Was Justinian a good or bad Emperor
In almost any leader in history we can see a combination of good and bad qualities. The Byzantine emperor Justinian was such a leader he was born a peasant and had a 40 year reign, two years before taking the throne he married Theodora who was a former concubine, he exhibits traits showing both great talents and great personality flaws.
Emperor Justinian is sometimes referred to as the last of the Roman Emperors and he desired to return Rome to all of her former glory. He studied and learned from the mistakes of the former Roman Emperors, he developed a large cavalry of horses and an extensively large Navy. He wanted to take back the Western Roman Empire from the Germanic people and succeeded in his conquests as he retook much of the Mediterranean basin. Emperor Justinian’s developed a well-oiled machine and he believed that the Germans practiced a mutated form of Christianity that the Roman Church considered sacrilegious. He did not waste any time and sent his military to reclaim much to the western empire that had been lost after the battle of Adrianople and the fall of Rome, this even included the beloved city of Rome. Since Justinian was loyal to Rome he felt that hit was his duty to reduce this threat and return Rome to the Roman rule.
Justinian had a sincere wish to restore the glory of ancient Rome and improve the empire but the means to which he attempted to accomplish this were devastating to his people. With the increase in his
To answer the question of whether or not Augustus was a good leader, his character and actions must be looked at over the sum of his life. The leadership traits of respect, generosity, fairness, compassion, fearlessness, humility, sensitivity, and innovation appear in The Annals, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, The Deeds of The Divine Augustus and the class textbook. Augustus demonstrated all of these attributes during his 51-year reign as emperor from 63 BCE to 14 CE. However, he was not without fault as he also conducted himself in a less than worthy manner at times. Augustus was not a perfect leader but he matured into a man who was respected and obeyed during life and is still studied almost 2000 years after his death.
Throughout the millennia that humans have been forming societies with leaders, there have been many different kinds of leaders, some effective and others not. Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar shows examples of leaders who prevailed over time and leaders who didn’t. This information combined with knowledge of other past leaders can be used to establish common traits among effective leaders and common traits among ineffective leaders. Although Joseph Stalin is primarily considered a cruel tyrant, he also exhibits several of the leadership traits deemed most effective. While most can agree that his practices were immoral, it is often forgotten that due to his organization, practicality, and determination, Stalin was a decidedly effective leader.
The Byzantine Emperor, Justinian I, was known for his accomplishment, such as improving the Roman law code. This changed the development of law.
Though Justinian, a Byzantine emperor, led a unique empire, he did essentially revive Roman culture and values. Geographically, ancient Rome and the Byzantine Empire were very alike. The map in document 6 indicates the Byzantine Empire controlled North Africa, and land around the Mediterranean, which is similar to ancient Rome. Cultures usually depend on geographic locations, therefore, since the empires had very similar locations, their culture too were alike. In society, both empires adopted Christianity and trade played an important role. These geographic and cultural similarities show that the Justinian Byzantine Empire revived Rome, and prolonged it’s legacy. Ancient Rome built multiple architectural feats, such as the Colosseum. Using
Justinian’s rule before the plague was stable however during the plague the stability of his rule plummeted. As stated before, during the plague Justinian drew blame from his people because of the devastation. However the plague “reduced population drastically, those on arable areas by one-half in fifty years and those in dry areas by a lesser amount. It created a great depression, forced readjustment of population, altered relations among parts of the Empire, and created conditions which were sensitive to accidents.” The loss of life combined with a economic depression greatly lowered the stability of the Empire however they were not the only factors that affect the stability of the realm. To protect the economy Justinian order an edict that froze prices and wages pre plague levels however “As with all such wage and price freezes, Justinian’s edict served mostly to exaggerate the problems they were intended to solve. Shortages of fuel, food and most relevantly for an empire now fighting a two-front war- the
We all hope to have, and understand, the characteristics that an amazing leader possesses. There are many great leaders, spread throughout our history. Malcolm X, George Washington, and Martin Luther King Jr. are just a few people who were blessed with what it takes to step up and become true leaders. By example, some of the other fantastic qualities of leadership also make up two remarkable people: Nelson Mandela and Suleiman the Magnificent. They exhibited many leadership-like characteristics, like them being feared yet admired by their people, or people from other countries, or the fact that they were also very intelligent, and tactical.
During the reign of Justinian, the government attempted to provide a number of services that would improve the lives of the people. These services
Power is always important in human society since society’s existence. Emperors, kings, queens and presidents in every culture and history have tried everything to solidify their reign and enhance their power. One thing they all did is to build a strange and powerful image of themselves. Politicians nowadays use social media and press to build their images which are smart, powerful or trustworthy, Just like things the emperors did in thousands years ago.
Built-in qualities such as intelligence, good looks, height and so on are not necessary to become a good leader. Anyone can cultivate the proper leadership qualities. In order to excel in their leadership a good leader must possess qualities such as self awareness, courage, confidence, innovation, fairness, openness, and dedication among others. Odysseus in The Odyssey, and Samuel, Saul and David in the Books of Samuel, display these characters. However, at some occasions they fail to do so. That is to say, leaders, being it great or small, chosen by God or people, are not completely perfect.
Justinian was a powerful emperor, who reconquered previously owned Roman land. During his time of reign, he helped the Byzantine Empire reach its peak in culture and propeserity. Although some see him as deceptive, as it says in document two“ Justinian was crafty, hypocritical, secretive by temperament, and two faced”. Others say he was “similar to God, who rules all” which is said in document three. He left behind what is still remember today. Achievements and accomplishment of Justinian are what is recalled of him. Justinian revived the Roman Empire into the Byzantine Empire by preservation of Greco- Roman culture, his legacy was enriching the Roman Empire into the Byzantine Empire , glorifying God, and enhancing trade and laws throughout the Byzantine Empire.
During the year 535, Justinian overthrew the Ostrogothic Kingdom, which had occupied Italy after the split and decline of the Roman Empire. Justinian was said to be the most ambitious emperor since Constantine, whose rule ended in 337. His goal in overthrowing the Ostrogothic Kingdom was to eventually reunify the Roman Empire. Belisarius, Justinian’s general, had already
Justinian was a Latin-speaking Illyrian and was born of peasant stock in May 11, AD 483, in a small village called Tauresium, Macedonia. Justinianus was a Roman name that he took from his uncle, the emperor Justin I, to whom he owed his advancement. He also owed his uncle a great thank you because, his uncle legally adopted him and put him into important offices.In 525 he earned the title of caesar and, on April 4, 527, was made coemperor with the rank of augustus. While he was growing up with his successful uncle, his actual family was struggling to get on track. His father Sabbatius of Solovki was one of the founders of the Solovetsky Monastery. Savvaty was a monk at Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. He heard of Valaam Monastery on the Lake
Procopius was the bishop of Caesaria in 500-565 and was married to the empress Theodora. He later became an official court historian and biographer. His writings have a picture of Justinian’s rule and accomplishments. Secret history tells us about Procopius’s justification for making this work and also shows the real Justinian and his wife. Procopius says in his writing it was not normal for certain people to write about the truth of what happened during their time. He hid his real explanation in his other books. It is now his place to tell the secrets of history.
188-189) Theodora was described as a "social reformer" that sought "basic rights for women in the empire." (pg. 189) She was depicted as determined, resolved, and courageous and intended to eliminate prostitution of young girls in Rome. (pg. 189) Justinian was also glorified for his repair of Constantinople and his construction of new, significant buildings such as the Hagia Sophia.
Roman law had first concerned itself with the spread of the Christian faith under the rule of Emperor Diocletian. Becoming the victor of a civil war, Diocletian had acquired the right to rule. Through his reign, it was evident that Diocletian had wanted to enforce his political strength, by imposing various methods to his empire, with varying degrees of success. Reorganizing the state by means of repairing infrastructure, creations of