PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Byzantine Culture Spreads
Orthodox Christianity Spread
Trade routes that ran through the Byzantine Empire help to spread Byzantine Culture
This is especially true for the trade routes through the Black Sea and Baltic Sea, since they reached lands much farther from the Empire
Orthodox Missionaries used these trade routes to help spread Christianity
Eventually, eastern Europe and Russia adopt Christianity (mostly Orthodox)
One of the largest territories to convert was Kiev
Vladamir the Great, leader of the Kievan-Russ, convert all of his people in a mass baptism around 990 C.E.
However, most Eastern European/Russian ("Slavic") areas did not have a written language, which made it difficult to read the Bible
Cyril, a Byzantine Missionary, develops a new written language based on Greek letters and Slavic sounds
Cyril created, what would be known as, the "Cyrillic Alphabet" which is the basis for over 50 languages today
Today, Orthodox Church's and Christian art (similar to the Byzantine empire) can be seen all over the Slavic regions
Because of its wealth, and position, Constantinople was constantly under attack
However, the Byzantines had a secret weapon
This weapon struck fear in Barbarians, Russians, Huns, Mongols, and Arab states for hundreds of years
However, the Byzantine Empire was drastically weakened during the Crusades
Wars between Christians and Muslims over the "Holy Land" decimated the population and the territory of the Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was never able to recover from the wars
but its legacy lives on today.