Sanchez, Linette

"Justinian: a Complex and Intelligent Ruler"

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Majors: Political Science and Applied Diplomacy

Minor: Spanish

Sophomore, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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Abstract

I will discuss how during Justinian's reign as Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 527 to 565 AD, Justinian proved that he was a complex, intelligent, strategic ruler. To analyze how Justinian was a complex ruler, I examine how he was a leader who embraced the help of his wife, Theodora, and advanced women's roles in the Byzantine Empire. Historians such as Procopius and Malalas also provide reasons to believe that Justinian was a complex ruler through their different, varied interpretations of Justinian's actions as Emperor. Justinian also established himself as a strategic, intelligent ruler when he encountered some of the worst crises in the empire's history such as the Nika Riots and the Plague of 542 and overcame the challenges these events posed on the empire and his power. Justinian was also a strategic leader as seen through him building marvelous structures such as the Hagia Sophia to cement his legacy

Course: Honors 205

Interdisciplinary Arts

Professor: Elena Boeck

Department of History of Art and Architecture