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