Early Eastern Europe (Byzantine, Slavs & Russia)
Byzantine Emperor Justinian (r ) Wife Theodora was very influential: –Women got property rights –Inspired Justinian to crush the Nika rebellion in 532 Wanted to restore the Roman Empire: –533 – began the reconquest of Italy (against Ostrogoths), North Africa (against Vandals) & Spain (against Visigoths) –After Justinian’s death, the empire lost most of the territory
Justinian Code Wanted to restore Roman Law – so appointed a commission to codify the old laws. After 6 years, the commission published the Corpus of Civil Law, or Justinian Code, which became the basis for most European legal systems.
Byzantine Architecture: Hagia Sophia
Church of Hagia Sophia