicene Creed by the Western Church, which became a point of contention in the Schism.

Fourth Crusade

A military campaign from 1202 to 1204 that culminated in the sack of Constantinople.

Paleologan Renaissance

A period of cultural revival and intellectual activity in the Byzantine Empire during the Paleologan dynasty.

Mount Athos

An important center of Orthodox monasticism and a repository of Byzantine artistic heritage.

Prokopius of Caesarea

A historian of the Byzantine Empire, notable for his accounts during the reign of Justinian I.

Anna Comnena

The only known female historian of medieval times, author of the Alexiad, which chronicles her father's reign.

Codex Theodosianus

A compilation of laws issued under Emperor Theodosius II, important for understanding Byzantine legislation.