JUSTINIA'NUS, FLANIUS, born near Sardica in Mcesia in 482 or 483 of obscure parents, was nephew by his mother's side to Justinus, afterwards emperor. The elevation of his uncle to the imperial throne in 518 decided the fortune of Justinian, who, having been educated at Constantinople, had given proofs of considerable capacity and appli cation. Justinus was ignorant and old, and the advice and exertions of his nephew-were of great service to him during the nine years of his reign. He adopted Justinian as his colleague, and lastly, a few months before his death, feeling that his end was approaching, he crowned him in presence of the patriarch and senators, and made over the imperial authority to him, in April 527. Justinian was then in his forty-fifth year, and he reigned above thirty-eight years, till November 565, when he died. His long reign forms a remarkable epoch in the history of the world. Although himself unwarlike, yet by means of his able generals, Belisarius and Narses, he completely defeated the Vandals and the Goths, and re-united Italy and Africa to the empire. Justinian was the last emperor of Constantinople who, by his dominion over the whole of Italy, re-united in some measure the two priucipal portions of the ancient empire of the Caesars. On the side of the east the arms of Justinian repelled the inroads of Khosroes, and conquered Colchis; and the Negus or King of Abyssinia entered into an alliance with him. On the Danubian frontier the Gepida, Longobards, Bul garians, and other hordes, were either kept in check or repulsed. [Bsussnirs.] The wars of Justinian's reign are related by Precopius and Agathias.
Justinian must be viewed also as an administrator and legislator of his vast empire. In the first capacity ho did eome good and much harm. He was both profuse and penurious; personally inclined to justice, he often ovorldoked through weakness the injustice of sub alterne ; he established monopolies of certain branches of industry and commerce, and increased the taxes. But he introduced the rearing of silkworms jute Europe ; and the numerous edifices he raised, the town, he repaired or fortified, attest his love for the luta, and his anxiety for the security and welfare of his dominions. Procopine, ' rEdificiis Domini Justiniani,' gives a notice of the towns, temples (St. Sophia among the rest), convents, bridges, roads, walls, and forti fications constructed or repaired under his reign. The same Proeopius however wrote a secret history Anecdote ') of the court and reign of Justinian and his wife Theodora, both of whom he paints in the darkest colours. Theodora indeed was an unprincipled woman, with some abilities, who exercised till her death in 548 a great influence over the mind of Justinian, and many acts of oppression and cruelty were committed by her order; hut yet the 'Anecdote' of Procopius cannot toe implicitly trusted, as many of his charges ore evidently misrepro ecntations or malignant exaggerations.
Justinian was easy of access, patient of hearing, courteous and affable in discourse, and perfect master of his temper. In the con spiracies against his authority and person he often showed both justice and clemency. He excelled iu the private virtues of chastity and temperance; his meals were short and frugal : on solemn fasts he contented himself with water and vegetables, and he frequently passed two days and as many nights without tasting any feed. He allowed
himself little time for sleep, and was always up before the morning light. His restless application to business and to study, as well as the extent of his learning, have been attested even by his enemies ('Anecdote,' c. 8, 13). He was or professed to be a poet and philo sopher, a lawyer and theologian, a musician and architect ; but the brightest ornament of his reign is the compilation of Roman law, which lets immortalised his name. The first compilation of the most useful laws, or 'constitutions; which had been promulgated by the predecessors of Justinian from Hadrian to his own time, was published in April 529. A revised code, divided into twelve books, was issued in December 534, under the title of the Codex Justinianeus repetita prselectionis,' and thenceforth had the force of law. In the year follow ing the publication of the first edition of hia Code, Justinian undertook tho much greater and more important work of extracting tho spirit of jurisprudence from the decisions and conjectures, the questions and disputations, of the Roman civilians. Their lucubrations bad in the course of centuries filled a vast number of volumes, but Trebonius and his sixteen to whom Justinian entrusted the commission, completed their task in three years. The work was styled 'Digests,' and also 'Pandeette' (' embracing all %, and was published in December 533. It was declared by the emperor that it should have the force of law all over the empire, and should supersede all the text-books of the old jurists, which In future were to be of no authority. The 'Digests' is divided into fifty books, each book being also divided into titles, and subdivided Into sections. While the 'Digest' was being compiled, Justinian commissioned Treboniue and two other civilians to make an abridgement of the first principles of the law, for the use of young stu dents. This new work being completed, was published under the name of ' Institution's:3' about a month before the appearance of the 'Digest.' Besides these three compilations, the Code,' the ' Institutes,' and the 'Digest,' Justinian, after the publication of the second edition of his Code,' continued to issue new laws, or constitutions, chiefly in Greek, upon particular occasions, which were collected and published together after his death under the name of Novae, or Consteutiones Novellne, or Authenticoa. The Novellas are divided into 9 Collationes and 168 Constitutiones, or, as they are now often called, Novels. The Novellas, together with thirteen edicts of Justinian, make up the fourth part of his legislation.
Unfortunately Justinian's love of theological controversy led him to interfere with the consciences of his subjects, and his penal enactments against Jews and heretics display a spirit of mischievous intolerance which has ever since afforded a dangerous authority for religious per secution. Justinian died, at eighty-three years of age, on the 14th of November 565, leaving no children, and was succeeded by his nephow, Justinus II.