Justinian DBQ

Emperor Justinian revived the Byzantine empire through his military triumphs, legal work, ecclesiastical polity and architectural activity and creating the Justinian Code. He was the sixth century emperor, and the only one who established an aristocracy by choosing men of humble birth as his closest advisors; for he wanted to work with honest and true people. His inner craving caused him to aggressively expand the empire and restore the Byzantine Empire to the prosperity comparable …

…reconquered nearly the entire Mediterranean empire once held by Rome. During the first half of his reign, more of Justinian's successes were achieved. Because he was young and had more and better ideas that eventually wore off as he got older. Justinian suffered a deep crisis for about 10 years of his middle years while being Emperor; including a bubonic plague that devastated the Empire and which killed about a half of the population of Constantinople.