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[[File: Justinian I.png|200px|thumbthumbnail|left|Justinian I from a mosaic in Ravenna]]

[[File: Justinian 2.jpg|200px|thumbthumbnail|left|Belisarius from a mosaic]]

[[File: Justinian 3.jpg|200px|thumbthumbnail|left|A gold coin of Justinian I]]Justinian was born in Illyria and his uncle Justin had become commander of the Imperial bodyguard and had been crowned Emperor in 518 AD. Justinian became a trusted advisor to his childless uncle whom he succeeded in 527 AD. He married a former courtesan Theodora, and this was very controversial and made the Emperor unpopular in some circles.<ref><i>Procopius, The Secret History</i>, translated by Anthony Kaldellis (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2010), p 15. </ref> He was a capable administrator , and he ordered the codification of the law code which was very progressive for the time. Justinian was also a great builder , and his greatest achievement was the magnificent Hagia Sophia. The Emperor was a committed Christian , and he closed the ‘pagan’ academy founded by Plato during his reign.

However, Justinian’s years in power was mainly marked by war. Soon after his coronation, the Sassanian Empire invaded the eastern provinces. It was during this war that the great general Belisarius came to prominence. In 532 AD a peace was reached with the Persians , and this allowed Justinian to turn his attentions attention to the western Mediterranean. His suppression of the Nike Riots made him all -powerful in Byzantium.<ref> George, p 45</ref> Justinian created a large army and navy and placed it under the command of Belisarius. He ordered him to attack the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa, whose capital was the ancient city of Carthage (modern Tunisia). This campaign was very audacious as a previous an earlier East Roman invasion was a disastrous failure.

Belisarius was a brilliant strategist and he completely surprised the Vandals. In two battles in 533 and 534 AD he defeated the Vandal king and conquered his kingdom , and it became a province of Byzantium, but it was not pacified for many years.<ref> Procopius, The Wars, III </ref> This was a remarkable achievement, but it did not satisfy Justinian and he had greater ambitions. He wanted to reconquer Rome and Italy which had been the birthplace of the Roman Empire. In 535 he ordered Belisarius to Sicily which he conquered easily and the General then launched a lightning strike against Ostrogothic Italy. In five years, Belisarius, with a relatively small army was able to capture the entire kingdom, founded by Theodoric the Great.

In 540 AD While remarkable, it seemed that failed to satisfy Justinian. He had much grander ambitions because he wanted to reconquer Rome and Italy had been reconquered, but (the situation in the eastern frontier deteriorated, when the Sassanians once more attacked, despite a peace treaty, the eastern border birthplace of the Byzantine Roman Empire). Belisarius was recalledIn 535, and he was forced ordered Belisarius to fight a defensive war against the Persians. The Byzantine army suffered several defeats and it was only a major outbreak of plague that ended this war. The Christian Emperor became seriously ill when Sicily which he contracted the plague, which killed his beloved Empress.<ref>Evansconquered easily, James Allan. The Emperor Justinian and the Byzantine Empire (WestportGeneral then launched a lightning strike against Ostrogothic Italy. In five years, CT: Greenwood PressBelisarius, 2005), p 119 </ref> Because Justinian had been focused on with a relatively small army was able to capture the Persian threat and distracted by his sickness he neglected Italyentire kingdom, and this led to a revival of the Goths under an able leader founded by Theodoric the name of TotillaGreat.

In 540 AD, it appeared that Italy had been reconquered, but the situation on the eastern frontier deteriorated. The Sassanians once again invaded, despite a peace treaty, the eastern border of the Byzantine Empire. Belisarius was recalled, and he was forced to fight a defensive war against the Persians. The Byzantine army suffered several defeats, and it was only a major outbreak of plague that ended this war.  Justianian became gravely ill when he contracted the disease, which killed his beloved Empress.<ref>Evans, James Allan. The Emperor Justinian and the Byzantine Empire (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005), p 119 </ref> Because Justinian had been focused on the Persian threat and distracted by his sickness he neglected Italy, and this led to a revival of the Goths under an able leader by the name of Totilla.  The Ostrogoths managed to recapture nearly all of Italy , and not even the presence of Belisarius could contain their advance. However, Justinian had an iron will , and he ordered an official by the name of Narses to re-conquer Italy. He was given command of a large army and defeated the Ostrogoths in two battles in 543 AD , and he re-conquered the entirety of Italy by 545 A.D.<ref> Procopius, The Wars, VII-VII </ref>  Justinian skilfully exploited a civil war in the Visigoth kingdom in Iberia. A small Byzantine force was able to secure much of south-west Spain. Justinian , as he grew older aged, became increasingly religious and almost withdrew from public life. He made the husband of the niece of his beloved Theodora , his heir and he became Justin II.<ref> Baker, p 118</ref> The most powerful Emperor in over 150 years died in 565 AD , and he was his subjects deeply mourned by his subjectshim.

Justinian believed that his efforts to reconquer the territories of the former Western Roman Empire was an almost religious duty. He was determined as a Christian Emperor to restore the Roman Empire as he believed that it was ordained by God to achieve the ultimate Christianization of the world .<ref>Evans, p 87</ref>. He was himself a Latin speaker and was born shortly after the Fall of the Roman Empire. His campaigns in Italy, Spain and North Africa looked to have at least partially restored the Empire, of Augustus and Marcus Aurelius. <ref>George, p 201</ref>

While impressive, his conquests proved fleeting. Most of Italy was lost in the reign of his successor Justin I. The Lombards, a German tribe, occupied most of Italy by the 570 AD and only the extreme south of Italy and Sicily remained in Byzantine hands. The territories that were taken in the south-west of Spain were lost to the Visigoths within 50 years. While the new North African province was to prosper for another century and it was eventually captured by the Muslims and became part of the Umayyad Empire. The conquests of Justinian were mostly ephemeral and apart from some possession in Italy, and he failed in his efforts to restore the Roman Empire, to its former extent and power. This failure was mainly because caused by his aims did not consider inability to understand the new political realities of the 6th century AD in the Mediterraneanregion.

Justinian wanted to revive the Roman Empire, which he saw as essential for the future of Christianity. He stamped out any practices deemed to be pagan, for example in his reign the last pagan communities were suppressed or converted. However, his policy of Christianization meant that classical learning and philosophy all but disappeared and that education came increasingly under the purview of the Church. His conquests were to end the last vestiges of the Classical World in the Mediterranean, which emphasised reason, secular values, and an urban culture. The wars he fought to secure Italy and Rome were devastating. Here classical culture, continued to flourish, urban living, a state apparatus, and the study of classical subjects had continued even during the rule of the Ostrogoths, preserved by the old Roman aristocracy.

His conquests were to end the last vestiges of the Classical World in the Mediterranean, which emphasized reason, secular values, and urban culture. The wars he fought to secure Italy and Rome were devastating. Here classical culture continued to flourish, urban living, a state apparatus, and the study of classical subjects had continued even during the rule of the Ostrogoths, preserved by the old Roman aristocracy.  The reconquest of Italy left it depopulated and a wasteland and destroyed the last relics of the ancient world. Then the need for evermore taxes for his never-ending wars led to a growing centralization of power in the Imperial Court in the Byzantine territories. This resulted in the end of the autonomy that had been enjoyed by the cities for centuries . <ref>Brown, Peter The World of Late Antiquity: AD 150–750 (London, Fontana, 1989), p 17</ref>. The high taxes and the loss of autonomy meant that many urban centres centers declined, which had long been important in preserving the culture and ideals of the classical world. Justinian’s attempts to revive the Roman Empire led to the demise of the society and culture of Late Antiquity and helped to usher in the Medieval World.<ref>Brown, p 67</ref>

Justinian is widely seen as the ‘Last Roman’ because of his efforts to restore that Empire. His many wars were largely successful, and he did reconquer many areas of the old Western Roman Empire. However, the majority of these were soon lost. The costs of his wars were enormous, and they placed a great strain on the Christian Empire. They attempt to revive Rome, weakened the Byzantines and resulted in a very serious political-economic and military crisis. Paradoxically, the provinces added by Belisarius, proved to be invaluable to the Christian Empire in its life and death struggles with the Arabs. Then there is the fact that the conquests in the west by the Eastern Roman Empire, was an important stage in the transition from the Late Classical World to the Medieval era in the Mediterranean.