Justinian I
Byzantine Emperor (483–565 CE) who briefly reconquered Rome's western territories, codified Roman law in the Corpus Juris Civilis, the foundation of all European legal systems, and built the Hagia Sophia.
Justinian is one of history's most consequential rulers for what he preserved, not just what he conquered. His Corpus Juris Civilis (Body of Civil Law, 529–534 CE), compiled by the jurist Tribonian, collected, systematized, and rationalized all Roman law into a single comprehensive code. This became the foundation of the civil law tradition that governs most of continental Europe, Latin America, and much of the world today.
His military campaigns, led by the brilliant general Belisarius, temporarily recovered North Africa from the Vandals, Italy from the Ostrogoths, and southern Spain from the Visigoths. The Italian campaign was particularly costly, 20 years of devastating warfare that left Italy so depopulated and impoverished that it took centuries to recover.
His relationship with his wife Empress Theodora, a former circus performer and actress, professions associated with prostitution in Byzantine law, is both historically remarkable and symbolically important: she was his equal partner in governance, and when the Nike riots of 532 nearly overthrew him, it was Theodora who refused to flee and saved the empire.
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Why is Justinian's legal code so important? ＋
The Corpus Juris Civilis (529-534 CE) systematized all Roman law into a comprehensive, rational code. When it was rediscovered in medieval Italy (11th century), it became the foundation of the civil law tradition that governs continental Europe, Latin America, and much of the world today.
Who was Empress Theodora? ＋
Justinian's wife and equal partner in governance, a former circus performer who rose to become empress and, during the Nike riots (532 CE), refused to flee while most of the court advocated escape. Her courage allowed Justinian to remain and suppress the revolt, saving his reign.