This is the essay for the 4th week of the 7th Grade Ron Paul Curriculum. It’s about Justinian the Great.

 

Justinian the Great.

I shall be looking at Justinian the Great and what he did during his reign.

Before, during and after Justinian’s reign Byzantium was at war with the Persians. They had a lot of wars but before Justinian died in 561 AD the Persians and the Byzantines signed a peace treaty. Then eleven years later war broke out for the thousandth time.

Before Justinian became emperor he was a shepherd boy. When Justinian was 16 he stopped shepherding and walked all the way to Constantinople, where his uncle was the commander of the emperor’s guards. His uncle allowed him to stay and gave him a great education. Because of this when Justinian was a young man he was: good looking, intelligent and widely respected.

After the death of the previous emperor Justinian’s uncle, became emperor. He assisted his uncle when he got older and, also became co-emperor a few months before his uncle’s death. Justinian became sole emperor in 527 AD he ruled until 565 AD. When Justinian, became emperor he began to be known as Justinian the great for his accomplishments.

Justinian appointed highly efficient, but unpopular government officials. This and a chariot race caused the Nika Riots of 532 AD. Half of Constantinople was burned and 30, 000 citizens killed. Justinian almost fled, but didn’t. In the fire the Hagia Sophia was destroyed, which Justinian would later rebuild.

Justinian expanded the Byzantine empire to include North-Africa, Italy and South-Spain. He first conquered North-Africa from the Vandals.in 533 AD. Then by repeated invasions of the Arabs all of North-Africa was lost to the Arabs in 700 AD.

In 552 AD the Byzantines took Italy from the Ostrogoths. The war made Italy depopulated and devastated, which made Byzantium unable to defend from the invasion of the Lombards in 568 AD.

In 551 AD Justinian conquered Southern-Spain from the Visigoths. In 624 AD The Byzantines fully lost control of Spain.

In 555 AD the Byzantine empire was at it’s peak spanning Asia minor, parts of the Balkans, parts of the middle east, North-Africa, Italy and Southern-Spain.

In 537 AD Justinian would rebuild the Hagia Sophia destroyed in 532 AD. He also worked on 33 other churches. Justinian codified Roman law into  the Code of Justinian. The code of Justinian was used as a basis for imperial law until 1453 AD. Justinian, also encouraged education and new industries, because of this silk production and factories was begun during his reign.

Justinian died in 565 AD at the age of 83. Justinian was an active leader all the way to his death. After Justinian’s death the byzantine empire began to decline in power and size.