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Warm Up
1. What is the Justinian Code?
2. Name two things we have studied that are
similar to the Justinian Code.
3. Why are these “codes” important to
people? Especially to people today?
Byzantine Empire
I. Byzantine Foundations
A. The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern half
of the Roman Empire when it was divided
B. Constantinople, the Byzantine capital, was
located near the centers of early Christianity
as well as on major trade routes.
C. The Byzantine people spoke mostly Greek
but also spoke Latin and Persian dialects.
Over time the Byzantine Empire would
flourish and become much more advanced
both socially and economically than western
Europe.
II. Justinian’s Rule
A. Justinian ruled the
Byzantine Empire at its
height.
B. Through pressure from
his wife, Theodora,
Justinian increased the
rights of women
throughout the empire.
C. The Justinian Law Code
remains his lasting
achievement.
(Corpus of Civil Law)
III. Justinian
A. Born in 483 CE to a
peasant family
B. Adopted by his uncle,
Justin.
C. In Constantinople,
Justinian is educated on
Roman history, theology
and Roman law.
D. In 518 CE, Byzantine Emperor
Anastasius dies; leaves throne
to Justinian’s Uncle Justin, a
close advisor and member of
the imperial guard.
Justin’s reign, 518-527 CE.
E August 1, 527 CE, Justinian
becomes emperor of the
Byzantine Empire at the height
of its glory.
F. His intense work habits earn
him the nickname, “the emperor
that doesn’t sleep.”
G.
Chooses his cabinet of
advisors based on merit,
rather than choosing from
the aristocracy or by
popularity.
H. Creates a scandal by
marrying a peasant girl,
Theodora.
I.
A former student of Roman
law, Justinian creates a
team of legal scholars to
rewrite the law.
IV. Justinian’s Code
A.
The re-written law; a single, uniform code of
400 years of Roman law, which would become
known as Justinian’s Code. It included 4
books.
1.
2.
3.
4.
B.
The Code- the established or “old” law.
The Digest- 400 volumes of legal philosophy
The Institute- to teach the law to future lawyers.
The Novellae- to contain the new laws.
Decided legal questions that regulated whole
areas of Byzantine life.
VI. Accomplishments
A. In order to solidify
Constantinople’s
place as the imperial
city, Justinian began
massive building
projects.
1. To show his strong belief in Christ,
Justinian built massive churches
throughout the empire
2. To protect the city from invasion, he
rebuilt the perimeter wall, the Wall of
Constantine.
B. Justinian’s military objective was to retake
the former Roman Empire.
• 1) Secures a treaty of peace
with the Sassanid Empire.
• 2)Hires Belisarius to led his
army and dispatches him to
North Africa. Defeats the
Vandals in 533 CE.
• 3) In 535, Justinian orders
Belisarius’s army to Italy to
recapture Rome. Defeats
Ostrogoths in 540.
• 4) 541, Sassanids break treaty
and attack Byzatine Empire,
Belisarius fights to a draw but
negotiates a new border, taking
more land.
C. Thanks to the success of General Belisarius,
Justinian recaptures much of the former
Roman Empire, including the capital, Rome.
VI. Empress Theodora
A. Early in Justinian’s reign, Theodora
adamantly encouraged Justinian to standup to a revolt that was threatening the
government. She also
1. Created homes for abused women and
prostitutes.
2. Helped pass of a law that classified rape
as “punishable by death.”
3. Advocated religious tolerance
4. Promoted women’s rights including
divorce, property ownership and
inheritance.
VII. Byzantine Religion
• The crowning glory of Justinian’s
reign was the Hagia Sophia church in
Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey)
• In the 700’s a dispute broke out over
the use of icons in worship.
• The differences between the east
and the west continued to grow.
• In 1054, a schism, or complete break,
separated the Eastern and Western
Churches.
Decline and Fall of Constantinople
A. The Byzantine Empire suffered constant
attacks by invading armies especially
those of Persia and Arabia.
B. During the mid 500s the bubonic plague
hit the empire killing 10,000 a day at its
peak.
C. By the late 1300’s the empire was reduced
to Constantinople and part of Greece.
D. With the fall of Constantinople, Christian
lands to the north were now open for
Islamic attacks.
STOP HERE!
• Hand out copies of Critical Thinking
Questions for Legal Issues (Worksheet)
• Then hand out the Class Set of “Comparing
Two Codes of Law.”
• Please make sure the students return the
Class Set of “Comparing Two Codes of Law”
before they leave.