Justinian I died on 14 November 565 CE in Constantinople, aged 83. An Eastern Roman emperor, Justinian ruled from Constantinople and sought to restore the Roman Empire to its former glory. His generals, Belisarius and Narses, reconquered North Africa from the Vandals, Italy from the Ostrogoths and part of Spain, though the wars drained the treasury. He commissioned the Corpus Juris Civilis, a codification of Roman law that shaped European legal systems, and he built the great church of Hagia Sophia. His reign also saw the Nika riots, which nearly toppled him, and the outbreak of the plague that bears his name. His wife Theodora was an influential co-ruler.
Before and after
- 6th centuryConstruction of Basilica of San Vitale
- from 552 CE to 657 CEGöktürks
- July 552 CEBattle of Taginae
- 553 CEConstruction of Euphrasian Basilica
- 14 November 565 CEDeath of Justinian I
- from 568 CE to 751 CEByzantine–Lombard Wars
- 20 April 571 CEBirth of Muhammad
- from 572 CE to 591 CEByzantine–Sassanid War of 572–591
- 27 October 573 CEBirth of Abu Bakr
More in Wars, politics & history
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- 1212Children's Crusade
- from 18 July 1270 to 30 October 1270Eighth Crusade
- 30 March 1282Sicilian Vespers
- from 24 May 1337 to 9 October 1453Hundred Years' War
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 6th century.