Justinian I

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Early career
Foreign policy and wars
Internal policy
Ecclesiastical policy
Legacy

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Images

Mosaic detail of Emperor Justinian I with a jeweled crown and halo, wearing ornate robes, from the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.

Historical map showing the migrations and kingdoms of the Goths during the 5th and 6th centuries AD in Europe. The map uses color shading to distinguish the Ostrogothic and Visigothic kingdoms at different points in time, with arrows marking the migration routes of each group. Key cities such as Milan, Rome, Toulouse, Cartagena, and Toledo are labeled, as well as significant migration dates and the site of the Battle of Vouille in 507.

Byzantine mosaic showing Emperor Justinian I and Bishop Maximian at the center, surrounded by soldiers on the left and clergy on the right, with intricate patterns framing the scene.

Map showing the changing boundaries of the Byzantine Empire around the eastern Mediterranean. Three areas are marked: the largest outline shows the empire's greatest extent under Justinian I (527-565), a medium pink area shows the empire in about 1020, and a smaller red area shows the empire in about 1360. Key regions include Asia Minor, Greece, the Balkans, and parts of Italy, North Africa, and the eastern Mediterranean coast, with Constantinople marked as the capital.

Justinian I, detail of a mosaic, 6th century; in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna

Mosaic portrait of Emperor Justinian I with a jeweled crown and halo, from the 6th-century Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.

At a Glance

Justinian I summary

Quizzes

Statue of of the Roman emperor Nero with the lighthouse in the background at Anzio, Lazio region, Italy

Roman and Byzantine Emperors Quiz

Overlooking the Roman Forum with Temple of Saturn in Rome, Italy

The Roman Empire

Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon in Coronation Robes or Napoleon I Emperor of France, 1804 by Baron Francois Gerard or Baron Francois-Pascal-Simon Gerard, from the Musee National, Chateau de Versailles.

Kings and Emperors (Part III) Quiz

Related Questions

How did Belisarius conquer the Vandal kingdom for Justinian I?
How did Emperor Justin I help Justinian I begin his political career?
How did Justinian I try to reduce corruption among provincial governors?
How did Justinian I use forts, treaties, and subsidies to defend the Balkan frontier?
How did Justinian I’s laws affect pagans, heretics, and Samaritans?
How did Theodora help Justinian I survive the Nika revolt?
How did Totila regain much of Italy from Justinian I’s forces?
How did the Digest change the use of earlier Roman jurists’ writings?
How did the silk trade help finance Justinian I’s empire?
How was the Code of Justinian rediscovered in medieval Italy?
What other public works did Justinian I build besides churches?
What religious edict did Justinian I issue near the end of his reign?
What was the disagreement between Chalcedonian Christians and Monophysites during Justinian I’s reign?
What were Justinian I’s most important achievements as Byzantine emperor?
What were the four parts of the Code of Justinian?
What were the terms of the Treaty of Eternal Peace between Justinian I and Khosrow I?
When did Justinian I become caesar and co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire?
When did Justinian I rule the Byzantine Empire?
When was Hagia Sophia built under Justinian I?
When were the Codex Constitutionum, Digest, Institutes, and Novels completed?
Where was Justinian I born?
Which groups joined together during the Nika revolt in Constantinople?
Which territories became part of the Byzantine Empire after Justinian I’s conquest of North Africa?
Who succeeded Justinian I as Byzantine emperor after his death in 565?
Why did Justinian I hold Pope Vigilius in Constantinople?
Why did Justinian I invade the Vandal kingdom in North Africa?
Why did Justinian I launch a war against the Ostrogoths in Italy?
Why did Justinian I make laws about religion and religious groups?
Why did Justinian I make peace with Persia in 532?
Why did Justinian I outlaw the sale of provincial governorships?
Why did Justinian I reorganize the Byzantine imperial government?
Why did Justinian I’s government collect high taxes?
Why was Italy difficult to rebuild after Justinian I’s wars with the Ostrogoths?
Why was Justinian I known as a Latin-speaking Byzantine emperor?
Why was Roman law disorganized when Justinian I became emperor?
Why was the Institutes written during Justinian I’s legal reforms?
Who was Justinian I?
How did Justinian I become emperor?
What did Justinian I accomplish as emperor?
What was the Code of Justinian?
What was the miracle of St. Jerome?
Who was St. Jerome?
Why is St. Jerome considered an important figure in Christianity?
What was St. Jerome’s most famous work?
What was Trajan’s childhood like?
What were Trajan’s achievements?

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External Websites

World History Encyclopedia - Biography of Justinian I
Humanities LibreTexts - Justinian
Jewish Virtual Library - Justinian I
The Met - The Byzantine State under Justinian I (Justinian the Great)
Roman Emperors - Justinian
CUNY Pressbooks Network - Birth of Europe - Justinian I and the rise of Byzantium
Encyclopedia Iranica - Justinian I
History Today - Death of Justinian I

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Justinian I - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Justinian I

Byzantine emperor

Also known as: Flavius Justinianus, Petrus Sabbatius

Written by

Joan Mervyn Hussey

Emeritus Professor of History, Royal Holloway College, University of London. Author of The Byzantine World and others.

Joan Mervyn Hussey

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 10, 2026 •History

Justinian I (born 483, Tauresium, Dardania [probably near modern Skopje, North Macedonia]—died November 14, 565, Constantinople [now Istanbul, Turkey]) was a Byzantine emperor (527–565), noted for his administrative reorganization of the imperial government and for his sponsorship of a codification of laws known as the Code of Justinian (Codex Justinianus; 534). Justinian was a Latin-speaking Illyrian and was born of peasant stock. Justinianus was a Roman name that he took from his uncle, the emperor...

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