483-565

Byzantine Emperor

The most famous of all the emperors of the Byzantine, or Eastern Roman Empire, was Justinian I. After becoming emperor, he embarked upon an extensive building program that produced many magnificent examples of early Byzantine architecture, including churches, aqueducts, and canals, throughout Constantinople. He commissioned the building of the Church of the Holy Wisdom, or the Hagia Sophia, which is the best known example of the Byzantine style of architecture. Many of his administrative programs as emperor have stood the test of time and have been integrated into modern policies.

Justinian I, ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire from A.D. 526-565, preserved Roman law for future generations. (Bettmann/Corbis. Reproduced with permission.)

Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Justinian was born in the year 483 to Slavic parents in a country along the eastern Adriatic coast. Little is known of his early years except that as...