Question

Justinian is considered to be the last Roman Emperor to speak Latin as a first language. What does this fact imply about the changes in the Roman Empire at that time?

The Western Empire had lost most of its political, religious, and economic power.

The conquests of Justinian had succeeded in making the Romans allies of the Byzantines.

The Eastern Empire had been influenced by the linguistic changes taking place in “barbarian” lands.

The empire of Justinian rejected the concept of a single Roman Empire.

Answer 1

Justinian's conquests didn't necessarily make the Romans allies of the Byzantines since the Byzantines regarded themselves as the inheritors of what the Roman Empire used to be. They saw themselves as reclaiming that which had always been a part of themselves. The Eastern Empire wasn't influenced by 'barbarian' tongues, nor did Justinian reject the idea of a single Roman Empire -- his conquests proved that.

So the only answer that makes sense is that the Western Empire had lost most of its political, religious, and economic power. The focus of the Western World shifted to the East where most of the action would be and which was one reason why Constantine made it the new Roman capital centuries earlier.