Several stages are clearly distinguished in the reign of Justinian I. The beginning of the reign (527-532) was a period of extensive charity, distribution of funds to the poor, tax cuts, and assistance to cities affected by the earthquake. At this time, the position of the Christian Church in the fight against other religions was strengthened: in Athens, the last stronghold of paganism, the Platonic Academy, was closed, the possibilities for open confession of the cults of other believers, Jews, Samaritans, etc., were limited. This was a period of wars with the neighboring Iranian power of the Sassanids for influence in South Arabia, the purpose of which was to gain a foothold in the ports of the Indian Ocean and thereby undermine Iran's monopoly on the silk trade with China. It was a time of struggle against the arbitrariness and abuses of the nobility.
The main event of this stage is the reform of law. In 528, Justinian established a commission of experienced lawyers and statesmen. Trebonian, a specialist in law, played the main role in it. First, the commission prepared a kind of constitution - the "Code of Justinian", then codes of specific laws - "Digests", as well as a guide to the study of law - "Institutions". During the legislative reform, they proceeded from the need to combine the norms of classical Roman law with the spiritual values of Christianity. This was expressed primarily in the creation of a unified system of imperial citizenship and the proclamation of the equality of citizens before the law. The reform of Justinian completed the process of creating the legal regulation of the institution of private property, which began in the ancient Roman period. In addition, the laws of Justinian considered the slave no longer as a thing - a “talking tool”, but as a person. Although slavery was not abolished, many opportunities opened up for the slave to be freed: if he became a bishop, went to a monastery, became a soldier; it was forbidden to kill a slave, and the murder of another's slave entailed a cruel execution. In addition, under the new laws, the rights of women in the family were equalized with the rights of men. The laws of Justinian forbade divorce condemned by the church. At the same time, the epoch could not but leave an imprint on the law. Executions were frequent: for commoners - crucifixion, burning, giving to be eaten by wild animals, beating with rods to death, quartering; nobles were beheaded. An insult to the emperor was also punishable by death, even damage to his sculptural images. The emperor's reforms were interrupted by the Nika popular uprising in Constantinople (532). It all started with a conflict between two parties of fans in the circus: Veneti (“blue”) and Prasin (“green”). These were not only sports, but partly socio-political unions. Political grievances were added to the traditional struggle of the fans: the Prasins believed that the government was oppressing them, and patronizing the Venets. In addition, the lower classes were dissatisfied with the abuses of the "Minister of Finance" of Justinian - John of Canpadocia, but the nobility hoped to get rid of the upstart emperor. The leaders of the prasins presented their demands to the emperor, and in a very harsh manner, and when he rejected them, they called him a murderer and left the circus. Thus, an unheard-of insult was inflicted on the autocrat. The situation was complicated by the fact that when on the same day the instigators of the clash from both parties were arrested and sentenced to death, two of the condemned fell from the gallows (“were pardoned by God”), but the authorities refused to release them. Then a single "green-blue" party was created with the slogan "Nika!" (circus cry "Win!"). An open riot and arson began in the city. The emperor agreed to concessions, dismissing the ministers most hated by the people, but this did not bring peace. An important role was also played by the fact that the nobility distributed gifts and weapons to the rebellious plebs, inciting a rebellion. Neither attempts to suppress the uprising by force with the help of a detachment of barbarians, nor the public repentance of the emperor with the Gospel in his hands, yielded anything. The rebels now demanded his resignation and proclaimed the noble senator Hypatius emperor. Meanwhile, the fires were spreading. “The city was a heap of blackening ruins,” wrote a contemporary. Justinian was about to abdicate, but at that moment Empress Theodora declared that she preferred death to flight and that "the emperor's purple is an excellent shroud." Her determination played a big role, and Justinian decided to fight. The troops loyal to the government made a desperate attempt to regain control over the capital: a detachment of the victorious Persian commander Belisarius penetrated the circus, where there was a stormy rally of the rebels, and staged a brutal massacre there. It was said that 35 thousand people died, but the throne of Justinian survived.
https://all-andorra.blogspot.com/2020/07/news-update-01072020-5623.html
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