WORLD HISTORY
BYZANTINE EMPIRE
VIDEO GUIDE 2016-17
Name:_____________________ Period:_____
Link for Video (45 minutes long):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ0DRhRhAtY
INTRODUCTION & Constantine I
1.
The people of the Byzantine Empire initially called themselves “Romanos” in efforts to continue the traditions of the
Roman Empire?
2. Constantine wanted to make Constantinople the new center for the Roman Empire.
3. The emperors of the Byzantine Empire used many of the Roman engineering styles.
4. What made the Byzantine Empire from the start different from the Roman Empire is that it was founded as a
Christian Empire.
5. The Byzantine Empire was the dominant empire during the period known as the Dark Ages.
6. The aqueducts that Byzantine Emperors like Emperor Valens built were considered one of the greatest
achievements of the ancient world because they succeeded in bringing water from a much greater distance than
anywhere else in the Ancient World.
THE WALLS OF THEODOSIUS II
1. The Byzantines were able to keep the Huns and other invaders from attacking Constantinople because the emperors
built the strongest system of _________ever built in the ancient world.
2. What unique challenge did Constantinople have to take into account when it constructed this defense system?
3. What material did they use in efforts to solve this problem?
4. What happened in 447AD that caused the walls to collapse?
5. In reconstructing the walls, the people of Constantinople constructed a ___________ line of defense that included:
a. a moat
b. outer wall
c. inner wall
6. The walls succeeded in protecting Constantinople for a ____________ years.
7. What was constructed to protect against water borne threats to Constantinople?
8. How long was it?
9. Constantinople became one of the richest cities in the world due to the _________ routes from the West and East
that intersected there.
10. While Constantinople stayed safe because of its defense system, enemies attacked in the countryside causing the
Byzantine Empire to do what steadily?
JUSTINIAN I
1. While he became the greatest emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Justinian had been born a what?
2. Justinian’s wife Theodora was a former what?
3. Through recapturing lost territory, carrying out huge construction projects, and leading a centralized government
and prosperous economy, Justinian wanted his legacy to be restoring the glory of _____________?
4. In exerting absolute control over the people, Justinian tried to stamp out all ___________ practices.
5. Unlike other places where people generally did not have a place to express their grievances, the Byzantines had their
______________________.
6. The Hippodrome was a huge U shaped stadium where emperors and the people could watch what kinds of races?
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7. It could hold how many people at a time?
8. The Hippodrome was modeled after the __________________ in Rome.
9. The teams of blues, greens, reds, and whites were like _______________factions in our time.
10. The people of Constantinople were upset with having to pay very high what?
11. When the people rebelled against Justinian in the Nika Rebellion resulting in the destruction of 1/3 of the city due to
fires from the riots, what did Justinian want to do?
12. Who convinced Justinian to not do this?
13. To put down the rebellion, Justinian calls the rebels to the ______________.
14. What happens to the rebels?
15. How many were killed?
16. Justinian sees the destruction from the Nika Rebellion as an opportunity to ____________ Constantinople.
HAGIA SOPHIA
1. Justinian rebuilt the Church of Wisdom or Hagia Sophia in the name of God and ___________.
2. The Hagia Sophia was distinct because it had the largest _____________ ever built at the time.
3. The technology had been first attempted by the Romans but never ________________.
4. 20 years after it was built, the dome collapsed and had to be rebuilt because an ________________ occurred.
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5. With the Hagia Sophia, Justinian wanted to make Constantinople to be the center of the _______________ world.
6. The dome in the Hagia Sophia was the greatest dome in the world until the _________________.
7. The expansion of the empire and the construction projects caused the Byzantine Empire to go ______________.
8. The Byzantine Empire never really recovered from the megalomania of ______________________.
BASIL II
1. The greatest enemy of Emperor Basil II was the Czar Samuel of ________________ who had initially defeated Basil
II.
2. Basil II’s military used a weapon that could throw 400 pound stones a considerable _________________.
3. Determined to get revenge on Bulgaria, what did Basil II to the Bulgarian military?
4. The new weapon unleased by the Ottoman Turks that was no match for brick and stone was ___________________.
5. When the walls of Constantinople were finally breached by the Ottoman Turks, the Byzantine Empire __________.
6. The Byzantine Empire is not just known for engineering feats, strengthening Christianity and political might but also
as a _________ power, as evidenced by a widespread interest in ancient Greek and Roman literature.
7. When the Byzantine Empire fell, the books went to Western Europe, which ultimately resulted in the
_______________ .
CONCLUSION
1. While the Byzantine Empire built the magnificent Constantinople, catapulted Christianity into the world, shaped
Western world’s laws, and preserved the heritage of knowledge from the Ancient world, when the Ottoman Turks
finally took over in 1453, the Byzantine Empire was ______ for ___________!!!!
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