Justinian and the Revival of the Western Roman Empire

introduction

Flavius ​​Justinian (482-565 AD) is the most famous of the Byzantine emperors. During his reign (527-565 AD), the Eastern Roman Empire reached the height of its power and greatness. He was born in a Macedonian village to a family of peasants, who spoke Latin. His name was Peter Sabbatius, and he took the name Justinian after his uncle, the military commander and later emperor Justin (518-527 AD), adopted him.

He received an excellent upbringing and became one of the most cultured men of his time. His political rise began during his uncle's reign, when he held a number of high-ranking positions, culminating in the consulship in 520 AD. He shared responsibility for governance and was given the title of Augustus, which guaranteed him the crown prince. He then succeeded his uncle Justin on the imperial throne in 527 AD.

Perhaps the most appropriate name for the Eastern Roman Empire between 527 and 565 AD is the Empire of Justinian, because this empire was not the same as the ancient empire, nor was it the empire with the borders known during most of the Middle Ages. Indeed, only three years after Justinian's death did the borders of the empire change with the Lombard conquest of northern Italy.

The motivation of revive the dream of the Western empire

Justinian had a deep sense of the Roman Empire's great past and was determined to revive its glory by reclaiming its western parts from the hands of the Germanic tribes and kingdoms, reforming administrative disadvantages , and working to compile and codify its legal system. He was also a deeply religious man, believing that the empire's greatness was connected to the unity of its beliefs, the suppression of heresies, and the elimination of the last manifestations of paganism.

This empire expanded thanks to the efforts of Justinian and continued throughout his reign, and its borders began to change after his death.

Justinian's Evaluation

In fact, Justinian occupies a special place in the history of the Eastern Roman Empire. He was the Eastern Roman emperor with Latin-Western leanings. Therefore, historians differ in their evaluation of this emperor, his political ideas and principles, and the efforts he made for the empire.

Among Justinian's dreams of reviving the Western Roman Empire was the restoration of Roman sovereignty over the western regions that had been seized by the German barbarians. He considered his policy in this regard to be an illusion that was difficult to achieve, costly, and more harmful than beneficial. His wars in this regard cost a lot of money, and so his dreams of conquest collapsed after his death.

Emperor Justinian I enacted a series of significant administrative reforms that concentrated power in his hands and government, aiming to unify the empire and reorganize its administration. These reforms included codifying Roman law, reorganizing the imperial government, combating corruption, and attempting to unify religious doctrine.

Justinian's administrative reforms

Justinian paid great attention to the administrative aspects of the Roman Empire, and he believed that he had to carry out massive administrative reforms.

Justinian saw that the duty of administrative officials and taxpayers was to be honest employees, not to take bribes, and to take care of the government's income and work to increase it. As for the duty of taxpayers, it was to pay the taxes due on them in full, willingly and regularly. Thus, Justinian became a protector of the rights of the Roman treasury, and at the same time a defender of his subjects against the injustice of officials and the extortion of their money.

He was keen to include in his decrees the basic principles upon which his administrative reforms were based.

Justinian placed John the Cappadogian at the head of the administrative apparatus, who worked to provide Justinian with the necessary funds to implement his extensive projects. He introduced new taxes, including, for example, the tax called the erikon, which brought three thousand pounds of gold to the treasury.

Justinian worked to simplify administrative matters more than before, so he decided to combine administrative and military powers in the hands of the governor of the province. He also reduced the number of provinces, decreased the number of employees, and increased their salaries so that this would be an incentive to master their work. He also bestowed on the governors of the province the title of (Justiniani) to increase their honor and dignity.

Justinian paid special attention to the administration of the capital, appointing a number of governors, each of whom was given the title of ("Paetorious") and entrusting them with judicial and prison affairs.

In 539 AD, he created the position of (Quaestor), who acted as the public prosecutor. His duties included sealing and opening wills, overseeing the administration of palace property, and investigating forgery cases. He was also responsible for finding work for every unemployed person capable of working, and monitoring those who came to the capital from the provinces without justification, thereby complicating its problems with their actions.

legal reform

One of Justinian's most famous, lasting, and influential works was the compilation and codification of Roman law during his reign, known as the Cropus Luris Civilis (or the Civil Code, consisting of four sections: the Code, the Selected, the Canons, and the Novelties). This preserved Roman laws, which became the source of fundamental legal rules in Europe and many countries around the world. This led to the simplification and unification of law.

Religious reform

In the Byzantine Empire, church and state were indissolubly linked as essential aspects of a single Christian empire that was thought of as the terrestrial counterpart of the heavenly polity. It was therefore the duty of Justinian, as it was for later Byzantine emperors, to promote the good government of the church and to uphold orthodox teaching. This explains why so many of his laws deal in detail with religious problems. Pagans, heretics, and Samaritans, for instance, were forbidden to teach any subject whatsoever, and, though fully appreciative of the classical heritage, Justinian expelled pagan teachers from the once-famous Academy at Athens, an action directed against paganism rather than Greek philosophy.

Justinian also carried out many reforms in the fields of administration, government and judiciary, concentrating all powers in the hands of the emperor and his government. He also tried to unify the religious doctrine in the empire and combat heresies and other doctrines. To this end, he held a church council in Constantinople in 553 AD, but without any notable success. He also made great efforts to spread the Orthodox Christian religion in the Danube regions and Eastern Europe as a means of consolidating Byzantine influence in those regions. He built Hagia Sophia and other important churches and landmarks in Constantinople.

infrastructure

 Justinian made great efforts to maintain roads and bridges, provide water and maintain the walls. He always urged his governors to pay attention to these matters. New cities were established in various parts and were named Justiniana after the emperor. Justinian spared no effort in building baths, entertainment halls and public squares. Based on the desire of his wife Theodora, he reorganized the guardians of public morals and ordered them to tighten the grip on adventurers and those with bad behavior. Theodora was concerned with the matter of bitches, so she made an old palace on the Asian banks of the Bosphorus and named it (the Monastery of Repentance). She also took care to establish hospitals for the sick and places for travelers.