Question

What was Justinian I’s role in the decline of the Byzantine Empire?

Answer 1

long series of events led to the decline of the Byzantine Empire over many centuries. [ [ Such as: 634 ? Start of the Byzantine-Arab Wars 1025 ? Death of the soldier-emperor Basil II 1071 ? The Battle of Manzikert 1180 ? Death of Manuel I Komnenos 1185 ? Demise of the Komnenos dynasty 1204 ? Fourth Crusade conquers Constantinople Of these, the Byzantine-Arab Wars and the Battle of Manzikert have traditionally been considered the most significant. However, recent books by Paul Magdalino and J. Birkenmeier have re-evaluated the position of the empire in the 12th century, citing the collapse under the Angeloi (1185?1204) as the most decisive turning point in the empire's fortunes. Although this view is not universally held, historians generally agree that after the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the empire was only a shadow of its former self. The death of Michael VIII in 1282 marks the last period of Byzantine success on anything more than a minor scale. From this date onwards, the empire entered its final decline

Answer 2

Justinian was terrible with money and while he and his armies were successful (under Belisarius) in restoring most of what was held by the former Roman Empire, he nearly drove himself to bankruptcy in doing so. The years after his death saw most of everything that was gained fall back into barbarian hands because the army was overstretched and had actually shrunk -- there wasn't enough money to pay all of the soldiers and man all of the garrisons in the new territories.