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The Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Conquest - Justinian
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Under one of Byzantium’s earliest Emperors, Justinian 527-565, attempts were made to drive the
barbarians out from the remains of the Western Roman Empire. Justinian had some successes, as he reconquered the
Italian peninsula, the south coast of Spain and parts of North Africa.
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In Italy, in Ravenna, Justinian established his new capital city as a declaration of his
ambitions, to rebuild the old Roman Empire.
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In Ravenna he founded a new system of law codes, or Corpus Juris Civilis, which are still a
basis of many systems of justice in the world today. Justinian legitimised his works of Empire building by patronising the Christian
Church. In Ravenna he built chapels like Saint Vitale, and ordered craftsmen to make great mosaics to depict the
qualities of Justinian’s Empire, religion, law and conquest.
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In Byzance itself he had the great Hagia Sophia Cathedral built.
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The Italian peninsula was
devastated by Justinian’s own invasion, so severely that it was
Justinian who prevented a reconstruction of the Roman Empire; not the barbarian invaders.
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Justinian's successes were short-lived. By 700 Arabs, Lombards and Slavs had reduced Byzantium to
its original size. Following Justinian’s death the Eastern Byzantine Empire was unable to defend its western conquests
from fresh barbarian invasions.
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The price of conquest in
Italy, Spain and North Africa was crippling for Byzantine finances,
and some historians say that this cost was never recovered.
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Justinian’s actions gained the Byzantine Empire respect from its foes, and a firm basis for the
future, one thousand years until 1453.
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