Christianity
Christianity is a religion based on the belief that Jesus of Nazareth was this person, whose title literally means "anointed" in Hebrew.
The Messiah
This emperor ended the Crisis of the Third Century, then split the empire in two, with 4 co-emperors ruling different regions.
Diocletian
This was a time period in the 200s CE characterized by civil wars, frequent invasions, and economic instability.
The Crisis of the Third Century
This group of invaders sacked Rome in 410 CE after Rome failed to follow through on the promise to give them land to settle on.
The Goths
Also accepted: The Visigoths
This city, located on the Bosphorus Strait, was the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
Constantinople
Also accepted: Byzantium, Istanbul
These early Christian writings are stories of the life of Jesus; while there were dozens in ancient times, only 4 were canonized.
The Gospels
This emperor was acclaimed by his legions after his father died; he managed to become sole ruler of Rome in 312 CE, moved the capital city to Byzantium, and was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity.
Constantine
In this year, the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire was overthrown and exiled.
476 CE
After Augustus became emperor, he introduced this new state religion by deifying his adoptive father.
The Cult of the Emperors
This Byzantine emperor increased the empire to its greatest extent and created a new standardized code of law.
Justinian
This statement of faith was developed during a council overseen by Emperor Constantine in 325 CE in an effort to end Christian in-fighting.
The Nicene Creed
This emperor was the last emperor to have sole rule over the Roman Empire, as well as the emperor who banned all non-Christian religions in 381 CE.
Theodosius I
In this year, Christianity became the official religion of Rome because all other religions were banned.
381 CE
This form of government, in which 2 senior emperors rule with the help of 2 junior emperors, was introduced by Diocletian.
The Tetrarchy
This event in 1054 CE, sparked by a disagreement between the pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople, was the first major division within Christianity.
The Great Schism
This person is known as both a saint and an apostle (despite not knowing Jesus while he was alive) for his written contributions to the Christian canon and his efforts to convert gentiles to Christianity.
Paul of Tarsus
Also accepted: St. Paul
This emperor ruled for 20 years and is considered one of the 5 Good Emperors, though he is also responsible for banning Jewish religious practices and Jewish people from the city of Jerusalem.
Hadrian
This event in the late 1st century CE motivated the early Christian community to separate itself from the Jewish community.
Great Revolt (66-70 CE)
Also acceptable: Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple (70 CE)
This group of soldiers was created by Augustus to serve as the emperor's personal guard, and therefore they were in an opportune position to assassinate and replace emperors they disliked.
The Praetorian Guard
This building was first built in 537 CE and has since gone through several renovations, as it was converted from a church to a mosque, then back and forth again, several times.
Hagia Sophia
This saint and apostle is considered to be the founder of the Christian Church because he was supposedly chosen as the next leader by Jesus; he is also said to have been the first bishop of Rome.
Peter
Also accepted: St. Peter
This emperor was acclaimed by his legions during a succession crisis, and he used his defeat of the Great Revolt to legitimize his claim to the throne.
Vespasian
Around this year is when all of the books that would become part of the New Testament were completed.
c.130 CE
Also accepted: c.100 CE
One of the effects of the troubled 3rd century was that Rome began to hire this kind of person to serve in their military.
Mercenaries
Also accepted: Barbarians
This Ottoman emperor was the person who finally brought down the walls of Constantinople and conquered the city in 1453 CE.
Mehmed II