Lectures - How Justinian Destroyed Rome to Save It

Justinian I is remembered as one of the greatest emperors in history, who constructed Hagia Sophia and codified Roman law, which became one of the most influential documents in the foundation of the Western legal tradition today. He is also famous for his attempt to restore the glory of the Roman Empire by reclaiming North Africa and Italy, which had fallen to Germanic invaders. But the wars were especially devastating to Italy, which returned to Roman rule as a poor frontier province. Ironically, much of the way of life for Romans in Italy that had been preserved under the rule of the Ostrogoths was now destroyed by Justinian. This reconquest was however short-lived, as the empire called its troops for wars in the East, exposing Italy to a new Germanic invader: the Lombards. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place looks at the ideas of identity, continuity, and innovation in the context of the post-Roman transition in Late Antiquity, to consider whether Justinian actually destroyed Rome while trying to save it. Join the livestream to participate in the discussion and to ask questions to our lecturer during the Q&A. Other topics covered in this lecture include: Corpus Juris Civilis Roman Empire Byzantine Empire Ostrogoths Vandals Visigoths Fall of Rome 📚 Browse our catalogue of free lectures at https://www.centreplace.ca/lectures Your generous support allows us to offer these lectures at no cost. Please consider a making donation (tax deductible in the US and Canada): ❤️ https://www.centreplace.ca/donate ️ #lecture #christianity #judaism #bible #biblestudy