Extra History | Chronological Order | Pre-History - 1699 CE - Justinian - Caesar I was, and am Justinian - Extra History - Part 12

📜 Byzantine Empire: Justinian and Theodora - Part 12 - Extra History Faced with a crumbling empire, Justinian remained determined to realize the dreams of his youth - even though he was now over 65 years old and without Theodora by his side. He worked tirelessly to bring revenue back to the empire, and with money in hand he could finally deal with the forces that threatened it. He assembled his last company, an odd selection of leaders for his army, made up of men who were either old, or inexperienced, or even known for failure - yet they succeeded. His instinct for choosing the right person for the job did not fail him, as one by one his last company made peace with Persia, tamed the Balkan threat, and reclaimed Italy from the Ostrogoths. But fate was not yet done with him. A wave of natural disasters and the return of the plague shook the empire while its foundations were still being rebuilt, and left it vulnerable to an invasion by the Bulgars. Justinian turned to his old friend Belisarius, calling him out of retirement for one final campaign. As always, Belisarius succeeded against the odds, but it would be his last fight. One by one, all of Justinian's close friends and advisors died of old age. Increasingly alone, he spent his last years trying to consolidate his empire and struggling to reconcile the Christian church. Finally, after one of the longest reigns in Roman history, Justinian died in 565 CE. His reign was a great "What If:" What if all those disasters hadn't struck? Would his grand amibtions have succeeded? He accomplished so much with the expansion of empire, the construction of the Hagia Sophia, and his overhaul of the legal code. But in the process, he risked - and perhaps lost - everything. He emptied the treasury, overextended the borders, and left the empire vulnerable to the Ottomans years later. Good or bad, his legacy reaches through the centuries to touch our lives today. * Watch Extra History ad-free & get 1-week early access on *NEBULA* https://go.nebula.tv/extrahistory * Suggest & Vote on our next episodes, get exclusive content & 24-hour early access on *PATREON* https://bit.ly/EHPatreon * Show off your fandom with *MERCH* from our store! http://extracredits.store/ *Interested in sponsoring an episode?* Email us: [email protected] TWITTER: http://bit.ly/ECTweet I FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/ECisonInstagram I TIKTOK: https://bit.ly/ECtiktokz GAMING: https://www.youtube.com/@extracredits I TWITCH: https://bit.ly/ECtwitch *Miss an episode in our Justinian & Theodora Series?* Part 1 - https://youtu.be/H_2E0RxVHH4 Part 2 - https://youtu.be/klq84Z9O4GU Part 3 - https://youtu.be/eGL_M1SQV5E Part 4 - https://youtu.be/_NpDvBX2XEI Part 5 - https://youtu.be/oakBpmsJJ9Q Part 6 - https://youtu.be/0W8wIAV1Pu4 Part 7 - https://youtu.be/oUtEJtBeCaQ Part 8 - https://youtu.be/EO9DuuhNEoE Part 9 - https://youtu.be/aN1imOXR4b4 Part 10 - https://youtu.be/RwXAGiIVsgQ Part 11 - https://youtu.be/I6vn6uRlPL8 Part 12 - https://youtu.be/6oHr-zd6Bew Series Wrap-up & Lies Episode Part 1 - https://youtu.be/FZwsRVgEu3A Series Wrap-up & Lies Episode Part 2 - https://youtu.be/wNs4Lklnky4 ♪ "Monogenes Pais" by Sean and Dean Kiner - https://youtu.be/kSWO0JOKmWA - Available on Patreon! Thanks for the high-quality conversations & for following our community guidelines here: https://bit.ly/ECFansRNice Artist: David Hueso I Writer: James Portnow I Voice: Daniel Floyd I Editor: Carrie Floyd ♪ Extra History Theme by Sean & Dean Kiner I ♪ Music by Demetori: http://bit.ly/1EQA5N7 #ExtraHistory #ByzantineEmpire #History