Question

Justinian reigned from 527-565 CE. Summarize the accomplishments and disasters of his period in control.

Answer 1

Among Justinian's major accomplishments were: He extended the Byzantine Empire dramatically. During his Western wars, Justinian had bought peace with the Persians through regular payments of gold. This sort of policy is almost always a mistake, and Justinian's adoption of it was a disaster. While the Byzantines poured out money, men and materiel in their Western wars, the Persians sat back and allowed Byzantine bullion to swell their treasury.

Answer 2

During his reign Justinian's best general, Belissarius, managed to reconquer the best part of the Italic Peninsula, except for Lombardy in the northern part. Also, he reconquered the former Roman colony of Carthage in northern Africa. A personal feat of Justinian was the compilation of all Roman law into the "Justinian Law Code."

In the final years of his reign, an epidemic struck the Eastern provinces and the huge loss of population would soon make it easy for Muslim Arabs to take over he best provinces of Justinian's empire one century later. As Justinian's wife died, he became apathetic to government affairs and this would allow the Germanic tribes to recover most of the lands previously reconquered by Belissarius who had to withdraw from Western Europe and Northern Africa due to a shortage of soldiers.