Question

Summarize the ways in which the Byzantine Empire flourished under Justinian.

Answer 1

In short, the Byzantine empire reached its greatest territorial expansion under Justinian thanks to generals like Belisarius, nearly restoring the borders of the old Roman Empire in the West. He had also cleaned up the laws of the empire with the Justinian Code providing equal treatment at any court throughout the land. He also initiated a number of large building projects in the capital and had crushed an uprising to his rule making his unquestioned in the eyes of his people.

On the other hand, Justinian was horrible with money and by the time he died, the army had actually shrunk because he didn't have enough money to pay every soldier. As a result, the huge victories in the West that expanded the empire became fleeting ones -- many of the lands reclaimed under his rule reverted back to barbarian control because the army was stretched too thin to hold them.