The Byzantine Empire (OLLI)

The Byzantine Empire lasted more than 1,100 years, defending Christianity against Muslim attacks and the Visigoths’ conquest of Rome. Although a religious state, it was surprisingly ecumenical, welcoming traders of many nationalities and faiths. Its impact on history has been far-reaching. Emperor Justinian instituted an influential law code. The Orthodox Church’s missionaries invented the Cyrillic alphabet. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, teachers and scholars fled with books that helped usher in the Renaissance. In this historical overview, we will explore mosaics and icons, palace intrigues and pageantry, religious strife and zealotry, military victories and defeats, Viking encounters, and the impact of the Crusades. And you will never use the words “iconoclast” and “Byzantine” in quite the same way.