HIST 210: The Early Middle Ages, 284-1000
Lecture 09 - The Reign of Justinian. Professor Freedman opens by discussing why historians use the writings of Procopius and Gregory of Tours, a sixth century bishop whose history of the Merovingian kings is discussed the following week. Procopius's three works - The Wars, the adulatory Buildings, and the invective Secret History - are the best sources on the reign of the Emperor Justinian. Under Justinian and his wife Theodora, the Roman Empire reached its height as it reclaimed territories in North Africa and Europe previously lost to the Vandals, Visigoths and Ostrogoths. However, defeats in war accompanied by heavy taxation led to civil unrest. In addition to the wars, Justinian commissioned a number of large projects like the building of the Hagia Sophia and the organization of Roman law in the Corpus Iuris Civilis. (from oyc.yale.edu)
| Lecture 09 - The Reign of Justinian |
| Time | Lecture Chapters |
| [00:00:00] | 1. Primary Sources: Procopius and Gregory of Tours |
| [00:02:19] | 2. The Emperor Justinian |
| [00:08:42] | 3. Procopius as a Source on Justinian |
| [00:16:28] | 4. Background on Justinian |
| [00:24:10] | 5. The Circus, the Blues and the Greens, and the Nika Riots |
| [00:30:20] | 6. Justinian's Wars |
| [00:38:11] | 7. Justinian's Law Code, the Corpus Iuris Civilis |
| References |
| Lecture 9 - The Reign of Justinian Instructor: Professor Paul H. Freedman. Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov]. |
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