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Justinian - XII: Caesar I was, and am Justinian - Extra History (Patreon)

Published:
2016-02-26 18:40:05
Edited:
2018-05-15 03:24:23
Imported:
2022-01

Content

We have reached the final days of Justinian's reign. Goodbye, old friend.

Files

Justinian - XII: Caesar I was, and am Justinian - Extra History

Support us on Patreon! http://bit.ly/EHPatreon Grab your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Saturday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC --- (Episode details below) Watch the Justinian and Theodora series! http://bit.ly/1J89hPd Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ____________ Faced with a crumbling empire, Justinian remained determined to realize the dreams of his youth - even though he was now over 65 years old and without Theodora by his side. He worked tirelessly to bring revenue back to the empire, and with money in hand he could finally deal with the forces that threatened it. He assembled his last company, an odd selection of leaders for his army, made up of men who were either old, or inexperienced, or even known for failure - yet they succeeded. His instinct for choosing the right person for the job did not fail him, as one by one his last company made peace with Persia, tamed the Balkan threat, and reclaimed Italy from the Ostrogoths. But fate was not yet done with him. A wave of natural disasters and the return of the plague shook the empire while its foundations were still being rebuilt, and left it vulnerable to an invasion by the Bulgars. Justinian turned to his old friend Belisarius, calling him out of retirement for one final campaign. As always, Belisarius succeeded against the odds, but it would be his last fight. One by one, all of Justinian's close friends and advisors died of old age. Increasingly alone, he spent his last years trying to consolidate his empire and struggling to reconcile the Christian church. Finally, after one of the longest reigns in Roman history, Justinian died in 565 CE. His reign was a great "What If:" What if all those disasters hadn't struck? Would his grand amibtions have succeeded? He accomplished so much with the expansion of empire, the construction of the Hagia Sophia, and his overhaul of the legal code. But in the process, he risked - and perhaps lost - everything. He emptied the treasury, overextended the borders, and left the empire vulnerable to the Ottomans years later. Good or bad, his legacy reaches through the centuries to touch our lives today. ____________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1EQA5N7 *Music by Demetori: http://bit.ly/1AaJG4H ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/23isQfx *Music by Sean and Dean Kiner: http://bit.ly/1LBy9zh

Comments

Anonymous

What a gang

Anonymous

Never mind the Muslim Conquest, I think the best example of how ephemeral Justinian's western domains were was that just three years later, large chunks of Italy were lost to the Lombards. Justinian's reign would be the last time Italy was a single political unit until the 1860's. I'd have to say after the catastrophes of the 540s, Justinian managed to recover and even stick the landing. Some Emperors are lauded for conquest, like Augustus, Claudius and Trajan. Some are lauded for leading the Empire during great crisis, like Marcus Aurelius, Aurelian and Diocletian. I think Justinian has a bit of both. However he's also guilty of overreach. Reforming the law, capturing Carthage, regaining Rome: An emperor could claim one of these achievements and get a good reputation in history. All three makes you astonishing. However without a Hadrian to follow up after your Trajanic frenzy and rationalise what's worth holding on to, you risk losing it all.

Anonymous

Poor Justinian. It seems like in the end he got what he wanted but was destroyed getting there. Surviving all of that to die alone with his work unfinished but so close to completion. It seems almost that he died of heart ache and loneliness having watched everyone he cared about be taken by death one by one and finally his best friend. But it seems that in the end he did what he could and more than what anyone thought was possible. An inspiring man.

Anonymous

Personally, I like to think that he was happy when he passed on. Yes, he wasn't able to hold onto everything that he had gained during his reign, but his empire suffered two plague events. Most kingdoms during this time would have folded and been fodder for a nearby neighbor, but instead he was able to build it to rival and last for nearly 900 more years.

Anonymous

That was a sad ending. All you fought for, with all your time, resources and abilities poured in, only to vanish when you did. Wonder how many emperors and rulers have had the same ending. I will hazard a guess and say: Too many.

Anonymous

An excellent series. Being in a somewhat somber mood today, this was a perfect fit. Thanks so much for all of y'all's hard work.

Anonymous

What a fascinating chap. A fitting conclusion to the series I feel - it's important to get a sense of perspective of the enduring impact, good and ill, beyond the appeal of the dreams of great men and women we can get attached to when learning of their accomplishments.

Anonymous

I really appreciate the telling of this story, which I felt must have just past by as a footnote in my history classes. I found it comforting that Belisarius at least had a chance to make one last great, clever victory. Just Justinian himself, Belisarius deserves to be more recognized in history.

Anonymous
>>1421481

Not even a footnote in mine. I don't recall anything outside the British isles being covered between about the mid 1st century and the late 16th century (And what was going on in these isles between the 1st century and 1066 is glossed over, as well), unless you count the entirety of pre-colonial American history reduced to about 100 minutes of class time.

Jim McGeehin

The What-If's of Justinian are fascinating, and it's not a far stretch to say that with a few things going differently, the Renaissance begins in Thrace rather than Italy. If Constantinople can hang on against the Ottomans, or find a bulwark, imagine what that does to the shape of Europe. Imagine if the Byzantines reform along the lines of the Republic and pushed for stronger ties to Eastern Europe and the Italian city-states. What does that do to the economy of Europe? Would the Protestant Reformation happen if there are two equally powerful religious heads of Christianity? Would Henry VIII look to convert England wholesale to Orthodoxy in exchange for the Ecumenical Patriarch signing off on his divorce, turning England into a western Orthodox capital, a bulwark against Catholic France and Spain, poaching Canterbury right out from the Pope's fingers? Or does the growth of Protestanism hit Orthodox and Catholic alike and push for reconciliation in the wake of diminishing laities? Outside of religion, the Byzantines, if they could stop the Ottomans, profoundly change the Age of Exploration. England, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, the Russias, they'd also have to compete with a powerful Greek empire.

Farzad Mansouri
>>1420762

In a way not having an heir to carry his vision or his command into the future could be seen as another failure of Justinian.

Anonymous

Wonderful! It's so amazing to see this series come to it's conclusion. Although, at the same time, I'm a little sad to see it end. I'm so glad you guys took my original suggestion way back when. It was fascinating to hear of Rome's greatest Emperor and his triumphs and missteps. I look forward to the next series on Suleiman the Magnificent!

Anonymous
>>1424389

I like looking at the What Ifs too, especially when it affects the Ottoman empire and Europe as a whole. One of main reasons I love Civilization 4 mod Rhyes and Fall.

Anonymous

Here's a sort of modified what if: if Justinian hadn't had a grandiose dream would he have achieved anything at all? There's a quote from the children's author Diana Wynne Jones that I've always felt sums up an often overlooked problem, it goes along the lines that since people only ever achieve half of what they set out to do, we ought to be teaching kids to reach for the moon instead of trying to limit their expectations, otherwise they'll only ever achieve a mere quarter of what they really wanted and a fraction of what they were truly capable of.

Anonymous

beautiful. thank you