The Impact of Emperor Justinian on The Byzantine Empire

What reforms did he enact?

Emperor Justinian ruled the Byzantine Empire from 527 to 565. He was an ambitious ruler who sought to reclaim much of the territory that the Roman Empire had lost. Justinian was responsible for his various reforms that he implemented that had a lasting effect on the empire even after his passing. After crushing a revolt in 532 with the help and encouragement of his wife, Theodora, Justinian began expanding the territory of his empire and successfully created a powerful army. A major contribution of his reign was the, “…codification of Roman law” that was responsible for simplifying the law and the Code of Law, “…became the basis of imperial law in the Byzantine Empire until its end in1453…[as well as eventually] the basis of the legal systems of all of continental Europe” (Spielvogel & Duiker, 2013).

Another contribution that came from his rule was after the revolt; Justinian rebuilt many parts of the city and built it to be able to withstand enemy attack. The city became a safer dwelling and there were many new buildings that were constructed including churches, hospitals, school and monasteries. As well as building, he created new infrastructures that were especially important including underground water system. Unfortunately, when Justinian died he was unable to leave the Empire with a large amount of money and the territory that had been conquered under his rule was difficult to maintain as it was very spread apart.

Justinian set up an empire of success through his codification and expanded territories and this affected the solidity of the empire after his reign. In the eighth century, the Byzantine Empire became a Greek state while Latin fell out of use. The Empire was also a Christian state and art, especially religious art, was highly valued and embedded in many aspects of society. Although there were religious disputes, the religion of the society was a major part of the foundation and served to hold the Empire together for many years, setting it apart from neighboring civilizations.

References

Spielvogel, J. J., & Duiker, W. J. (2013). The Essential World History. Cengage Learning.

By Tataryn — Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0