Famous Men of the Middle Ages · Ch. VI · Unit 2: The barbarian kingdoms
10. Justinian the Great
Goal: Your child can tell how a shepherd boy became emperor, name his two generals, and say why his laws are still remembered.
You'll need
- The book, open to this chapter
- A map of Europe and the Mediterranean (a free online map or a globe)
- Paper and colored pencils
- Your timeline strip (see the tips at the top)
What's in the book
Chapter VI (527-565 A.D.): a poor shepherd boy walks to Constantinople, where his uncle Justin commands the guard. Justin becomes emperor and makes his nephew Justinian his partner. As emperor, Justinian's generals Belisarius and Narses win back North Africa from the Vandals and Italy from the Ostrogoths. He builds the great church of St. Sophia, has the Roman laws collected into the Code of Justinian, and brings silk-worms into Europe. He dies at eighty-three.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find Constantinople (Istanbul today). Say: After Rome fell, the Eastern Roman Empire went on, ruled from this city. Then find Carthage in Africa and Ravenna in Italy.
Read the chapter
Read Chapter VI aloud. It begins:
In the time of Clovis the country now called Bulgaria was inhabited by Goths.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- How did the shepherd boy get to Constantinople?
- How did he become emperor?
- What did Belisarius and Narses win back?
- What did Justinian build?
Talk it over
The book says the most important thing Justinian did was to collect and simplify the laws.
Ask:
- Why is it a problem if there are so many laws that nobody knows what they say?
- The book says most countries of Europe based their laws on his Code. Why might a good set of laws last longer than a victory in battle?
Then and now
The book says St. Sophia was being used as a mosque in 1904. Say: The great church still stands in Istanbul today, almost fifteen hundred years after Justinian built it, and is still used as a mosque.
Remember it
Read this:
It was he who first brought silk-worms into Europe.
Add to the timeline: "527 Justinian becomes emperor."
Extra (optional)
Look up pictures of St. Sophia (Hagia Sophia) together and talk about its huge dome.
Afterwards
Ask your child to name Justinian's two generals and the two things he is most famous for (his laws and St. Sophia).
Tip
The book notes that the voyage to Africa took three months by sail. Children like comparing that with a plane trip today.
Answers to the book's problems
He walked, living on fruit he gathered, through forests and over rivers and hills. His uncle Justin became emperor, made Justinian joint emperor, and died a few months later. They won back North Africa from the Vandals and Italy from the Ostrogoths. He built many public buildings, most of all the cathedral of St. Sophia. Laws nobody understands cannot be fair; clear written laws can be used for centuries.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.