When the Roman Empire collapsed in the 5th Century at the hands of the barbarians, the Eastern part, based in Constantinople, continued on as the Byzantine Empire. A Christian Empire, it played a great part in the development of the Near East, North Africa and Eastern Europe through, and at times despite the existence of, the Islamic Caliphates, the Crusaders, various Persian Empires and growing nationalism in Europe. There were many exotic and eccentric personalities in the Byzantine Empire from Constantine to Justinian and Alexios I. This courses traces the evolution and eventual fall of the Byzantine Empire.

DELIVERY MODE

• Hybrid (Face-to-Face & Online simultaneously)

COURSE OUTLINE

• The spilt of the Roman Empire
• Constantine, Constantinople and Christianity
• The collapse of the Western Empire
• The domination of the Near East, north Africa and Eastern Europe
• Defeat by the Ottomans

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Place the Byzantine Empire into historical context
2. Understand how it survived the invasions of the 5th century
3. Know what effects it had on the evolution of the Near and Middle Easts
4. Understand the religious schisms of the Byzantine years and how this created a particular identity for the Byzantine Empire