HUMAN HISTORY - 1 CE - 1299 CE Flashcards
ROMAN EMPIRE SPLIT
Date
Why did it split?
Was the Eastern Empire still Roman?
Was it one Empire or two?
285 CE
By 285 CE the Roman Empire had grown so vast that it was no longer feasible to govern all the provinces from the central seat of Rome. The Emperor Diocletian [DY] + [UH] + [KLEE] + [SHUHN] divided the empire into halves.
In the Eastern Roman Empire, although residents continued to call themselves Romans and use Roman law, the Empire was profoundly influenced by Greek ideals, from culture to language.
Both “Western Roman Empire” and “Eastern Roman Empire” (or “Byzantine Empire”) are modern terms however; at no point did the Romans consider the Empire split into two, but rather considered it a single state governed by two separate Imperial coequal courts out of administrative expediency, a system of government known as a diarchy.
EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE
three factors that gradually separated it from the western empire
- Centred on Constantinople rather than Rome
- Oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture
- Characterised by Orthodox Christianity
Several signal events from the 4th to 6th centuries mark the period of transition during which the Roman Empire's Greek East and Latin West divided. Constantine I (r. 324–337) reorganised the empire, made Constantinople the new capital, and legalised Christianity. Under Theodosius I (r. 379–395), Christianity became the Empire's official state religion and other religious practices were proscribed. Finally, under the reign of Heraclius (r. 610–641), the Empire's military and administration were restructured and adopted Greek for official use instead of Latin.
Thus, although the Roman state continued and Roman state traditions were maintained, modern historians distinguish Byzantium from ancient Rome insofar as it was centred on Constantinople, oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture, and characterised by Orthodox Christianity.
FRANKS
Dates
Location
300 CE
The Franks were a GERMANIC tribe that conquered Gaul (modern-day France).
The Franks or the Frankish peoples were one of several west Germanic federations of tribes. Most of them lived at the northern borders of the Rhine. They entered the late Roman Empire from the north and east river bank of the Rhine into modern northern Belgium and southern Netherlands. Later invasions conquered and established a lasting kingdom in an area which eventually covered most of modern-day France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the western regions of Germany.
CONSTANTINOPLE
Dates
The capital of Eastern Roman Empire in 330 CE (Rome divided in 285 CE)
Greek influence more than roman.
End: The Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, bringing an end to the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire.
Location: modern-day Istanbul)
CONSTANTINOPLE
Capital City of the Eastern Roman Empire
Split
Renaming
Sacking
(285 CE Roman Empire split by Emperor Diocletian)
330 CE Inauguration as the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine the Great. (Previously Diocletian chose the city of Nicomedia (modern day’s Izmit, Turkey)
1204 CE: Sack of Constantinople in the 4th Crusades by mutinous Catholic crusader armies.
ATTILA THE HUN
Dates
Achievements
Ruled 434-453
Attila was the ruler of the Huns in the 5th century. His Hunnic Empire overran much of eastern and central Europe, as Attila led his armies in a successful invasion of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Huns’ ventures into the Western Roman Empire (specifically into France and Italy) met with some success, but Attila died in 453.
THE MIDDLE AGES
Beginning
Characteristics
End
Beginning: 476 (Last Roman Emperor)
Characteristics: Political power throughout Europe was decentralized, with many small states and little political unity.
End: 1350-1500s - the rise of more modern nations. (Merges with the start of the Renaissance.)
ZEN
Dates
Form of?
Differences
500s CE
Emphasized meditation as a means of gaining enlightenment, as opposed to the mere knowledge and rote memorization of Buddhist teachings.
Sui and Tang Dynasty Giant Project
In the late 500s, the Sui Dynasty began construction on the Grand Canal, which linked China’s two major rivers, the Huang He and the Yangzi. The later Tang Dynasty expanded on the project. The completion of the Grand Canal highlights the Tang Dynasty’s emphasis on commerce. Under the Tang, silk production increased, the Silk Road continued to be a prominent highway for trade, and China’s fleet of trading junks (some of the world’s best ships) participated in the Indian Ocean trade network.
MUHAMMAD
Dates
Location
Ages when writing the Quran
b. 570 CE in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
d. 632 CE in Medina, Saudi Arabia
The founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet and God’s messenger, sent to present and confirm the monotheistic teachings preached previously by Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. Muhammad united Arabia into a single Muslim polity and his teachings, practices, and the Quran form the basis of Islamic religious belief.
Periodically, he would seclude himself in a mountain cave named Hira for several nights of prayer; later, at age 40, he reported being visited by Gabriel in the cave, where he stated he received his first revelation from God. Three years later, in 610, Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that “God is One”, that complete “surrender” (lit. islām) to him is the right course of action. The revelations (each known as Ayah, lit. “Sign [of God]”), which Muhammad reported receiving until his death (age 62), form the verses of the Quran.
CHICHÉN ITZÁ
Dates
Location
Civilisation
600: city began
Location: Mexico, Yucatán peninsula
Civilisation: Mayan
1250: declined as a regional center.
QURAN
Dates
Translation
610-632
Translation: literally meaning “the recitation”
Muslims believe that the Quran was verbally revealed by God to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel gradually over a period of approximately 23 years, beginning on 22 December 609 CE, when Muhammad was 40, and concluding in 632, the year of his death aged 62.
THE VIKING AGE
dates
locations
ramifications for Europe
Earliest recorded Raids: 790s
The Vikings ranged as far south as Constantinople and North Africa, and even established kingdoms in Sicily.
The Vikings contributed to the rise of centralized nations in Europe as local forces coalesced to repel Viking raids.
1066: the Norman conquest of England
Commonly known as the Viking Age of Scandinavian history.
BATTLE OF TOURS
Date
Location
Significance
732 CE
Having already conquered Spain, the Umayyad Muslims began marching into France.
At this Battle, the Franks halted the Muslim advance. Spain became the furthest outreach of Islam and the remainder of Western Europe remained Catholic. [name of the battle]
CHARLEMAGNE or CHARLES THE GREAT
Dates
Significance
Ruled: 768 CE King of the Franks for 32 years from 768
He became the first Holy Roman Emperor in 800 when he allied the Empire with the Church. He united Western Europe for the first time since the fall of the Western Roman Empire three centuries earlier and laid the foundations for subsequent monarchies in both France and Germany.
d. 814 CE (72)
