Justinian I

Justinian I (482 – 14 November 565), traditionally known as Justinian the Great and also Saint Justinian the Great in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized renovatio imperii, or "restoration of the Empire". Because of his restoration activities, Justinian has sometimes been known as the "last Roman" in modern historiography.

Early life

Justinian was born in Tauresium, Dardania, around 482. A native speaker of Latin (possibly the last Roman emperor to be one), he came from a peasant family believed to have been of Illyro-Roman or Thraco-Roman origins. The cognomen Iustinianus, which he took later, is indicative of adoption by his uncle Justin.

Reign

Justinian's rule constitutes a distinct epoch in the history of the Later Roman empire. The eastern frontier of the Empire was fundamentally reshaped during his reign. In 527, the first year of his reign, he fought the Persians and won. In 532, he ordered the building of the Hagia Sophia, the largest cathedral of the ancient world. In 533, his general Belisarius invaded North Africa and by 534, all of North Africa was in his hands. In 535, his general Belisarius invaded Italy and by 540, most of Italy was under his control.

Legacy

Justinian's reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized renovatio imperii, or "restoration of the Empire". His general, Belisarius, swiftly conquered the Vandal kingdom in North Africa, extending Roman control to the Atlantic Ocean. His most significant legislative achievement, the Corpus Juris Civilis, is considered the foundation of canon law in the Western Church.

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