Justinian I

Lore & Background

Justinian was born in the hamlet of Tauresium in Dardania, near the fortress of Bederiana, close to the city of Justiniana Prima he later founded. Scholarship places his birth around 482. He was a native speaker of Latin, possibly the last Roman emperor to be one, and came from a peasant family thought to be of Thraco-Roman or Illyro-Roman origin. His mother Vigilantia was sister to Justin, who adopted him, brought him to Constantinople, and ensured his education in jurisprudence, theology, and Roman history. Justinian served as a candidatus and later, after Justin became emperor in 518, rose to consul and commander of the army of the east. He was crowned co-emperor on 1 April 527 and became sole ruler after Justin's death on 1 August 527.

His reign saw the conquest of the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa by his general Belisarius, and the conquest of the Ostrogothic Kingdom by Belisarius, Narses, and others, restoring Dalmatia, Sicily, Italy, and Rome. The praetorian prefect Liberius reclaimed the south of the Iberian Peninsula, establishing the province of Spania. Justinian also subdued the Tzani on the Black Sea coast and engaged the Sasanian Empire. He married his mistress Theodora around 525, who became influential in politics. His rule was not universally popular: he nearly lost his throne during the Nika riots, and a conspiracy against his life was discovered in 562. He died on 14 November 565, childless, and was succeeded by Justin II.

Reader's Guide

Justinian I's significance lies primarily in his legal and military achievements. The Corpus Juris Civilis, a complete revision of Roman law overseen by the quaestor Tribonian, ensured the survival of Roman law and became the basis of later Byzantine law, much Continental European law, and eventually legal systems in the Americas and beyond. His military campaigns, led by generals Belisarius and Narses, partially restored Roman control over the western Mediterranean, increasing the Empire's annual revenue by over a million solidi. These campaigns re-established Roman rule in North Africa, Italy, Dalmatia, Sicily, and parts of Spain. His building program yielded the Hagia Sophia, and his reign marked a blossoming of Byzantine culture. However, his ambitions were only partly realized, and his reign was marked by domestic unrest, including the Nika riots. The Corpus Juris Civilis remains his most enduring legacy, forming the basis of civil law in many modern states and providing historians with valuable insight into the later Roman Empire.

Did You Know?

• Justinian was a native speaker of Latin, possibly the last Roman emperor to be one.
• He was known as 'the emperor who never sleeps' for his work habits.
• His wife Theodora was by profession an actress and prostitute, some twenty years his junior.
• The Corpus Juris Civilis includes the Codex Justinianeus, Digesta, Institutiones, and Novellae.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Justinian I (Latin: Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus; Greek: Ἰουστινιανός Ioustinianos; 482 – 14 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Eastern Roman emperor from 527 to 565." — Justinian I "I pardon your offence against me. Pray that God also may pardon you." — Justinian I "J. B. Bury (2013). History of the Later Roman Empire, From the Death of Theodosius I to the Death of Justinian. Vol.

2. Dover Publications. p. 25. ISBN 9780486143392." — Justinian I "We have good hopes that God will grant us to restore the authority over the remaining countries which the ancient Romans possessed to the limit of both oceans and lost by subsequent neglect." — Justinian I