Transcript The reign of Emperor Justinian I and his wife

The reign of Emperor Justinian I
and his wife, Empress Theodora
Justinian, Emperor of Byzantium
I. Born the son of a peasant with distant relations to
the Imperial throne.
II. He enacts many reforms and policies in his long
reign that help to preserve the culture of
ancient Rome.
III. We will go through these Achievements one at a
time and describe each in detail.
Achievement # 1
Reforming the Laws of Rome
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1. The Laws of Ancient Rome had not been
sorted out in many centuries. They were the
laws of the Roman Empire, but they were simply
remembered by law experts.
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2. He sets his court to collecting, revising and
organizing Roman laws.
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3. The Corpus Juris Civilis – “Body of Civil Law”
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4. Becomes the model for law systems
throughout all of Europe, including the Roman
Catholic Church.
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5. Also guided law thinking today.
RESULT:
HUGELY important. Preserved Roman law and
became the basis of law for all western
governments from that day forward. Including
the Catholic Church.
Achievement # 2
The Reconquest of Rome
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Justinian was determined to get back the old
lands of the Western Roman Empire.
He launches a series of bloody and expensive
wars to do so.
Under command of his general Belisarius,
Byzantine armies recapture North Africa, Italy and
Southern Spain.
In the end, the cost of these wars meant they
could not hold onto the land they had conquered
for long.
After Justinian dies (of old age), the lands are
quickly lost again
Result: Hurt the Byzantine empire. Far too expensive
an undertaking. The victories of his armies were
not possible to maintain because of the huge
costs involved.
Achievement # 3
The Preservation of Imperial
Authority and the growth of
Byzantine Power
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Continues the Roman tradition of autocratic rule.
Uses his authority to control Church activities in
his empire
Pivotal Moment: The Nika Rebellion
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See Reading
Also made trade routes to the east safer and
more efficient by making new agreements and
alliances.
Also responsible for the smuggling of silk worms
into the empire, making Byzantine silk production
possible.
Result: Preserved autocratic rule for future emperors.
Increased the effectiveness of Byzantine trade
and economics.
Achievement #4
The transmission of GrecoRoman culture
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Like Augustus in Rome, Justinian built many
magnificent buildings.
In doing so, he preserved Greco-Roman art
styles.
His buildings used Roman architecture styles as
well as art styles.
Most important was the Church of Hagia Sophia
(Holy Wisdom)
It was burned down during the Nika Rebellion.
Justinian wanted to make it a monument to his
faith (Christianity).
Roman architecture like arches and Greek
architecture like columns are widely used.
Roman art like mosaics are widely used.
Result: This and other building projects display the
influence of Greco-Roman civilization. Justinian
embraces and transmits it to the future.