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| Justinian I Byzantine Emperor |
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| Mosaic depicting Emperor Justinian in the Basilica of Ravenna (Italy) | |
| Role | Emperor |
| Country | Byzantine Empire |
| Reign | August 1, 527 - November 15, 565 |
| Period | Justinians |
| Predecessor | Justin I |
| Successor | Justin II |
| Birth | May 11, 482 in Tauresius |
| Death | November 14, 565 in Constantinople |
| Siblings | Vigilantia |
| Spouse | Theodora |
| Residence | Constantinople |
| Edit | see template |
Justinian I (born c. 482, died November 15, 565) was a Byzantine emperor who reigned from 527 to 565. He is one of the most important rulers of late Antiquity.
He is best known for having initiated a collection of very important laws, the Code of Justinian, which governed life in the Byzantine Empire for centuries and greatly influenced Europe during the medieval period.
Justinian also expanded the territories of his empire during his reign, as he sought to restore the Roman Empire to its state in the 2nd century. On the religious front, he also played a major role, attempting to unify Christian beliefs while also imposing his views on the pope. Justinian built churches, including Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, San Vitale in Ravenna, and Sant'Apollinare in Ravenna.
Biography[change | change source]
Justinian (Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Justinianus in Latin) was born around 482 in the city of Tauresium. He came from a fairly modest family of Roman culture. He was the nephew of a soldier, Justin, who was so popular among the military that he became emperor in 518 under the name Justin I.
Justin I took his nephew Justinian under his wing to involve him in his affairs. Justinian was then appointed patrician, and later consul. Justinian became emperor upon his uncle's death in 527. In 523, Justinian married an actress, Theodora, who thus became empress. She had a great influence on him.
Justinian possessed great qualities for being an emperor: he had a sense of the state, was capable of working hard, and lived a fairly simple life. He had a good knowledge of the arts and religion. Justinian also knew how to choose men of quality as his advisors.
Justinian died on November 15, 565, after designating his nephew, Justin II, as his successor.
His Reign[change | change source]
Justinian's reign marked the transition from the Roman Empire to the Byzantine Empire east of the Mediterranean Sea. Justinian dreamed of restoring the Roman Empire to its former glory, but the empire had ceased to exist since 476, partly due to the Germanic invasions. He therefore, while expanding his empire, focused on its eastern part, and made it self-sufficient. In 532, however, a violent revolt broke out in Constantinople: this was the Nika Revolt. Justinian initially hesitated to flee and abdicate, but his wife Theodora convinced him to stay and suppress the uprising, which he ultimately succeeded in doing. In 536, considered the “worst year in human history”, a cloud of volcanic ash blocked most of the sun’s rays for months, leaving only a few hours of sunlight. This led to crop failures and a resulting famine. In addition, a plague epidemic, then known as the "Plague of Justinian", broke out. Justinian himself contracted the disease but survived, which led to accusations that he had made a "pact with the Devil".
The Wars[change | change source]
Justinian sought to restore the Roman Empire around the Mediterranean. He therefore began by making peace with Persia in 532. This left him free to launch conquests to the west, toward the West.
His chief general, Belisarius, attacked the kingdom of the Vandals in North Africa and defeated them in September 533. This allowed him, by clearing the Mediterranean of Vandal ships, to conquer Corsica, Sicily, and Sardinia. This conquest was often threatened by other kings, notably the Ostrogoth kings, but Justinian managed to maintain control of Italy throughout his reign. Taking advantage of disputes among the Visigoth leaders settled in Spain, he secured control of Baetica (present-day Andalusia).
War had resumed with the Sassanid Persians, but Justinian signed a new peace treaty in 562 that allowed him to expand his influence in Armenia and the Caucasus.
Justinian was the last emperor to attempt to reunite the two parts of the former Roman Empire. But the wars had been very costly. Consequently, his successors, while not renouncing the title of Roman emperor, would no longer seek to maintain military control over the entire Empire, which would gradually lose territory. Gradually, the Empire withdrew into the Greek world.
The Laws[change | change source]
The Byzantine Empire was already wealthy when Justinian became emperor. He was therefore able to undertake a legal reform. He asked his advisors to bring order to the laws, particularly the edicts dating from the reigns of the emperors Hadrian and Diocletian. This reorganization gave rise to a body of laws, known at the time as the Corpus Juris Civilis (in Latin), which is known today as the Justinian Code. This code was written in 529. It was drafted in Latin, the official language of the Empire.
He also had a modernized version of ancient laws and Roman jurisprudence
published, known as the Digest in 533, as well as a manual for teaching law, called the Institutes (in 533). The new laws commissioned by Justinian were written in Greek and are known as the Novels. They date from after 534.
In addition to this reorganization of the laws, Justinian sought to reform and modernize the functioning of the Empire. He consolidated provinces, changed administrative practices throughout the Empire, and often placed military officers in charge of governing the provinces to maintain order. His government was highly authoritarian.
Religion[change | change source]
He sought to impose his will on the Church, in exchange for the military protection he provided against heresies. For him, Christianity was a state religion, meaning that all inhabitants of the Empire had to be Christian, and that he had the right to decide what was best for the Church.
He therefore issued regulations regarding the role of priests and bishops.
Justinian sought to combat the pagans. He banned the worship of pagan gods in Anatolia.
He also sought to bring together the various Christian groups, which had split apart for theological reasons. In particular, he fought against the Monophysite Christians. At times, he tended to oppose the popes.
Culture under Justinian[change | change source]
Justinian’s Empire was very wealthy, due to the destruction of the Vandal Kingdom, which reduced piracy in the Mediterranean Sea, and thanks to Justinian’s conquests. Byzantine merchants were able to trade throughout the Mediterranean world.
There was active trade between Gaul, Italy, the coasts of North Africa, Egypt, and Syria. Through the Kingdom of Ethiopia, Byzantium also traded with China via the Silk Road.
All this wealth made it possible to foster a vibrant cultural life. Justinian and his wife Theodora sought to restore the grandeur of Ancient Rome. "Hymns" (a form of religious poetry) were composed in praise of the emperor and Christianity. Artists were invited to enrich and beautify Byzantium and the other cities of the Empire.
Justinian and Theodora are depicted in their imperial regalia, alongside the leading figures of their court, in two famous mosaic panels in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna.
Justinian the Builder[change | change source]
Justinian is known for having radically reorganized the city of Constantinople.
Justinian was first and foremost a great builder. He commissioned the construction of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, dedicated to Divine Wisdom (‘'Sophia’' in Greek), between 532 and 537, by the architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus. The first dome collapsed in 558 following an earthquake, and a second one was rebuilt in 562.
Throughout the Empire, Justinian financed the construction of cities, bridges, baths, and roads.
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| The Byzantine emperors | |
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| Valens | |
| Isaac I | |
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This article contains content translated from the article Justinien on the French Wikipedia.
The original work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. A list of the original authors can be viewed in that article's page history. |