HIST 211: World Civilizations to 1500

The Eastern Roman Empire 395–1453, with its capital at Constantinople (formerly Byzantium, modern Istanbul). It was the direct continuation of the Roman Empire in the East, and inherited many of its traditions and institutions.

Style in the visual arts and architecture that originated in the 4th–5th centuries in Byzantium (capital of the Eastern Roman Empire; renamed Constantinople

The son of the Western Empire’s ruler, Constantius Chlorus (reigned 305–306 CE), Constantine was acclaimed emperor by the legions in Eboracum (modern York, England) after his father’s sudden death. A series of civil wars ensued, ending with Constantine in sole control of the empire by 324 CE.

Byzantine emperor (527-65). Justinian's greatest accomplishment was the codification of Roman law, commonly called the Corpus Juris Civilis. It gave unity to the centralized state and greatly influenced all subsequent legal history.

From the Concise Atlas of World History, Andromeda:
The great empires of the Mediterranean and the Middle East had for centuries been accustomed to raids by Arab border tribes. Though troublesome, these raids were prevented from becoming a serious threat by the political disunity of the Arabs. However, this situation changed dramatically in the early 7th century as a result of the rise of Islam.

Series of wars undertaken by European Christians between the 11th and 14th cent. to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims.