Justinian The Great Essay

Justinian the Great

Justinian the great (482-565), also known as Justinian I or Saint Justinian the Great was a Byzantine (east roman) Emperor that reigned from 527 to 565. During his time, his goal was to restore the “greatness” of his empire, and reconquer the western half of the Roman Empire. To do this he gathered “administrators and counselors from outside the aristocratic class. His own modest origins, along with his selection of these court members, contributed to lasting tensions with the Byzantine nobility. This situation was exacerbated by Justinian's authoritarian approach to governance, and his pronouncement that the emperor's will was law further undermined the authority of the city's senate as well as its factions.” (The Byzantine

After the death of Kavadh in September 531, a truce was made with “His successor, Khosrow I, finally came to terms, and the Treaty of Eternal Peace was ratified in 532. The treaty was on the whole favourable to the Byzantines, who lost no territory and whose suzerainty over the key district of Lazica (Colchis, in Asia Minor) was recognized by Persia. Justinian, however, had to pay the Persians a subsidy of 11,000 pounds of gold, and in return Khosrow gave up any claim to a subvention for the defense of the Caucasus.” (Justinian I) With Justinian’s goal of reuniting the with the Roman Empire, he sent out armies to fight the Barbarians who had control of the west. Justinian was successful in his attacks, and was able to take back control of most of Italy and some of Africa. The war effort forced Justinian the Great to raise taxes on the Byzantine people. “The Roman citizens were angry with Justinian about the high taxes for the war effort, and he was becoming unpopular. Even more unpopular was Empress Theodora, Justinian's wife, because she was originally a circus performer and came from the lower class of Romans.” (Emperor Justinian