Eastern Europe and the World
Belisarius: (c.505-565); one of Justinian’s most important military commanders during the attempted reconquest of western Europe.
Greek Fire: Byzantine weapon consisting of mixture of chemicals that ignited when exposed to water; used to drive back the Arab fleets attacking Constantinople.
Bulgaria: Slavic kingdom in Balkans; constant pressure on Byzantine Empire; defeated by Basil II in 1014.
Icons: images of religious figures venerated by Byzantine Christians.
Iconoclasm: the breaking of images; religious controversy of the 8th century; Byzantine emperor attempted, but failed, to suppress icon veneration.
Manzikert: Seljuk Turk victory in 1071 over Byzantium; resulted in loss of the empire’s rich Anatolian territory.
Cyril and Methodius: Byzantine missionaries sent to convert eastern Europe and Balkans; responsible for creation of Slavic written script called Cyrillic.
Kiev: commercial city in Ukraine established by Scandinavians in 9th century; became the center for a kingdom that flourished until the 12th century.
Rurik: legendary Scandinavian, regarded as founder of Kievan Rus in 855.
Vladimir I: ruler of Kiev (980-1015); converted kingdom to Orthodox Christianity.
Russian Orthodoxy: Russian form of Christianity brought from Byzantine Empire.
Yaroslav: (975-1054); Last great Kievan monarch; responsible for codification of laws, based on Byzantine codes.
Boyars: Russian land-holding aristocrats; possessed less political power than their western European counterparts.
Tatars: Mongols who conquered Russian cities during the 13th century; left Russian church and aristocracy intact.