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