The next strong and effective rulers to come after Pulcheria are Justinian and Theodora who reigned from 527 to 565. Of all the Emperor following Constantine, Justinian is arguable the most accomplished of reinforcing the idea of “One God, One Empire, One Emperor” through his acts that bolstered the Church and the Empire and inseparable entities while also solidifying his power and making the Emperor more of an absolute ruler. Justinian and Theodora’s persona as rulers was like that of Constantine and his mother especially in was advantageous to promoting power and linking themselves to the Church. Like their predecessors, Justinian and Theodora acted as co-rulers, with Justinian as the senior ruler (“The Byzantine Empire…” 2017). Theodora, …show more content…
She also made herself accessible to the people in ways such as creating a safehouse for women to escape prostitution and redeem themselves (“The Byzantine Empire…” 2017). Additionally, just as some would argue that Constantine did not convert to Christianity till he was on his death bed so that he would not have to pick between Nicaean and Arian Christianity (and thus maintaining peace between the groups), Justinian, a Chalcedon Christian, and Theodora, a monophysite, came from different factions of Christianity, which may have served to balance the power of the two groups and make their political alignment ambiguous. These parallels are important because they show Justinian and Theodora’s ability to reuse the success of Constantine I and his mother in ruling an empire and the Church in a way that strengthened their power in both …show more content…
Resentment over stricter law enforcement paired with the relentless tax collection of the Prefect of Constantinople, John of Cappadocia, made Justinian unpopular and ultimately resulted in the Nika Riots in 532. The riots destroyed the Constantinople and only ended when Justinian ordered the killing of 30000 people in a single day (“The Byzantine Empire…” 2017). While not a particularly Christian act, there was never another riot against Justinian. Another result of the riots was that, with Constantinople destroyed, there was a huge rebuilding campaign that resulted in the most important piece of architecture in the Byzantine Empire, the church Hagia Sofia. This church, which still exists today, was a masterpiece meant to demonstrated the power of God and the Empire (“The Byzantine Empire…” 2017). While victory at Milvian Bridge and cure from illness had been the proof of Constantine I’s and Theodosius I’s favor with God, the Hagia Sophia was “the proof of the esteem with which God regarded” Justinian (Procopius, 64). Most likely not a coincidence, the building of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople coincided with Justinian’s fairly successful reconquest of the West, starting with the invasion of North Africa in 532. The narrative created is one where in rebuilding of the city and the greatest Christian symbol accompanies the
Did Justinian impact life as we know it because he is such a great ruler, or is he just a follower who keeps trying to hold on to the loose threads of a fallen empire? Some might say that without Justinian, humanity is a step further back. Others may argue evermore that Justinian is a two-faced liar who you cannot trust (Doc. 2). Contrary to many beliefs, Justinian creates a new Byzantine Empire after the fall of Rome that is influential to many different cultures, more advanced and educated than Rome, and more economically thriving than the Roman Empire.
Empress Theodora is a truly inspiring woman. I knew from the lectures in my World Civilization I class that she empowered the Byzantine women, but I had no clue how much she did for them. From the humble childhood working in a circus to becoming a stong empress of an entire empire, Theodora never forgot where she came from. She used her past as a tool to help women that were in the positions that she was at one time in. The gorgeous churches she built, the beneficial laws that were passed during her reign, and the many decrees she passed emphatically affected the people of Constantinople and the whole empire. Not just the women, but all citizens of the Byzantine Empire were positively affected by Empress Theodora
Emperor Justinian of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire, was one of Rome’s greatest leaders. By building numerous churches, schools, and hospitals throughout the empire, Justinian not only managed to revive Roman society, but he also preserved Roman culture for over a thousand years. Justinian’s brilliant leadership led the Roman Empire to conquer lands in Europe and Africa and expand to its greatest size. Additionally, he unified and strengthened the empire by moving the capital to Constantinople and establishing a single faith. After his death, Justinian left a legacy that allowed Rome to continue thriving. Under Justinian’s rule, Rome flourished into a culturally rich civilization.
Emperor Justinian I and Genghis Khan were both fascinating men who led huge empires with great success. A political aspect is that both were successful in extending their empires by gaining territory through conquests and military campaigns. They were different in many ways as well. A social aspect is that Genghis Khan allowed for his people to practice any religion, while Emperor Justinian was not tolerant to different religions and persecuted anyone who was not an Eastern Orthodox Christian. A cultural aspect is that both Genghis Khan and Emperor Justinian I both supported and valued art in their respective empires. They promoted art in their architecture, construction projects and building programs. Emperor Justinian I and Genghis Khan
Because of the rule of Harun-al Rashid, major uprisings began due to his attempts at controlling the local rulers, and civil war broke out. This divided and weakened the Abbasid caliphate. The decisions that led to these massive problems seemed not to be bad or unwise, they seemed too assuming. Trying to control the local rulers presumed their loyalty in him and splitting the empire between his two sons presumed they could get along and not become power-hungry. Justinian shared the same ambition. He tried to extend his empire back to its former glory. He stretched out the empire too far. Justinian did not protect the capital and th...
...s a new Emperor. In 527 CE, Justinian was named Emperor and he was from a long line of Roman emperors. He did many great things to improve Rome such as reforming the Roman laws. He crushed the Vandals in Africa made Carthage part of the “true Roman Empire again. (Tignor, 2011, p. 296) He went head on with the Barbarians from the “old Rome” and was able to gain back most of the control. He created many more churches and made his mark for more than a thousand years of the future Rome.
After reading 9 documents about Justinian and his empire, I have to determine whether Justinian built a completely new empire or did he revive the Roman Empire. Based off of documents 1 through 9, I have came to the conclusion that Justinian created a new Byzantine Empire.
Though one should consider the argument by some historians that the Byzantine Empire was really a continuation of the Roman empire and not in fact a new entity. The Byzantine Empire had been formed in Late Antiquity by the splitting of the Roman empire between the two heirs of Theodosius I. While the two halves retained some ties for all intents and purposes the two were independent entities after 395 CE. While the Western Empire continued to decline, the Byzantines actually flourished and by the 4th century included the Balkans, Greece, Anatolia (Asia Minor), the Levant, and parts of North Africa including Egypt. While Byzantium’s power fluctuated, especially during conflicts with the Islamic civilization and during internal wars, for the majority of its history the Byzantine Empire was a strong political, cultural and economic power in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Significant conflicts in the 11th century caused the Byzantine Empire to decline and this decline was made worse by the Sack of Constantinople in 1204 by the Venetian Crusaders. After this defeat, Byzantium was split into two portions and remained so until 1261 when it was reunified. However, the damage was done and internal conflict and civil war continued to plague the Empire until it ultimately was destroyed by the Ottoman Turks in
The Byzantine Empire, the eastern half of the Roman Empire, flourished as an impressive medieval civilization. This empire was rich with geography, culture, and trade connections due to its location in Constantinople, the isthmus between Asia and Europe. It also lasted for over a thousand years and reached its height and glory during the sixth century, under the reign of Justinian I (Justinian the Great) and his empress, Theodora. They both came from the lower class and gained status to work their way to being rulers of the empire. Justinian and Theodora are important figures in history because they ruled the Byzantine Empire at its height and made many reforms during that time which many still exist today.
Justinian was one of the most influential rulers of Byzantium. When he came into power in 527 AD, he inherited a civilization in disarray. Justinian had a positive impact on the Byzantine Empire. Most notably, he introduced an improved set of laws and conquered many surrounding nations, nearly restoring the former glory of the Roman Empire. In addition to these contributions, Justinian also made advances with the Christian Church and Byzantine architecture.
This was the beginning of Justinian’s famous rule, which lasted from 527 A.D. through 565 A.D. (The Reign of Justinian). The reign of Justinian was significant in many ways. First of all, it marked the final end of the Roman Empire. It was the establishment of the New Byzantine empire. It was also the beginning of Western Europe’s unique position within the civilization of the old world.
Constantine I (February 27, 280 C.E.- May 22, 337 C.E.), also known as Constantine the Great, was the first Roman emperor to not only abolish persecution of Christians, but he was also the first to convert to Christianity in 312 A.D. Around 200 years later, in 496 A.D. Clovis I (466 C.E.- 511 C.E.), the King of the Franks, converted to Christianity, in which he was called a “new Constantine” . Constantine and Clovis’ reign through Christianity were alike in the way that they decided to convert. However, the two emperors were different in their commitment to God and their impacts on the church and state.
The emperor and the pope were both at the top of their respected social hierarchy, as figure heads. Whist both the emperor and pope were the figure heads in their class the power that the held was minor they could be known as a nominal leader. This was different to the high expectations that the public thought, they held high and lots of power, but the option or choice to use it was minimal. This choice was normal to most figure heads in this era of time. With what power that they did hold and chose in force, were minor poisons such as, provisions, duties and the were the presence and face of their country. Although their power was little, in both cases the emperor and pope could choose to use their power and control the social class to be and do what they wanted. All the general and political power was passed down through social class. Despite both the Emperor and Pope were figure heads they both held different positions.
Justinian ruled the Byzantine Empire during its height. His military faced strength from the East that greatly endangered his people. The Sassanian Empire of Persia was one threat that Byzantines needed to conquer. The Persians endangered eastern lands, so Justinian's military prevented any conquest. The Sassanians were defeated and security was briefly gained. After his success, Justinian wanted to regain lands the Roman Empire once lost to invaders. Byzantine armies began a reconquest of Spain, Italy, and North Africa. Battles against various Germanic groups took place, and western lands were conquered by the Byzantines. The wars were expensive, and resources were low. Defense became weak and territories were lost increasingly after Justinian's death.
As the greatest empire in the western world began to crumble one city at a time, the leader of the Roman Empire, Constantine, under pressure from external and internal sources moved the capital of Rome to Constantinople around 330 AD. The movement of the capital was after his conversion to Christianity in 312 AD, a growing religion throughout the empire despite being officially illegal. Constantine was not the devote saint that the church may speak of today, “from 312-320 Constantine was tolerant of paganism, keeping pagan gods on coins and retaining his pagan high priest title "Pontifex Maximus" in order to maintain popularity with his subjects, possibly indicating that he never understood the theology of Christianity” (Ferguson & Grupp, 1998). The first Christian Emperor claimed to have converted after a victorious battle with his brother and there are many that corroborate this story it appears highly suspicious to only promote Christian ideals and worship. Constantine was not even the Emperor that made Christianity the religion of the Roman people, but simply permitted religiou...