What peoples inhabited the Byzantine Empire under Justinian the Great?

The Byzantine Empire is the eastern part of the once powerful and vast Roman Empire. It was formed as a result of its division between the sons of the last emperor of the united country, Theodosius, Arkady and Honorius. In the future, the fate of both empires developed in different ways, but the eastern part - Byzantium lasted almost a thousand years more than the western, until 1453. About what peoples inhabited the Byzantine Empire under Justinian, you can learn from the numerous Greek sources.

The appearance of Byzantium

The Eastern Roman Empire was a very developed state of its era, both economically and politically. Constantine and his followers pursued the goal of strengthening the state and placed their power at an unattainable level. It was announced that the power of Basileus is the will of God, thus a formula was derived about the divine origin of the power of the Byzantine emperors. Which peoples inhabited the Byzantine Empire under Justinian - a very serious matter. This statesman waged great wars of conquest, and the territory of the country during his reign was repeatedly changed. In 534, the territory of northeastern Africa fell under Byzantine rule, by the mid-1950s Italy and Ostrogoths were included in the orbit of the country's influence. In 553, Justinian, taking advantage of internecine strife, seized part of the Iberian Peninsula. However, these conquests were very unstable and constantly exposed to the onslaught of the Visigoths, Lombards and other peoples of the neighboring empire.

The Conquest of Justinian

Therefore, it is possible to say about which peoples inhabited the Byzantine Empire under Justinian, but this area is rather large: it is possible to speak with absolute certainty about the inclusion of Slavs, Greeks, most of Armenians, Arabs and Jews in the state. This required the state of extreme stress and maximum use of all available resources. However, the Emperor Justinian did not take into account the costs, trying to turn Byzantium into a kind of Roman Empire at the time of its highest flowering. All this predictably led to a great indignation of the people, it was with this sovereign the country was shaken by the most powerful uprisings in the history of the empire. Syria, Palestine, Egypt were taxed exorbitantly, in addition, because of these rich and strategically important lands, the state was permanently at war with the Persians. This was the Byzantine Empire under Justinian. The map of his conquests clearly shows the expansion of the state, nevertheless, it was extremely unstable in the socio-political terms.

Prerequisites for the collapse of the empire

Such a policy provoked a response in newly conquered lands, the Byzantines, like their predecessors Romans, repeated similar mistakes: having conquered a vast territory, they could not fully control it. Therefore, to answer the question: "Which peoples inhabited the Byzantine Empire under Justinian?" - it is possible in different ways, depending on what time period from his reign is meant. But even in this case, the insurrections and attacks of the Slavs split the one or the other part from the empire, and Byzantium again had to make titanic efforts to conquer the deposited peoples. However, the Emperor Justinian not only fought. The architecture has developed tremendously, true works of art are being created, just then the majestic church of St. Sophia in Constantinople, book publishing developed a great development. The history of the Byzantine Empire is the brightest example of state building, an amazing art, neighboring with unprecedented cruelty and despotism.