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01.07 Collapse of an Empire Assessment – Byzantine Brackets
Name: Megan Sanabria
Date: 02/6/2024
Step 1: Identify four different reasons that answer the question and rank them in the spaces provided.
Question: What were the biggest causes of the decline of the Byzantine Empire?
List your causes here. For each one, name it and briefly explain how it contributed to the decline.
1. Justinian’s Plague - Also known as the bubonic plague, this illness killed millions. Estimated
to have killed ⅓ of the Byzantine population, thus weakening the military and government. (The 500s)
2. The Crusades - Invasions on the Byzantine empire, but the fourth crusade invaded and destroyed Constantinople which caused the emperor to flee and weakened the Byzantine empire’s power. (First Crusade 1099 CE, Fourth Crusade 1202-1204 CE)
3. The Ottoman Turks - The Turks were an invading force on the Byzantine empire for centuries in which they invaded and finally conquered the Byzantine empire’s capital, Constantinople. (1453)
4. The Bulgars - The Bulgars attacked the Byzantine empire several times, but eventually they
crushed Byzantine troops, killed the Byzantine emperor, and later attacked Constantinople. All
of which weakened the Byzantine forces and led them to decline.
Step 2: Compare the causes and choose a winner. Explain in 2-3 complete sentences, summarizing specific information from the lesson, why you chose that cause over the other.
First Round – Fill in the causes you wrote
above Identify which cause won and explain why
you thought it was a bigger cause of the
decline of the Byzantines.
Justinian’s Plague vs The Bulgars→
Winner 1 and explanation: I think that Justinian’s Plague
was a bigger cause of decline because it killed millions which weakened the Byzantine empire’s military and government forces. Thus making it easier for other countries to attack and conquer parts of the Byzantine
empire.
The Crusades vs The Ottoman Turks →
Winner 2 and explanation:
I think that The Ottoman Turks
were a bigger cause of decline because of their continuous expansion and conquering of Byzantine territories. Which over time led the Byzantine empire to shrink and weaken. Although Constantinople had already been attacked in the Crusades, The Ottoman Turks
were the ones to finally conquer Constantinople and destroy the Byzantine empire.
Step 3: Compare the winners of the first round to identify the cause you found most significant. Final Round – What causes wins between Winner 1 and Winner 2 above and why?
Overall winner and your explanation: The biggest cause of decline were The Ottoman Turks because not only were they a weakening force on the Byzantine empire, but they were a continuous force that invaded the Byzantine empire over the course of centuries. Whereas Justinian’s Plague only had the greatest impact on the empire’s forces from 541 to 549 CE.
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