Justinian - by Peter Sarris (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In the sixth century CE the East Roman (or "Byzantine") Emperor Justinian presided over nearly four decades of remarkable change. From his capital of Constantinople, he directed armies to re-conquer territories that had been lost to Roman control in the fifth century, while also taking on the neighboring superpower of Persia. Most histories of Justinian's reign focus on these military exploits, and on the unprecedented persecution of religious and sexual minorities that earned him the epithet "Demon King." In Justinian Cambridge historian Peter Sarris argues that the emperor's achievements were more fundamental and diverse. Justinian oversaw the formalization of Roman law, creating a body of law that survived into the Middle Ages and, to this day, forms the basis of legal systems across much of Europe. Through his energetic reform program, and his energetic self-glorification, Justinian redefined what it meant to rule, providing a model of active statecraft to which future Byzantine and Holy Roman emperors, medieval kings, and even Muslim caliphs and Ottoman sultans, would aspire. And yet, in recasting Roman society as an "Orthodox Republic," one in which his vision of the true Christian faith would prevail, Justinian laid the foundations for the exclusions and persecutions that characterized Medieval Christendom. Drawing on the latest scholarship, Justinian provides a panoramic history of the emperor's life and reign, shining new light on both the context of Justinian's program of imperial renewal and his true priorities. Justinian aimed to restore the majesty of the Roman Empire and the power of the emperor, whom he believed to be appointed by God. The same religious and moral agenda that earned him his reputation as a demonic tyrant also inspired him to seek to improve the lot of humbler members of Roman society, and especially of women, on behalf of whom his wife, the Empress Theodora, lobbied him persistently. The book also examines the vast impersonal forces that threatened to shake Justinian's empire to its very foundations, including a dramatic period of climate change and, most devastatingly of all, bubonic plague, which wiped out, by some estimates, half the population of Constantinople. Justinian provides a radical reassessment of an emperor's legacy and achievement. Even as Justinian sought to recapture Rome's past greatness, he paved the way for what would follow"--

Book Synopsis

A definitive new biography of the Byzantine emperor Justinian

Justinian is a radical reassessment of an emperor and his times. In the sixth century CE, the emperor Justinian presided over nearly four decades of remarkable change, in an era of geopolitical threats, climate change, and plague. From the eastern Roman--or Byzantine--capital of Constantinople, Justinian's armies reconquered lost territory in Africa, Italy, and Spain. But these military exploits, historian Peter Sarris shows, were just one part of a larger program of imperial renewal. From his dramatic overhaul of Roman law, to his lavish building projects, to his fierce persecution of dissenters from Orthodox Christianity, Justinian's vigorous statecraft--and his energetic efforts at self-glorification--not only set the course of Byzantium but also laid the foundations for the world of the Middle Ages.

Even as Justinian sought to recapture Rome's past greatness, he paved the way for what would follow. 

Review Quotes

"An important milestone in the study of Justinian and his time."--Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"An expert, readable and thought-provoking biography of Justinian...This book is essential reading for anyone curious about later antiquity, and it will give profit and pleasure to those with broader interests."--London Review of Books

"A wonderfully vivid and fluent study."--Wall Street Journal

"Teases out...tensions and more in his new biography of Justinian, illuminating a central figure in a signal period in the history of the West."--New Criterion

"A majestic, sparkling account of one of the most important rulers in history. Meticulously researched, beautifully written, filled with insights, this is modern history writing at its finest."
--Peter Frankopan, New York Times-bestselling author of The Silk Roads

"Superb and gripping. Epic historical biography that brings the emperor to life with analysis and empathy and a work of scholarship filled with new ideas and revelations."
--Simon Sebag Montefiore, New York Times-bestselling author of The World

"In this comprehensive account...Sarris brings his subject's world to vivid life. The result is a clear-eyed view of a complex historical figure and his times."
--Publishers Weekly

"Justinian looms so large in the landscape of the ancient Mediterranean that it is almost impossible to take his measure. Yet Sarris has done so convincingly, offering a lucid and persuasive account of a ruler as invested in the mechanics of government as in waging wars of conquest. A remarkable achievement."
--Kate Cooper, author of Queens of a Fallen World

"Effortlessly erudite, lucidly written, with a sharp eye for the telling detail, Peter Sarris has written the great biography of the greatest of the Byzantine emperors."

--Rory Stewart, New York Times-bestselling author of The Places in Between

"Justinian's long life mirrored that of ancient Rome itself: Both rose from lowly origins to supreme power, survived revolt and conquered rivals, crafted laws, and erected mighty monuments, only to be worn down by insurgents, invaders, and plagues. In a stunning tour de force, Peter Sarris brings one of history's most momentous dramas back to life."
--Walter Scheidel, author of The Great Leveler

"Sarris's Justinian is magnificent. A vivid and authoritative biography of one of Rome's most fascinating rulers, Justinian is also a vibrant portrait of an entire world--a resurgent Roman Empire suddenly devastated by tragedy."
--Kyle Harper, author of The Fate of Rome

"Spectacularly good: a wonderfully colorful biography of the man who remade the Roman Empire. Sarris plunges us deep into a world of imperial conflict, religious paranoia, pandemics, and climate change while never losing sight of the extraordinary character at its heart. Based on decades of scholarship, this is the definitive history of the emperor and his times and a thrilling testament to the glories of Byzantium."
--Dominic Sandbrook, cohost of The Rest is History

About the Author

Peter Sarris is professor of late antique, medieval, and Byzantine studies at the University of Cambridge. He is author or editor of eight books on the history of late antiquity, the early Middle Ages, and Byzantium, including Byzantium: A Very Short Introduction. He lives in Shepreth, UK.