Justinian: Genius, Demon, or Rome's Most Consequential Emperor

The Roman emperor Justinian, who ruled from 527-565 AD, transformed nearly every aspect of Roman life. In this course, we explore this enigmatic Roman emperor by reconstructing his military campaigns to reconquer territories the empire lost in the west, his refashioning of the Roman legal system, his monumental construction projects, and his management of the empire as it endured a devastating outbreak of bubonic plague. We then consider why a regime that was so successful was also so polarizing that some Romans even suggested that Justinian was a demon who took human form.