Byzantine vs. Roman Empire Essay Example for Free

 Byzantine vs. Roman Empire Essay The Byzantine Empire actually ruled under the Roman Empire until Its demise In AD 476. Both of these empires were located near the Mediterranean Sea and both had a written set of laws. Emperor contanune the First converted to chrlstlanlty after ordering his soldiers to put a cross on their shields and then being victorious in battle. After his conversion, he united the military power of Rome with the young Roman Catholic Church. Because of this union he was able to conquer much of the known world at he time. In the Byzantine Empire, Christianity and the differing ideas about it caused great conflict. When the idea of religious icons came about, Emperor Leo Ill created Iconoclasm, which permitted the smashing of these religious icons. The events following the creation of Iconoclasm showed how distant the church was from the government. Eventually the quarrel led to the separation of the Catholic Church from the Eastern Christian Church, known as the Great Schism. This resulted in the Orthodox Church.