FIND OUT MORE. Medieval Europe 390–391 • Napoleonic Wars 416
STAINED-GLASS WINDOW 1
At Chartres Cathedral, France,
Charlemagne is shown with
Constantine (right).1 POPE AND PATRIARCH
In 1054, the Church in the west,
led by the Pope, separated from
the Church in the east, led by the
Patriarch of Constantinople. The
eastern, Orthodox Church used
Greek rather than Latin.
WHY WAS THE EMPIRE FOUNDED?
Charlemagne was a brilliant leader and his kingdom
stretched from the North Sea to Italy. As Holy Roman
Emperor, he was laying claim to some of the prestige
of a Roman emperor, but with a new responsibility for
the safety and prosperity of the Church and the Pope.
Holy Roman Empire
On Christmas Day, 800 CE, Charlemagne, the King of the
Franks, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope.
Under Charlemagne, much of western Europe was ruled
as one vast country, but within 40 years of his death,
in 814, the Holy Roman Empire had fragmented.
Byzantine Empire
In 324 CE the emperor Constantine
reunited the Roman Empire. By then
Rome was too difficult to defend
against barbarian attacks, so he
moved his capital east to Byzantium,
renaming it. CONSTANTINOPLE.
CONSTANTINOPLE
In 330, Constantinople was proclaimed capital of the Roman
Empire. The new city’s splendid public buildings, which included
a forum, were adorned with treasures from all over the empire.
FIND OUT MORE. Christianity 288 • Ottoman Empire 397
WHO RULED THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE?
From Constantinople (now Istanbul), Constantine
ruled over the entire Roman world, but eventually
the empire split again. In 476, the western Roman
empire was swept away. However, the eastern empire,
which is called the Byzantine Empire, endured until
1453, when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire.WHY WAS CONSTANTINOPLE SO PROSPEROUS?
Constantinople was a meeting point for long-distance
trade routes linking Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Merchants brought silks from China, pearls and
perfumes from Arabia, spices from southeast Asia, and
fine wool and furs from Europe to sell in its markets.
HOW DID CHARLEMAGNE WORK WITH SCHOLARS?
Charlemagne was a great patron of learning, inviting
the most famous scholars of the day to his main court
at Aachen. His advisers and friends included Peter of
Pisa, Agobard of Lyons, and Alcuin of York. Under
Charlemagne, rare manuscripts were collected, the text
of the Bible was revised, and grammars, history books,
and ballads were published.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TITLE?
By 843 Charlemagne’s empire had split into
three kingdoms, each of which was ruled by a
member of his family. Following Charlemagne,
there was no Holy Roman Emperor until Otto I
was crowned in 962. After 1438, all but one of
the holders of the prestigious title were Habsburg
monarchs. In 1806 Napoleon abolished the title.BYZANTINE ART 1
This mosaic shows Christ washing the feet of his disciples. It is in the
Hosios Loukas Monastery in Boeotia, Greece, which was built in the
early 11th century. Christianity was central to Byzantine life and the
chief purpose of art and architecture was to glorify God.Byzantine
EmpireHoly Roman
Empire