in books that we read, lessonbooks from which we learn, and tv documentaries that we watch regard justinian among one of the greatest
byzantine emperors, during whose reign the empire reached its greatest territorial extent. however when justinian invaded the
west he
had to buy off the persians which were a grave threat to the empires eastern borders, and by the time of
his death the treasuries of the empire were empty, and after the reign of justinian ended the entire southern portion of the empire fell, and persians , then arabs, as well as asiatic barbarians threatened the ensuing rulers. after
his reign we see a loss of the entire southern empire -
egypt and
alexandria -a major city of the empire, the breadbasket of the empire, as well as jerusalem. the only gains of justinian that were kept for a significan period was present day
area of the former yugoslavia,
sicily and portions of
italy - mainly in the south.
however, if justinian paid more attention to the sassanians and the general rise of islam, would things have gone more differently ? would the empire gain major stability as during the reign of
basil II who once and for all descicively took care of the bulgars who in the previous century nearly took
constantinople and took over the empire and brought what is in my ophinion the era of the empires greatest
peace and prosperity ?
ophinions appreciated
levon
