Christianity in the Eastern Roman Empire
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why a slightly different Christian Church emerged in the East.
Key learning points
- After Rome's fall in 476 CE, the Byzantine Empire survived in the east, and considered themselves Romans.
- Constantinople grew strong and beautiful with impressive artworks, churches and the famous hippodrome.
- The Emperor Justinian ruled from 527 to 565 CE.
- Justinian compiled a code of law and ordered all his subjects to be Christian, and to worship in the way he told them.
- The Eastern Church believed many of the same things as in the West, but they did not recognise the pope's supremacy.
Keywords
Byzantine - the Byzantine Empire is the name given by historians to the eastern half of the Roman Empire
Hippodrome - a hippodrome is an arena for chariot or horse races
Law - laws are a set of rules that everyone agrees to follow
Worship - to worship is to show love and respect to a god
Pope - the pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church
Common misconception
The Byzantines weren’t Roman.
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was a continuation of the Roman Empire. The term "Byzantine" is a modern designation used by historians, but the people of that time considered themselves Romans.
Teacher tip
Design a mosaic in the style of Constantinople's artworks by using coloured paper, tiles or an online mosaic designer.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When did Christianity start?
Q2.Match the word to its meaning.
ultimate power and authority
a belief in a god or gods
to change to a different religion
a religious leader in some Christian churches
Q3.The capital of the Eastern Roman Empire was ...
Q4.Order these leaders of the Western Roman Church according to rank from highest to lowest.
Q5.What is the Holy Trinity according to Christian belief?
Q6.Christians' holy text is called the ...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which emperor established Constantinople?
Q2.The citizens of the Byzantine Empire considered themselves ...
Q3.Match the word to its function in Constantinople.
for Christian worship, such as Hagia Sophia
for chariot races and public events
to adorn the city and show religious scenes
Q4.Who was Justinian?
Q5.How did Justinian make Christianity the main religion in the Byzantine Empire?
Q6.Which of the following was NOT a feature of the Eastern Orthodox Church?
To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: Christianity in the Eastern Roman Empire, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: Christianity in the Eastern Roman Empire, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.