Title: Roman Empire: Emperor Justinian and His Code of Law
Headings: Roman Empire: Emperor Justinian and His Code of Law
Roman Empire: Emperor Justinian and His Code of Law
Constantinople, from its inception, was a majestic city. It was blessed geographically, was a vital economic and trading hub, a melting pot of cultures and ideas, and the emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire ensured it was an architectural marvel as well. None more so than Emperor Justinian. What is Justinian’s legacy? How did he make Constantinople an even greater city during his reign? And what role did his wife Theodora play in all of this?
Justinian: An Outsider Among the Aristocrats
Theodora: Justinian’s Wife and a Key Advisor
Nika Riots Nearly Ended Justinian’s Reign
Justinian and Theodora Nearly Reunified the Roman Empire
Justinian and the Construction of Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s Code of Roman Law
Common Questions about Emperor Justinian, Theodora, and Constantinople
Keep Reading
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
The Fall of Constantinople Was the True End of the Roman Empire
The Making of Constantinople: Constantine’s “New Rome”

Content: In a series of campaigns against various Gothic groups, Belisarius succeeded in recapturing most of Italy, including Rome itself. Other generals regained parts of Spain, and for a brief time, the Roman Empire of Justinian approached its one-time unified size. All of these campaigns cost considerable amounts of money, and the empire’s resources were further dissipated by a string of serious conflicts with the Middle East-based Sassanians, who remained a powerful and warlike empire. As glorious as Justinian’s reunification might have appeared at the time, and as notable an achievement as it was, like many similar conquests, it would be both short-lived and relatively inconsequential in its permanent effects. Fairly soon after Justinian’s death, almost all of the western Mediterranean territories were once again lost to various barbarian kingdoms. From this point on, the Byzantine Empire would be confined exclusively to eastern Mediterranean. And even in that region, over time, its geographic extent steadily contracted. Learn more about the Byzantine Empire. Justinian and the Construction of Hagia Sophia
Justinian commissioned two famous scientists and mathematicians, called Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, to design a spectacular church that is today known as Hagia Sophia, which was inaugurated on December 26, 537 A.D. (Image: Repina Valeriya/Shutterstock)
At Constantinople, Justinian embarked on a great building program, particularly after the destruction wrought by the Nika riots.