Constantinople
formerly Byzantium; capital of the eastern Roman empire
Justinian
emperor of the Byzantine empire from 527 to 565, he rebuilt Constantinople and made reforms to the law
Justinian's Code
The Corpus Juris Civilis, or "Body of Civil Law"; a comprehensive collection of Roman legal writings assembled by Justinian
autocrat
a sole ruler with absolute power
Theodora
empress of the Byzantine empire, Justinian's wife, and a fearless and powerful co-ruler
patriarch
in the Byzantine and Roman empires, the highest church official in a major city
icon
holy image of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church
Great Schism
the official split between the Roman Catholic and the Byzantine churches
