KEY WORDS

BYANTINE EMPIRE: former Eastern Roman Empire, capital Constantinople. From the
time of its creation in the year 395 until its disappearance in 1453, it went through different
periods
FRANKS: barbarian tribe that settled in Gaul (modern France and Belgium) after the fall of
the Western Roman Empire
CAROLINGIANS: dynasty founded by Pippin the Short in the year 751, after dethroning the
last Frankish king and succeeding to the throne
CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE: empire founded by the Carolingian monarch Charlemagne,
which covered the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula and the centre and south of Europe
BARBARIANS: name given by the Romans to the tribes that settled outside the borders of
the Roman Empire. Among them were the Suebi, the Visigoths, the Ostrogoths, the Angles,
the Saxons, the Franks and the Vandals
GAUL: European territory that corresponds approximately to modern France and Belgium
ELECTIVE: chosen by election
HEREDITARY: inherited (from father to son)
PERSIANS: people from Persia (modern Iran), who ruled a large empire in western Asia
between the 3rd and 7th centuries
MUSLIMS: followers of Islam, the religion preached by Muhammed and based on the belief
in one God, Allah
THRACIAN: belonging to Thrace, a European territory in the south-east of the Balkan
Peninsula
OTTOMAN TURKS: tribe from Central Asia, which from the 11th century occupied the
Anatolian Peninsula and converted to Islam. In the 13th century, their leader Uthman
established a small independent state, which attacked the Byzantines on many occasions
EMPEROR: ruler of an empire; his authority was higher than that of a king
PATRIACH: ecclesiastical title given to certain bishops, which gave them more authority
than others
LEGISLATOR: person or institution who/which made the laws
CODE: set of ordered, systematised laws
STRATEGOI: Byzantine general with the highest authority in a province; he ruled and
directed the troops, administered justice and collected taxes.

MERCENARY: soldier who fought for the state or for a person in exchange for money
EXPORT: sell products or services to a foreign country
IVORY: hard white substance from elephant tusks used to make ornaments
SPICE: aromatic vegetable substance, like pepper, saffron, clove, used to flavour food
IMPORT: buy products or services from a foreign country
LATIFUNDIUM: extensive area of agricultural land owned by one person
COLONUS: peasant who was legally free but had to pay rent to work on someone`s land.
With time they became more and more dependent on the landowners
COLLEGIUM: guild or group of people with the same trade (job) and subject to the same
regulations
PLAN: drawing representing the base of a building
GREEK-CROSS PLAN: plan in the shape of a cross with four arms of equal length
BASILICA PLAN: rectangular plan
CUPOLA: dome, hemispherical roof
MOSAIC: picture or design made of small piece of coloured stone or glass
DEFEAT: win a victory over someone in a battle or competition
MAYOR OF THE PALACE: official of the court who carried out administrative functions
RETREAT: move back or withdraw after a defeat in battle
POPE: highest authority of the Catholic Church
DYNASTY: line of rulers belonging to the same family
POWER STRUGGLE: conflict over leadership
CHAPEL: small space with an altar for Christian worship. The name comes from the word
cape (Latin capella) in reference to the fragment of St. Martin cape preserved by the
Carolingians
CLERGY: people who have taken holly orders in the Church and carry out religious duties
TAX: compulsory sum of money paid to the state
BISHOPRIC: territory under the authority of a bishop
SELF-SUFFICIENT: satisfying basic needs, especially food, with no help from outside
HIERARCHICAL: organised in ranks of different categories
SERF: peasant who was not free, tied to the land he worked on and not allowed to leave it
without the lords permission

FEUDALISM: political, economic and social system that existed in Western Europe
between the 10th and 13th centuries
GRAMMAR: study of the system and structure of a language
RHETORIC: art of speaking and writing in an effective and persuasive way
ARITHMETIC: branch of mathematics that studies the properties and manipulation of
numbers
GEOMETRY: branch of mathematics that studies the properties of points, lines, surfaces,
solids and the relationship between them
ASHLAR: stonework of rectangular shaped stones placed in ordered rows
BARREL VAULT: simple semi-cylindrical vault, resembling a tunnel
GROIN VAULT: vault formed by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults
RELIQUARY: container for keeping holly relics (saints body parts or clothes)
APSE: semicircular or polygonal space covered with a vault
CLOISTER: covered gallery around a courtyard, generally with arches resting on pillars or
columns
REFECTORY: dining room in a monastery or convent
TRIBUNE: high gallery inside a building
MINIATURE: small illustration that decorated books in the Middle Ages
MANUSCRIPT: book or document written by hand

2. BYZANTINE EMPIRE
2.1. TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT
- Justinian kingdom: IV century. It`s a period of expansion. Conquered part of
Western Roman Empire
- 11th century: it was a period of crisis two causes: attacks (Barbarians and Ottoman
Turks) and problems between nobles.
- 15th century: reduction of territories only Constantinople. In the year 1453, the
Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople
2.2. POLITICAL ORGANISATION

Three characteristics of Byzantine administration:

- Very efficient administration
- Well-brained army
- Territory divided in provinces
2.3. ECONOMY
There were three important economic activities:
- Agriculture: Mediterranean products (cereals, olives...)
- Crafts: they made jewellery, perfumes, silk...
- Trade: they sold (exported): jewellery, cereals...
They bought (imported): ivory and spices.

2.5. CULTURE, ARCHITECTURE AND ART

- Culture: use of Latin for official events and documents (Roman influence)
Use of Greek in normal life (Roman influence)
A lot of literary activity
- Architecture
Basilica plan and Greek cross plan
Cheap buildings with expressive decoration inside
Mosaics (picture made of tiles)
Hagia Sophia (Constantinople) and Saint Marks Basilica (Venice)
- Art
Icons: pictures of the Virgin, saints, Jesus Christ.
Made of wood
Rigid and unnatural
3. THE FRANKS AND CAROLINGIANS
3.1. THE FRANKISH KINGDOM
They settle in the W.R.E. (nowadays, France)
They are Franks + Gallo Romans
King Clovis he was Christian
- He expelled Visigoths from France (they went to Spain)
- Clovis successor gave the power to the Mayor of Palace
- The first Mayor was Charles Martel, who defeated Muslims in the
Battle of Poitiers (732 A.D.)
- Next Mayor was Pippin the Short
He deposed the last Frankish King with the approval of the Pope
He gave the Pope, the Papal States
3.2. THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE
After Pippin, Charlemagne is the king
He expanded his territories
He was named emperor in the year 800 A.D.
Charlemagnes son was Louis the Pious.
Louis sons fought against each other for the power: the empire was divided into 3
parts (one for each son)

POLITICAL ORGANISATION

ECONOMY
Fiefdoms and villas were self-sufficient.
They belonged to a noble or a bishop
Peasant worked the lands and gave a part of the products to the lord
Agriculture was the main economic activity
Trade was not very important (dangerous)
SOCIETY

This is the origin of FEUDALISM or FEUDAL SYSTEM

CULTURE
Charlemagne created the Palatine Academy of Aachen
There they learnt geography, music, astronomy...
ARCHITECTURE AND ART
-Architecture:
They built palaces and churches (monasteries)
They used ashlars and bricks for building
Basilica plan
Semicircular
Barrel vault
Groin vault
Palatine Chapel in Aachen is the best example of Carolingian architecture
-Sculpture:
Ivory figures of the emperor or religious themes
-Painting: manuscripts (books with pictures)
-Goldsmiths and silversmith

MAXIMIANOS MOSAIC
-All heads at the same level
-The main character is in the centre with a
crow
- No facial expressions
-Bidimensional, no hardmension
-There isnt background
-All the bodies are very similar
-Every social group wears different clothes
and different objects

HAGIA SOPHIA
-Three uses (mosque, church, museum)
-Basilica plan
-Its dedicated to wisdom of God
-Byzantine styles
-Religious (Christian) themes inside and
Islamic decoration
-Decorated inside
-Dome seems to fly
-With columns and galleries
-Lot of windows
-Altitude55 metres