Year 4 - History
Christianity in the Eastern Roman Empire
The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils learn about the history of early Christianity's changing fortunes: from a persecuted faith to the official religion of the Roman Empire. They also learn about three great centres of this religion: Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the East African kingdom of Aksum.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain why a slightly different Christian Church emerged in the East.
Key Notes
- After Rome's fall in 476 CE, the Byzantine Empire survived in the east, and considered themselves Romans.
- Constantinople grew strong and beautiful with impressive artworks, churches and the famous hippodrome.
- The Emperor Justinian ruled from 527 to 565 CE.
- Justinian compiled a code of law and ordered all his subjects to be Christian, and to worship in the way he told them.
- The Eastern Church believed many of the same things as in the West, but they did not recognise the pope's supremacy.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Byzantine: the Byzantine Empire is the name given by historians to the eastern half of the Roman Empire
- hippodrome: a hippodrome is an arena for chariot or horse races
- law: laws are a set of rules that everyone agrees to follow
- worship: to worship is to show love and respect to a god
- pope: the pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The Byzantines weren't Roman.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.
After Rome's fall in 476 CE, the Byzantine Empire survived in the east, and considered themselves Romans. Constantinople grew strong and beautiful with impressive artworks, churches and the famous hippodrome.
2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'Byzantine'
the Byzantine Empire is the name given by historians to the eastern half of the Roman Empire.
3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.
Mistake: The Byzantines weren't Roman. Correction: The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was a continuation of the Roman Empire. The term "Byzantine" is a modern designation used by historians, but the people of that time considered themselves Romans.
More Lessons In This Unit
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