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Justinian I - Quiz
Contributed by: Newell
  • 1. In what year did Justinian I become the Byzantine Emperor?
A) 610 AD
B) 476 AD
C) 527 AD
D) 726 AD
  • 2. Which famous general served under Justinian I and reconquered Italy from the Ostrogoths?
A) Genghis Khan
B) Alexander the Great
C) Julius Caesar
D) Belisarius
  • 3. During Justinian I's reign, the Hagia Sophia was built in which city?
A) Rome
B) Constantinople
C) Athens
D) Paris
  • 4. Which legal code was compiled under Justinian I's reign?
A) Magna Carta
B) Code of Hammurabi
C) Corpus Juris Civilis
D) The Twelve Tables
  • 5. Who was Justinian I's wife and influential empress?
A) Cleopatra
B) Empress Matilda
C) Eleanor of Aquitaine
D) Theodora
  • 6. What title did Justinian I adopt after his uncle Justin I assumed the imperial throne?
A) Augustus
B) Caesar
C) Praetorian Prefect
D) Senatus Consultum
  • 7. Which language was the primary language of administration during Justinian I's reign?
A) Arabic
B) Coptic
C) Latin
D) Greek
  • 8. Which famous Byzantine historian served as Justinian I's secretary?
A) Thucydides
B) Procopius
C) Herodotus
D) Polybius
  • 9. Who was the founder of the Justinian dynasty?
A) Justin I
B) Constantine I
C) Leo I
D) Theodosius I
  • 10. Justinian I is often referred to as the last _________?
A) Roman Emperor
B) Greek Emperor
C) Carthaginian Emperor
D) Byzantine Emperor
  • 11. What major event devastated Constantinople during Justinian I's reign?
A) Great Fire of Rome
B) Siege of Constantinople
C) Nika Riots
D) Black Death
  • 12. What was Justinian I's most famous building project completed in 537 AD?
A) Colosseum
B) Hagia Sophia
C) Pyramid of Giza
D) Taj Mahal
  • 13. Under Justinian I's rule, what was the primary religion of the Byzantine Empire?
A) Christianity
B) Zoroastrianism
C) Judaism
D) Islam
  • 14. What was the Latin name of Justinian I?
A) Iustinius
B) Iustinianus
C) Justinianus
D) Justinus
  • 15. What was the Greek name of Justinian I?
A) Ἰουστίνιος
B) Ἰουστινιανός
C) Ἰουστινιανός
D) Ἰουστίνος
  • 16. What was the ambitious project during Justinian's reign known as?
A) Expansion of the Empire
B) Reconstruction of Rome
C) Rebuilding of Constantinople
D) Renovatio imperii
  • 17. Which kingdom did Belisarius and Narses help to conquer, restoring Dalmatia, Sicily, Italy, and Rome to the empire?
A) Ostrogothic Kingdom
B) Visigothic Kingdom
C) Vandal Kingdom
D) Sasanian Empire
  • 18. Who reclaimed the south of the Iberian Peninsula, establishing the province of Spania?
A) Narses
B) Liberius
C) John the Cappadocian
D) Belisarius
  • 19. What was the annual revenue increase for the Empire after Justinian's campaigns?
A) Over a million solidi
B) 500,000 solidi
C) 750,000 solidi
D) 2 million solidi
  • 20. Which people did Justinian subdue on the east coast of the Black Sea?
A) Sasanians
B) Tzani
C) Visigoths
D) Vandals
  • 21. Where was Justinian born?
A) Tauresium, Dardania
B) Rome
C) Constantinople
D) Byzantium
  • 22. What was Justinian's mother's name?
A) Vigilantia
B) Theodora
C) Sophia
D) Euphemia
  • 23. What was the profession of Justinian's wife, Theodora, before their marriage?
A) Scholar
B) Merchant
C) Noblewoman
D) Actress
  • 24. Who was Justinian's legal adviser?
A) Peter the Patrician
B) Tribonian
C) John the Cappadocian
D) Narses
  • 25. What was the name of the mausoleum where Justinian was entombed?
A) Church of the Holy Apostles
B) Hagia Sophia
C) Basilica of St. John
D) Church of St. Peter
  • 26. When was the first draft of the Codex Justinianeus issued?
A) On 1 January 530.
B) On 25 December 533.
C) On 7 April 529.
D) On 15 March 534.
  • 27. Which part of the Corpus juris civilis appeared in Greek?
A) The Novellae.
B) The Codex Justinianeus.
C) The Institutiones.
D) The Digesta.
  • 28. What did the Corpus juris civilis form the basis of in Western Europe?
A) Religious doctrines.
B) Continental European law codes.
C) Military strategies.
D) Economic policies.
  • 29. Which province introduced the Justinianic code in the West?
A) Spain.
B) Gaul.
C) Africa.
D) Italy.
  • 30. What laws did Justinian pass to protect women?
A) Laws to restrict women's participation in politics.
B) Laws to protect women from being forced into prostitution and to ensure rapists were treated severely.
C) Laws to enforce women's labor in agriculture.
D) Laws to limit women's property rights.
  • 31. What rights were improved for slaves under Justinian?
A) Slaves were allowed to own property.
B) Slaves were given the right to vote.
C) Slaves were given the right to plead for their freedom, and a master killing his slave was classified as murder.
D) Slaves were granted immediate freedom.
  • 32. How many unarmed civilians were killed during the suppression of the Nika riots according to Procopius?
A) 10,000.
B) 30,000.
C) 5,000.
D) 50,000.
  • 33. How much gold did Justinian pay for the 'Eternal Peace' treaty?
A) 5,000 pounds.
B) 1,000 pounds.
C) 20,000 pounds.
D) 11,000 pounds.
  • 34. Which factions united against Justinian during the Nika riots?
A) The chariot racing factions.
B) The senators.
C) The military generals.
D) The clergy.
  • 35. Who was the king of the Vandals overthrown by Gelimer in 530 AD?
A) Justinian
B) Belisarius
C) Hilderic
D) Gelimer
  • 36. Where did Belisarius land with his fleet in 533?
A) Rome
B) Sicily
C) Carthage
D) Caput Vada
  • 37. Who was the young Ostrogothic king that died in 534?
A) Vitigis
B) Athalaric
C) Belisarius
D) Theodahad
  • 38. Who imprisoned and assassinated Amalasuintha?
A) Belisarius
B) Vitigis
C) Justinian
D) Theodahad
  • 39. Which city did Belisarius capture on 9 December 536?
A) Rome
B) Ravenna
C) Milan
D) Naples
  • 40. Who was elected as the new Ostrogothic king after Theodahad was deposed?
A) Belisarius
B) Athalaric
C) Vitigis
D) Narses
  • 41. Which general was sent by Justinian to Italy but had tensions with Belisarius?
A) Athalaric
B) Theodahad
C) Vitigis
D) Narses
  • 42. Which city did Belisarius reclaim for the Empire in May 540?
A) Rome
B) Ravenna
C) Milan
D) Naples
  • 43. Which city did Khosrau I sack first during his invasion in 540?
A) Beroea
B) Dara
C) Antioch
D) Petra
  • 44. Which city did Khosrau I unsuccessfully besiege?
A) Petra
B) Edessa
C) Dara
D) Antioch
  • 45. Who was sent by Justinian to recapture Petra in 549?
A) Dagisthaeus
B) Belisarius
C) Bessas
D) Gubazes
  • 46. Who replaced Dagisthaeus in the Lazic War?
A) Khosrau I
B) Bessas
C) Dagisthaeus
D) Belisarius
  • 47. What was the duration of the peace treaty signed in 562?
A) Fifty years
B) Ten years
C) Twenty years
D) Thirty years
  • 48. What did the Persians agree to abandon under the 562 peace treaty?
A) Armenia
B) Edessa
C) Antioch
D) Lazica
  • 49. In which year did the Ostrogoths reconquer the major cities of Southern Italy?
A) 541
B) 550
C) 546
D) 542
  • 50. How many times did the city of Rome change hands during this period?
A) Two
B) Three
C) Once
D) Four
  • 51. Who was the Ostrogothic leader slain at the Battle of Busta Gallorum?
A) Totila
B) Belisarius
C) Ildibad
D) Eraric
  • 52. Which Byzantine province was founded in Visigothic Hispania?
A) Constantinople
B) Spania
C) Italy
D) Busta Gallorum
  • 53. Who requested Byzantine assistance in his rebellion against King Agila I?
A) Ildibad
B) Eraric
C) Totila
D) Athanagild
  • 54. Which city did the Byzantines take in their campaign in Hispania?
A) Ravenna
B) Constantinople
C) Cartagena
D) Mons Lactarius
  • 55. Which was the only lasting and sustainable conquest achieved by Justinian?
A) Spain
B) Italy
C) Gothic territories
D) Africa
  • 56. What did some historians believe about Justinian's efforts to renew the Roman Empire?
A) He reduced the empire's territorial ambitions
B) He avoided any military conflicts
C) He successfully modernized the empire
D) He dangerously stretched its resources
  • 57. What was a major challenge to Justinian's reconquest efforts according to Peter Sarris?
A) The plague
B) The rise of the Ottoman Empire
C) The invasion of the Huns
D) The collapse of the Eastern Roman Empire
  • 58. How did the conquests in the West affect the Byzantine influence over the papacy?
A) Led to the independence of the papacy
B) Diminished Byzantine influence
C) Had no effect on Byzantine influence
D) Expanded Byzantine influence
  • 59. What was a source of Germanic warriors for the Byzantine army after the conquests?
A) The Byzantine heartland
B) The newly conquered territories
C) The Eastern Roman provinces
D) The Persian Empire
  • 60. What was the territorial zenith of the Byzantine Empire reached in?
A) 530
B) 555
C) 650
D) 600
  • 61. Which religious doctrine did Justinian I confirm and openly condemn the opposing Miaphysite belief?
A) The Council of Nicaea
B) The Chalcedonian doctrine
C) The Nicene Creed
D) The Arian Creed
  • 62. Which creed did Justinian I make the sole symbol of the Church?
A) The Athanasian Creed
B) The Nicaeno-Constantinopolitan creed
C) The Apostles' Creed
D) The Chalcedonian Creed
  • 63. Which archangel did Justinian I promote as imperial archistratēgos?
A) Archangel Gabriel
B) Archangel Michael
C) Archangel Uriel
D) Archangel Raphael
  • 64. Which religious group did Justinian I see as a threat to the orthodoxy of his empire?
A) Miaphysitism
B) Arianism
C) Pelagianism
D) Nestorianism
  • 65. Which councils' canons did Justinian I accord legal force to?
A) The Council of Trent
B) The Council of Chalcedon
C) The Council of Ephesus
D) The four ecumenical councils
  • 66. What did Justinian I build to honor Archangel Michael?
A) Churches
B) Barracks
C) Palaces
D) Temples
  • 67. Which institution did Justinian I close in 529 AD?
A) The Church of the Holy Apostles.
B) The Law School of Berytus.
C) The Neoplatonic Academy in Athens.
D) The Academy of Plato.
  • 68. Which city did Justinian build near his place of birth?
A) Ravenna.
B) Constantinople.
C) Thessalonica.
D) Justiniana Prima.
  • 69. What was the role of the Presbyter Julian and Bishop Longinus in Justinian's religious policy?
A) They oversaw the construction of the Hagia Sophia.
B) They translated the Bible into Greek.
C) They conducted a mission among the Nabataeans.
D) They led the persecution of the Samaritans.
  • 70. What was the significance of the Basilica Cistern constructed during Justinian's reign?
A) It was a religious site for Christian worship.
B) It was a defensive structure against invasions.
C) It served as a storage facility for grain.
D) It ensured Constantinople's water supply.
  • 71. Which product was an important luxury item imported and processed in the empire?
A) Spices.
B) Cotton.
C) Silk.
D) Wool.
  • 72. How did Justinian attempt to bypass the Persian land route for eastern trade?
A) By establishing friendly relations with the Abyssinians.
B) By building a new sea route.
C) By negotiating with the Persians.
D) By increasing trade tariffs.
  • 73. What was the result of two monks smuggling eggs of silk worms to Constantinople?
A) Silk became an indigenous product.
B) Silk production declined.
C) The Persian trade route was closed.
D) The monks were executed.
  • 74. In what year did Justinian I die?
A) 542
B) 565
C) 551
D) 557
  • 75. What was the suspected cause of the atmospheric dust veil in 535–536?
A) A massive forest fire.
B) A large volcanic eruption.
C) A solar eclipse.
D) A meteor impact.
  • 76. What natural disaster occurred in July 551?
A) A drought.
B) A volcanic eruption.
C) A flood.
D) The Beirut earthquake.
  • 77. On which date is Justinian commemorated by the Orthodox Church in America?
A) 25 December
B) 27 November
C) 1 January
D) 14 November
  • 78. In Dante's Divine Comedy, which sphere holds Justinian's soul?
A) Mars
B) Venus
C) Jupiter
D) Mercury
  • 79. Which film features Orson Welles as Justinian?
A) Citizen Kane
B) Chimes at Midnight
C) Kampf um Rom
D) The Third Man
  • 80. Which author wrote 'The Glittering Horn: Secret Memoirs of the Court of Justinian'?
A) Dorothy L. Sayers
B) Robert Graves
C) Pierson Dixon
D) L. Sprague de Camp
  • 81. Who plays Justinian in the 1985 Soviet film 'Primary Russia'?
A) Sergei Bondarchuk
B) Orson Welles
C) Mikhail Gorbachev
D) Innokenty Smoktunovsky
  • 82. In which comic strip does Justinian occasionally appear as a nemesis?
A) Prince Valiant
B) The Adventures of Tintin
C) Batman
D) Superman
  • 83. Which work by Dante features Justinian as a spirit?
A) Inferno
B) Purgatorio
C) Divine Comedy
D) La Vita Nuova
  • 84. Which novel by L. Sprague de Camp features Justinian as a character?
A) The Wheels of If
B) Lest Darkness Fall
C) The Goblin Tower
D) The Fallible Fiend
  • 85. Which calendar date is used by some denominations to commemorate Justinian on the Gregorian calendar?
A) 14 November
B) 25 December
C) 1 January
D) 27 November
  • 86. Which source is a later period account of Justinian's reign?
A) Procopius
B) Theophanes the Confessor
C) John Malalas
D) John of Ephesus
  • 87. Which work by Procopius glorifies Justinian's architectural achievements?
A) Buildings
B) Anecdota
C) Wars
D) Secret History
  • 88. Which source provides a more lukewarm account of Justinian's reign?
A) Wars
B) Anecdota
C) Secret History
D) Buildings
  • 89. Which source is known for its hostile depiction of Justinian as cruel and demonic?
A) Wars
B) Buildings
C) Anecdota
D) Secret History
  • 90. Which author wrote 'Cesare fui e son Iustinïano' in the Divine Comedy?
A) Pierson Dixon
B) L. Sprague de Camp
C) Robert Graves
D) Dante Alighieri
  • 91. Which source is a popular chronicle summarizing events of Justinian's reign?
A) Evagrius Scholasticus
B) Procopius
C) John of Ephesus
D) John Malalas
  • 92. Which film features Innokenty Smoktunovsky as Justinian?
A) The Fall of Rome
B) Kampf um Rom
C) The Last Roman
D) Primary Russia
  • 93. Who edited the English translation of 'The Anecdota or Secret History' published by Loeb Classical Library?
A) G.A. Williamson
B) H. B. Dewing
C) J. Haury
D) G. Wirth
  • 94. In which year was 'John Malalas, Chronicle' translated by Elizabeth Jeffreys, Michael Jeffreys & Roger Scott?
A) 1986
B) 2008
C) 1966
D) 1846
  • 95. Which publisher released the English translation of 'Evagrius Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History' in 2008?
A) Australian Association for Byzantine Studies
B) Penguin Books
C) Harvard University Press
D) Evolution Publishing
  • 96. Who originally translated 'Evagrius Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History' before it was reprinted in 2008?
A) G.A. Williamson
B) H. B. Dewing
C) Edward Walford
D) Elizabeth Jeffreys
  • 97. Which work by Procopius was edited by J. Haury and revised by G. Wirth?
A) Procopii Caesariensis opera omnia
B) The Anecdota or Secret History
C) The Secret History
D) John Malalas, Chronicle
  • 98. Where was 'Procopii Caesariensis opera omnia' published?
A) Harmondsworth: Penguin Books
B) Harvard University Press
C) Melbourne: Australian Association for Byzantine Studies
D) Leipzig: Teubner
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