In many cases, when considering the greatest Roman leaders, the name of Justinian I or Justinian the Great rarely pops up in any discussion instead, other names such as Julius Caesar (Roman general) and his nephew Augustus/Octavian Caesar often take center stage. Nonetheless, his impact in the Roman empire lies unrefutably for the remarkable way he delivered the Roman empire. Justinian was born in the Western Roman Empire in 482 A.D. At the time, the western empire was rapidly crumbling leaving only the Byzantine or the eastern empire.
One common element of all Roman leaders was the aspect of war and conquering new territories. Since Julius Caesar, Octavian, Diocletian, and Constantine these leaders have had to battle bloody battles enjoying great success and failure. Additionally, leaders like Octavian brought about great peace and economic prosperity that lasted 40 years. Nonetheless, Justinian was rather different although he engaged in bloody battles with ruthless armies like former leaders. Following the reclamation of Byzantine, he embarked on changing the legal framework of Rome. He had scribes put down legislation in what was called the “Corpus Juris Civilis” or the Civil Law (Allan Evans, 2015). Some of these laws are still in use to date while others have been expanded to cover more issues. Unlike other empires, Justinian made the Byzantine Empire landscape in a manner that reflected the power of his rule in the land. He built beautiful structures all over the Empire including Constantinople and the Hagia Sophia. The large cathedral represented materials and artifacts as well as the heritage of Byzantine. Although the Hagia Sophia, for instance, has suffered extensive damage from battles and earthquakes, it still stands to show the greatness of Justinian I.
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Reference
Allan Evans, J. (2015). The Emperor Justinian and the Byzantine Empire. Choice Reviews Online , 43 (02), 43-0695d-43-0695d. doi: 10.5860/choice.43-0695d
