Justinian I

Emperor Justinian I Justinian I (A.D. 482 – 565) was the Byzantine or East Roman Emperor from 527 A.D. until the year of his death. He was born in Illyria, a part of Macedonia that is now in Yugoslavia and was the son of a Slavonic peasant. His original name was Sabbatius. He moved to and was educated in Constantinople. Justinian never traveled much, spending most of his time in Constantinople. He once thought of leaving because of the rebellion occurring during the Nika riots, but made the decision to stay. He was persuaded to stay by his wife Theodora, who is shown standing with him in my project. He married Theodora and she helped Justinian stop the rebellion, so she played a crucial role in his success in that battle. Under his leadership he collected Roman laws under one code, called the Corpus Juris Civilis (Body of Civil Law). This code, also known as the Justinian Code , is the basis of the legal systems in many countries today. This code improved the lives of the citizens and officials. It brought order and peace to their nation. Justinian was an orthodox Christian and tried to unify his empire under one Christian faith. He persecuted those who were not Christian. In 529, he closed the schools of philosophy in Athens, Greece, because he felt they taught paganism (non-Christian beliefs). Justinian was call "The Great". He recaptured many parts of the Roman Empire in the West from barbarians. He built fortresses, harbors, bridges, aqueducts, monasteries, and the church of Saint Sophia. This is located in what is now Istanbul, Turkey. In the early 530's Justinian began a series of wars against the Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Visgroths, By the mid 550's, his armies had taken northern Africa, Italy, and parts of Spain. Overall, Justinian was a great ruler because of the many things he did for his country, such as setting up a code of unity, protecting his