483 - 565 (82 years)
| Name | Justinian I'the Great' | |
| Suffix | Byzantine Emperor (Eastern Roman Empire) | |
| Born | 11 May 483 | Tauresium, Zelenikovo Municipality, Skopje, Dardania, Macedonia, Greece  |
| Gender | Male | |
| Occupation | 09 Aug 525 | Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey |
| Byzantine Emperor: 9 Aug 525 to 14 Nov 565 Preceeded by his Uncle Justin I Succeeded by his Nephew Justin II | ||
| History | Between 532 and 537 | Hagia Sophia (the Church of the Holy Wisdom), Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey |
| Emperor Justinian I commissioned the constructed of the Hagia Sophia (the Church of the Holy Wisdom), from what had been a basilica style church burnt down during the Nika rebellion in 532, splendidly rebuilt according to a completely different ground plan. Consecrated on 27 Dec 537, this new cathedral, with its magnificent dome filled with mosaics, remained the centre of eastern Christianity for centuries. When he first saw the building Justinian declared 'Solomon, I have surpassed thee' Justinian also rebuilt its neighbouring sister church Hagia Eirene (St. Irene, 'Holy Peace'). Another prominent church in the capital, the Church of the Holy Apostles, which had been in a very poor state near the end of the 5th century, was likewise rebuilt | ||
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Hagia Sophia (the Church of the Holy Wisdom), Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey View of the Hagia Sophia from Sultanahmet square |
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| History | 540 | The Mediterranean |
| A comet airburst impact likely accounts for climate change indicated by tree rings (Baillie 1995, 1999) describing an AD 540 event lasting from 536 to 545. Historical records involve reduced sunlight, mists or "dry" fogs, crop failures, famines in China and the Mediterranean, and plagues. Climate change in 44 BC, 207 BC, 1159 BC, 1628 BC and 2345 BC (see Noah) could also be due to comet airbursts, except the episode 1628 BC which can be attributed to volcanism: the explosion of Santorini north of Crete destroying the Minoan civilization. http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/ce070799.html | ||
| History | 548 | Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
| Under Justinian I's patronage the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, which features two famous mosaics representing Justinian and his consort Theodora, was completed. The church was begun by Bishop Ecclesius in 527, when Ravenna was under the rule of the Ostrogoths, and completed by the 27th Bishop of Ravenna, Maximian in 548 during the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna. | ||
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Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
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| History | Abt 550 | Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey |
| Allegedly monks who had discovered the secret of the silk moth's life cycle, smuggled silk worms out of China and presented them to Emperor Justinian. Mulberry trees were planted to provide the silk worms with food and a new industry was created in Byzantium. | ||
| History | Jun 552 | Gualdo Tadino (Taginae), Umbria, Italy |
| Justinian I dispatched a force of approximately 35,000 men (2,000 men were detached and sent to invade southern Visigothic Spain) under the command of Narses. The army reached Ravenna in June 552, and defeated the Ostrogoths decisively within a month at the battle of Busta Gallorum in the Apennines. | ||
| History | 561 | The Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
| The Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo, erected by the Ostrogoth King Theodoric as his palace chapel, was reconsecrated in 561, under the rule of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, under the new name "Sanctus Martinus in Coelo Aureo" (Saint Martin in Golden Heaven). Justinian I may also be responsible for defacing mosaics that once depicted the Basilica's founder King Theodoric and now show Justinian I's face. | ||
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The Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
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| History | Bef 565 | St. Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai, Saint Catherine, Egypt |
| A settlement established at the end of the 4th century was built to protect the Burning Bush, through which God had spoken to Moses at the foot of the Holy Mountain and received the tablets of the law. A pilgrim Egeria visited them in the early 380s recording her visit. In the 6th century the monks appealed to Emperor Justinian for protecting against the Bedouin. A garrison was sent to protect the monks and an architect named Stephen (Greek: Stephanos, crown) from Aqaba, Jordan (Eilat, Israel) designed the Basilica Church from local volcanic rock. Its roof beams recorded the generosity of Justinian and his late wife Theodora. | ||
| Died | 13/4 Nov 565 | Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey |
| Person ID | I3500642325 | Red1st |
| Last Modified | 29 Jan 2010 | |
| Father | Sabbatius | |
| Mother | Vigilantia, b. Abt 455 | |
| Family ID | F1345770815 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family | Theodora, Empress consort of the Byzantine Empire, b. Abt 497, Famagusta, Cyprus , d. 08 Jun 548, Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey (Age ~ 51 years) | |
| Married | Abt 527 | |
| Last Modified | 29 Jan 2010 16:45:50 | |
| Family ID | F1389230782 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Photos |  | Justinian I 'the Great', Byzantine Emperor (Eastern Roman Empire) Mosaic in The Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. This may be a modified portrait of Theodoric 'the Great' Amal, King of the Ostrogoths. |
| Justinian I 'the Great', Byzantine Emperor (Eastern Roman Empire) Mosaic in The Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. |
