Justinian I (Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Justinianus) (ca. 482-565)
was an emperor of the Eastern Roman (or Byzantine) Empire,
considered by modern scholars to have overseen the most
brilliant of its periods. He ruled from April 527 until his
death 38 years later. Justinian was preceded by his uncle Justin
I and succeeded by Justin II. He was the husband of the famous
Empress Theodora, a strong woman, who preceded him in death
(548). He is best known for his military successes under his
brilliant generals Belisarius and later Narses as he regained
almost all of the territory of the old Roman Empire through his
conquests in Africa, Italy, and even into Spain. Indeed,
Justinian dreamed of reuniting the western Roman empire with the
East and once again living the splendor of what Rome once was.
(The traditional fall of Rome in 476 was not the definitive
landmark that we give it today. Some people, such as Justinian,
still felt that the whole Roman Empire was alive, but the west
was under temporary occupation until