Roman Empire Vocab

City-State

City-State

Independent city with its own government

Republic

Government where officials are chosen by the people

Empire

Territories controlled by one ruler with diverse cultures

Imperialism

Establishing control over foreign lands and peoples

Latifundia

Huge farming estates

Tiberius Gracchus

Tribune advocating land distribution to poor farmers

Gaius Gracchus

Tribune advocating reforms including feeding the poor

Julius Caesar

Military commander turned dictator of Rome

Augustus

First Roman emperor; Began Pax Romana

Hadrian

Emperor who codified Roman law; One of the 5 good ones

Diocletian

Emperor who divided the Roman Empire into two parts

Inflation

Rapid rise of prices

Constantine

Roman general turned emperor who granted safety for Christians

Constantinople

Capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, now called Istanbul

Huns

Nomadic people skilled in battle

Mercenaries

Foreign soldiers serving for pay

Punic Wars

Three wars between Rome and Carthage

Justinian

Byzantine emperor leading cultural revival

Autocrat

Sole ruler with complete authority

Theodora

Empress who influenced Byzantine law in favor of women

Belisarius

Justinian's military commander

Procopius

Court historian of Justinian

Secret History

Negative writing made by Procopius that slandered Justinian

Justinian's Code

A collection of all the laws that were followed by the Byzantine

The Code

Part of Justinian's Code; collection of Roman laws, omitting repetitions, inconsistencies, and statues dealing with Roman religion

The Digest

Part of Justinian's Code; summary of writings of the great Roman legal experts

The Institutes

Part of Justinian's Code; textbook on the basic principles of Roman law, educated students on how to use the laws

The Novels

Part of Justinian's Code; Contains all the legislation that Justinian passed

Hippodrome

Arena for chariot races

The Nika Rebellion

Rebellion that occurred in the Hippodrome between the blues and the greens

Hagia Sophia

Holy Wisdom; A church that was reformed by Justinian and featured domes

Patriarch

Highest church official in Constantinople

Icon

Holy images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints

Iconodules

Supporter of icons

Iconoclasts

Against icons

Iconoclastic Controversy

The argument of whether icons should be supported or not, lasted over a century

Emperor Leo III

Byzantine Emperor who outlawed the use of icons in 730

Emperor Michael III

Ruled in favor of the display of icons in 843

Pope Leo IX

Pope who excommunicated Patriarch Michael Cerularius

Patriarch Michael Cerularius

In 1054, he excommunicated Pope Leo IX

Excommunication

Exclusion from the church for refusing to obey church law or doctrine

The Great Schism

The official split of the Catholic Church

The Ottoman Turks

A group of Muslims that defeated Constantinople in 1453