Who were Justinian and Theodora and what did they accomplish?

Answer 1

Justinian was the emperor of the Byzantine empire. He became emperor in 527 AD CE. His influential wife was the Empress Theodora. She encouraged her husband to crush the so-called Nike Rebellion.

Answer 2

Justinian I (or the Great) was an emperor of the Byzantine Empire (reigned 525-565). This term has been coined by historians to indicate the eastern part of the Roman Empire after the fall of the western part. Justinian set out to recover the lands lost by the western part of the Roman Empire. He managed to retake Italy, northwest Africa and southern Spain, thus gaining control of the western Mediterranean. With the 20% increase in imperial revenues this generated, he embarked on Christian church construction and extensive infrastructure development. He protected the Orthodox Church and created the legal framework for the internal working of the church, and the relationship between church and state. He was described as the 'nursing father of the Orthodox Church.' He undertook persecutions of dissident Christian doctrines and pagans. Justinian is also well known for having commissioned the Corpus Juris Civilis (Body of Civil Law) which collected four centuries of imperial edicts into one book (previously they were kept on scrolls) and also scrapped obsolete ones, revised others, and clarified obscure passage, thus rationalising Roman civil law. His reign is seen by historians as a distinct period of byzantine history.

Theodora was Justinian's wife. She was a resolute woman. She persuaded Justinian and his court not to flee Constantinople during serious riots. Eventually the riots were put down. Thus, she saved Justinian's throne. She introduced laws which improved the rights of women and gave a degree of protection against sexual exploitation. She also supported a dissident Christian sect even though Justinian was opposed to this sect.

Answer 3

Justinian and Theodora were one of the rulers of the Byzantine Empire. They where the ones that split Christianity into Roman Catholic and Christian Orthodox.