The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 AD. The Goths had seized Italy and Spain, which were within the borders of this empire. Furthermore, the Franks had taken control of Gaul,
and the Vandals had taken control of North Africa, both countries formerly belonging to the Western Roman Empire.
The Eastern Roman Empire, meanwhile, was experiencing its most brilliant era. In 527 AD, Justinian became the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. Justinian is one of the greatest rulers of the Eastern Roman Empire. Another name for this empire is the Byzantine Empire. When the country’s capital, Constantinople (today’s Istanbul), was in the hands of the Greeks, it carried the name Byzantium. For this reason, the country’s name also went down in history as the Byzantine Empire.
After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire, that is, the Byzantine Empire, survived for another thousand years. It ended when the Turks captured Istanbul in 1453. During the time of Justinian, the Byzantine Empire experienced its most brilliant age.
Where was Justinian born?
Justinian was born in Illyricum (today’s Albania). He was the son of a peasant. Justinian’s uncle, Justin, had risen from the ranks of a soldier to an emperor. In 526, he called his nephew to his side to assist him. A year later, when Justin died, his nephew Justinian became the Byzantine Emperor. Emperor Justinian had two important goals he wanted to achieve: First, he intended to expand the borders of the Empire. He would reclaim the territories in the West that had fallen into enemy hands, thereby re-establishing the ancient Roman Empire.
How were the Justinian Laws prepared?
Justinian then wanted to turn his Empire into a model state of law. He would take the oldest Roman laws and bring order to the country. To deal with this task, he established a commission of twelve people. Within five years, this commission prepared the famous **Justinian’s Laws** (Corpus Juris Civilis), which are the foundation of modern civil law.
Justinian achieved his second goal with greater difficulty. He was forced to enter into many wars. First, he drove the Vandals out of North Africa and the Visigoths out of Southeast Spain. He fought the Ostrogoths in Italy. He established a second capital in Ravenna. But while Justinian constantly thought of advancing westward, he did not show the necessary attention to the East and failed to notice the weakening of his borders. When Justinian died in 565 AD, his successors were unable to expand the empire’s borders. They only managed to protect the borders in the east.
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