Justinian Codes

Emperor Justinian wanted to save in writing all the laws that began in ancient Rome. In ancient Rome, those laws were called the Twelve Tables. Emperor Justinian collected up all the old laws,and added new ones that gave his people even more rights.He called this body of law the Code.

One of the laws in Justinian's Code stated that a person was innocent until proven guilty. Can you think of any country today that has this same law? Well, sure - we do! Many countries do, including the United States, Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Belgium, and others.

It is not easy to write laws that are fair for everyone. Our founding fathers did a great job with the Bill of Rights, but then they had some great teachers, one of which was Justinian!

Justinian wrote laws that were fair for everyone because he thought about the needs of all the people. He did such a good job way back in 500 CE that new and existing governments still refer to his laws as guides when creating laws for their own countries today!

Examples of Justinian Laws:

Laws About / Justinian Code
Women’s Rights / All women can own property, make
contracts and will, and bring a lawsuit.
Robbery / Robbery was not a crime. The victim could
sue the robber for up to four times the
values of the stolen property.
Failure To Pay Debts / People owed something had to sue the
person owing them to gain debt back.
Murder / Murder was punished by banishment
Inheritance / Women could not inherit property from
their husbands unless it was provided in a
will. Children received equal amounts of
the father’s estate.

Justinian I

· Occupation:Emperor of Byzantium

· Born:482 in Macedonia

· Died:565 in Constantinople

· Reign:527 - 565

· Best known for:The Golden Age of Byzantium and the Justinian Code of Law

Biography:
Early Life
Unlike most of the great rulers during the Middle Ages, Justinian was not born into a royal family. He was born to a peasant woman named Vigilantia in the Macedonian town of Tauresium.
Fortunately for Justinian, his uncle Justin was a rising star in the emperor's imperial guard. Justin adopted Justinian and had him move to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. There Justinian received a good education learning how to read and write as well as law and history.
Justinian's uncle was an ambitious man. He became very close to the emperor and gathered many strong allies. When the emperor died without an heir in 518, Justin seized the position of emperor. Justinian soon became one of his Uncle Justin's chief advisors and generals.
Marrying Theodora
In 525, Justinian married Theodora. Although Theodora was considered below his class, Justinian didn't care. He loved Theodora and wanted to marry her. Theodora was very intelligent and turned out to be one of Justinian's closest advisors and supporters.
Becoming Emperor
When Justin died in 527, Justinian became the new emperor. He was a hard working emperor who was known for surrounding himself with talented people.
Expanding the Empire
The Byzantium Empire was also known as the Eastern Roman Empire. It was Justinian's dream to restore the Roman Empire to its former glory. He sent out his armies commanded by his two powerful generals, Belizarius and Narses. They successfully regained much of the land lost by the collapse of the Western Roman Empire including Italy and the city of Rome.
Justinian Code
Justinian also wanted to preserve the laws of Rome. He had all of the laws written down in one place. Then he added new laws to make sure that everyone was protected by the laws. This set of laws was called the Justinian Code. It was so well written that it became the basis of laws for many countries throughout the world.

Building, Religion, and the Arts
Justinian had a passion for the arts and for religion. Under his reign arts such as poetry and literature flourished. He had a strong belief in Christianity and wrote laws to protect the church and to suppress paganism. He also was a prolific builder. He had churches, dams, bridges, and fortifications built throughout the empire.
These three elements of Justinian's passion came together when he rebuilt the Hagia Sophia. This magnificent cathedral is still one of the most famous and beautiful buildings in the world today.
Chariot Race Riots
Despite all his accomplishments, many people in Constantinople were not happy with Justinian's rule. He had placed high taxes on his people in order to pay for his armies and building projects. In 532, this all came to a head at a chariot race.
At the chariot race the two rival teams, the Green and Blue, united together in their dislike for Justinian. They began to riot. Soon they were attacking the emperor's palace and burning much of the city of Constantinople. Justinian considered fleeing, but at the urging of this wife Theodora, he fought back. Around 30,000 rioters were put to death to end the riot.
Death
Justinian died in 565 after ruling for nearly 40 years. He left no children so his nephew Justin II became emperor.
Interesting Facts about Justinian I

· He introduced new laws that protected both slaves and women.

· There was a horrible plague in Constantinople during the 540s. Justinian got sick, but managed to recover.

· He was the last Roman emperor to speak Latin.

· Because of his hard work he was sometimes called the "emperor who never sleeps."

Justinian was a very unique leader. List three things that made him unique (circle these items in the reading).

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Even though he was born a peasant, how did Justinian become emperor? (Underline this idea).

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What was the significance of the Chariot Race Ride?

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Write minimum of two paragraphs discussing whether or not you believe Justinian was a great leader or not. Make sure to provide support from the article.

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