Through the investigation of selected primary and secondary sources, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain the importance of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, how and why it was constructed, why it was converted from a church to a mosque by the Ottomans in 1453, how its design inspired later western architects and why the great building is seen today as a cultural masterpiece.

Through the investigation of selected sources, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain in detail the Great Schism of 1054 that split the Christian Church into Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, what different theological and political issues caused the rift, and what attempts have been made to reconcile those differences.

Through the investigation of selected primary and secondary sources, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to compare and contrast in detail how different Christian and Muslim accounts saw the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, and then by judging the historical and cultural context of the sources, students will be able to assess the validity of the different versions of the story. As a follow-up, students should be able to use the knowledge gained from this lesson plan to assess and explain Winston Churchill’s assertion that history is written by the victors.

Through the investigation of selected primary and secondary sources, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain why Constantine the Great chose to relocate the Roman capital to Byzantium, how the city preserved and expanded Greco-Roman philosophy and scholarship after the fall of Rome in the 5th century CE, and why, after over 1000 years as a center of Christianity, Constantinople fell to the Muslim forces in 1453.