Title: Byzantium: The New Rome | Boundless World History
Headings: Byzantium: The New Rome
Byzantium: The New Rome
Naming of the Byzantine Empire
Learning Objectives
Key Takeaways
Key Points
Key Terms
Nomenclature
The Eastern Roman Empire, Constantine the Great, and Byzantium
Learning Objectives
Key Takeaways
Key Points
Key Terms
Constantine the Great and the Beginning of Byzantium
Constantinople and Civil Reform
Constantine and Christianity
The Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Justinian and Theodora
Learning Objectives
Key Takeaways
Key Points
Key Terms
Byzantine Empire from Constantine to Justinian
Emperor Justinian I
Accomplishments in Byzantium
Theodora
Justinian’s Difficulties
The Justinian Code
Learning Objectives
Key Takeaways
Key Points
Key Terms
Legacy

Content: Byzantium: The New Rome | Boundless World History
Byzantium: The New Rome
Naming of the Byzantine Empire
While the Western Roman Empire fell, the Eastern Roman Empire, now known as the Byzantine Empire, thrived. Learning Objectives
Describe identifying characteristics of the Byzantine Empire
Key Takeaways
Key Points
While the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 CE, the Eastern Roman Empire, centered on the city of Constantinople, survived and thrived. After the Eastern Roman Empire’s much later fall in 1453 CE, western scholars began calling it the ” Byzantine Empire ” to emphasize its distinction from the earlier, Latin-speaking Roman Empire centered on Rome. The “Byzantine Empire” is now the standard term used among historians to refer to the Eastern Roman Empire. Although the Byzantine Empire had a multi-ethnic character during most of its history and preserved Romano-Hellenistic traditions, it became identified with its increasingly predominant Greek element and its own unique cultural developments. Key Terms
Constantinople: Formerly Byzantium, the capital of the Byzantine Empire as established by its first emperor, Constantine the Great. ( Today the city is known as Istanbul.)