o Justinian, also known as Justinian the Great or Justinian I, was a

Byzantine emperor who ruled during 527 to 565 AD.

o He was a Christian emperor.
o He was married to Theodora, one of the more influential and powerful
empresses of Rome.
o Sometimes, he was called The Last of the Romans and considered
one of the most important late Roman and Byzantine emperors.
o The reign of Justinian, April 1, 527 AD to November 14, 565, was an
extremely significant period since it made possible the rise of the
Franks and the spread of Islam.
o Before becoming the sole emperor of the empire, he ruled alongside
his uncle, Justin I, who adopted him and he acted as his uncles close
confidant and advisor.
o His sole rule was characterized by profound efforts to strengthen the
empire and return the state to its former ancient glory.
o Justinian took a leading role in shaping church policy. As an adamant
defender of Christian Orthodoxy, he fought to extinguish the last
vestiges of Greco-Roman paganism, to root out Manichaeans and
Samaritans, and to oppose competing Christian sects, including the
Arians and the Monophysites.
o Under Justinians reign, the Empire reached its largest territorial point,
reincorporating North Africa, southern Illyria, southern Spain, and Italy
into the Empire
o Justinian sought to recover regions lost to foreign invaders,
particularly Germanic tribes in Italy and North Africa. He thus launched
one of the most aggressive military programs in medieval history.
o By his death in 565, the empire bordered nearly the entire
Mediterranean Sea, a size unrivalled in Byzantine history from that
point onward. The Byzantine Empire reigned supreme as the largest
and most powerful state in Europe.
o In January 532, partisans of the chariot racing factions in
Constantinople, normally divided among themselves, united against
Justinian in a revolt. This was also known as the Nika Riot.
o It was the most violent riot in the history of Constantinople, with nearly
half the city being burned or destroyed and tens of thousands of
people killed.
o Justinian decided to board a ship and sail away from Constantinople,
stepping down as emperor, but saving his life. As he started to leave,
he looked behind him to find his wife, Theodora, stubbornly refusing. "I
would rather die an empress, than live on the run, and besides, purple
makes a wonderful burial veil," she said. Seeing his wife's courage,
Justinian decided to stay. The riot was controlled, and Justinian
continued to rule the Byzantine Empire.
o He ordered an empire-wide construction drive, resulting in new
churches, monasteries, forts, water reservoirs, and bridges.

o The rebuilding of Hagia Sophia from 532 to 537 was the paramount
achievement of Justinian's building campaigns.
o The Justinian Code was the collection of Roman laws into a single
volume by Justinian. The whole was completed by 534 AD, and is still
the basis today of many legal codes and systems in the Western world.
o It is also the basis of modern systems of civil law.