Justinian I
482 — 565
Born to Illyrian peasants around 482, Justinian rose through his uncle Justin I's patronage to become Byzantine Emperor in 527. He commissioned the codification of Roman law into the Corpus Juris Civilis, rebuilt Constantinople after the Nika Riots, and consecrated the Hagia Sophia in 537. His generals Belisarius and Narses reconquered North Africa, Italy, and part of Spain, briefly restoring Roman rule across the western Mediterranean.