To the east of the Germanic Kingdoms, which resulted from the invasions of the Roman Empire, empire-building was also taking place under the name of Christianity.

Your reading (chapter 13) described how the previously-named Eastern Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire. The major task for leaders of the remnants of

the eastern portion of the Roman domains was to merge Christianity with Islamic influences, brought by Muslim soldiers, merchants, and settlers who were appearing as

they expanded out of the Arabian Peninsula. This they were able to do, as the Byzantines modified their own brand of Christianity–known today as the Eastern or Greek

Orthodox Church–and established political and military independence from Rome.

Another important part of this separation from Rome was the rise of Byzantium as the commercial link between the Western Holy Roman Empire (the Germanic Kingdoms) and

and South and East Asia. Constantinople, located where the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea meet, and the Greek Islands, was where western Christians (Rome) and

eastern Christians (Byzantium) fused their concept of globalization.  The Byzantine Empire faced east toward China and the rest of Asia, while Rome faced west, and

ultimately took part in the European invasion of West Africa and the Americas.

While the Western Roman Empire was struggling to deal with the several invasions of foreign “barbarians,” the Eastern Byzantine Empire was consolidating it self in the

eastern parts of the old Roman Empire: the Greek islands and mainland, Armenia, Syria, Egypt, and parts of North Africa. Similar to the eastern part of the old Roman

Empire it replaced, the Byzantine Empire suffered decline. The 14th Century was filled with crises that affected both and Byzantine and Roman Empires. The Black Death

arrived from Asia and decimated much of the population. This resulted in economic dislocation and social upheaval, leading to political instability as the authority of

the Catholic Pope and Holy Roman Emperor declined.

The major challenge of leaders of the Byzantine Empire was–as real estate agents put it–location, location, location.  They were located between the two most

expansive of the major global religions:  Christianity and Islam.  This resulted is several invasions from both east and west, capped off by the invasion of the Black

Death.  Keep this in mind as you respond to the following questions.

Your textbook suggests that Byzantium was “a new kind of empire.” They mean that the Byzantines had to deal with several important, critical issues, which you will

address in your response: How did they respond to the Muslim invasion of their territories? What is “iconoclasm” and how did it pose a problem to Byzantine leaders?

What impact did the Crusades have on the stability and unity of the Byzantine Empire? Finally, what was the “Black Death” and how did it impact the Eastern Byzantine

Empire?  Be sure to include several examples, to support your general statements, as you write.

Your response to this initial post should be at least two or three paragraphs in length (at least five sentences per paragraph) and include specific examples to

support your opinions. Once you have responded to this post, I will read your response.  At that time, I will either provide a follow-up post for your response or

direct you to critique another students’ response.  Please wait for me to do this before you continue.

Your second response, or critique of another student, should be at least one to two paragraphs and do the following:  state what you agree with as to what is written;

state what you might not agree with; and, add something else to the discussion.  It is expected that you will be on your best netiquette when you respond to either my

of other student’s writing.

This is the rubric that will be used to calculate your score on the combination of your initial response and follow-up response or critique:

Initial TDQ Response    Points Possible
The student’s response answers each component of the TDQ.    15
The student’s response reflects critical thinking, is detailed and thorough.    25
The student’s response clearly reveals a knowledge and understanding of the assigned reading material(s).
* If material is directly quoted or paraphrased it must be cited.    20
Follow-up TDQ Response
Second response is substantive/ high quality. It adds depth and insight to a conversation with a classmate/classmates, or it is a quality response modeled after one of

the small class size submission options.
* If material is directly quoted or paraphrased it must be cited.    30
Initial & Follow-Up Responses
Spelling/grammar/format
5 points – no spelling, grammar, punctuation or format errors
3 points – 1 to 5 spelling, grammar, punctuation or format errors
0 points – 6 or more errors
Initial Response Spelling/Grammar
5
Follow-Up Response Spelling/Grammar    5
Additional Faculty Comments:    100

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