by Peter Sarris
New York: Basic Books, Hachette, 2023. Pp xx, 522+.
Illus., maps, notes, index. $35.00. ISBN: 1541601335
Emperor, Builder, Lawgiver, Conqueror
On a wall of the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, there is a superb mosaic panel depicting the emperor Justinian standing with a local bishop and a group of imperial guards and officials. The work of master artisans, the striking image is frequently reproduced, including on the dust jacket of this new biography. Justinian stares out at us directly, his large eyes emphasizing the spiritual quality that characterizes “Byzantine” art.
We know quite a lot about this Sixth Century ruler, in his own words and in the extensive writings of his contemporary, the historian Prokopios of Caesarea (lived c. 500-565). Justinian is remembered as a great builder, thanks to his construction of Hagia Sophia, the immense cathedral of Constantinople that was the world’s largest enclosed space for centuries. He is remembered as a great lawgiver thanks to his sponsorship of the Corpus Juris Civilis (“The Body of Civil Law”) which compiled and codified the vast and confusing mass of Roman laws. He is even remembered as a great conqueror, although he rarely left the safety of his palace, while his brilliant generals, notably Belisarius and Narses, regained North Africa and Italy for the empire.
The book’s seventeen chapters are organized chronologically in four Parts and a brief Epilogue:
Part 1: The Rise to Power
Ch. 1. An Empire Divided
Ch. 2. From Rags to Riches
Ch.3. Succession
Part 2: A Turbulent Beginning
Ch. 4. Confronting the Enemy
Ch. 5. The Body of the Law
Ch. 6. The Voice of the People
Ch. 7. Building Heaven on Earth
Part 3: Imperial Expansion and Power
Ch. 8. The African Campaign
Ch. 9. The Battle for Italy
Ch. 10. The Sleepless Emperor
Ch. 11. A New Kind of Power
Ch. 12. The ‘Orthodox Republic’
Part 4: The Great Unravelling
Ch.13. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Ch. 14. Propaganda and Dissent
Ch. 15. Opportunistic Imperialism
Ch. 16. Death and Decline
Ch. 17. Imperial Legacies
Epilogue: End of Empire
Justinian owed his position to his uncle, the emperor Justin I (ruled 518-527) who adopted him as his designated successor. Justin changed the law so that Justinian could legally marry his beloved Theodora, daughter of a circus bear-keeper who had been an actress and prostitute. After Justinian became emperor, the couple survived an urban uprising (the “Nika riots,” 532) and an outbreak of bubonic plague (542) that killed a fifth of Constantinople’s population. Following Theodora’s death from cancer in in 548 (thanks to her charitable works, she later became a saint of the Orthodox Church), Justinian became increasingly isolated, and his final years were troubled by a series of assassination plots:
“Justinian’s longevity was a cause of amazement to some and a source of profound irritation to others.”(p. 389)
Having no son, Justinian never designated a successor, but following his death in his sleep on November 14, 565, his nephew, married to a niece of Theodora, seized control of the palace, and was quickly crowned as Justin II (reigned 565-578).
Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint will be read with pleasure by readers with an interest in this fascinating era. The author, Peter Sarris is Professor of Late Antique, Medieval and Byzantine Studies at the University of Cambridge.
Our Reviewer: Mike Markowitz is an historian and wargame designer. He writes a monthly column for CoinWeek.Com and is a member of the ADBC (Association of Dedicated Byzantine Collectors). His previous reviews include, The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire, The Age of the Dromon: The Byzantine Navy, ca. 500-1204, Military Saints in Byzantium and Rus, 900-1200, Heroes and Romans in Twelfth-Century Byzantium: The Material for History of Nikephoros Bryennios, The Power Game in Byzantium: Antonina and the Empress Theodora, Siege Warfare and Military Organization in the Successor States (400-800 AD), Constantine XI Dragaš Palaeologus, Romanland: Ethnicity and Empire in Byzantium, The Emperor in the Byzantine World, The Politics of Roman Memory: From the Fall of the Western Empire to the Age of Justinian, Theodosius and the Limits of Empire, Byzantium Triumphant: The Military History of the Byzantines, 959–1025, Rome Resurgent: War and Empire in the Age of Justinian, Bohemond of Taranto, The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada, Ancient Rome: Infographics, Byzantium and the Crusades, A Short History of the Byzantine Empire, Theoderic the Great, The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium, Battle for the Island Kingdom, Vandal Heaven, The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome, Herod the Great: Jewish King in a Roman World, Caesar Rules: The Emperor in the Changing Roman World, and Ancient Rome on the Silver Screen.
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Note: Justinian is also available in e-editions.
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