The Byzantines, centred in the strategically important Constantinople, would push their boundaries in all directions during their ascendancy in attempts to reclaim the glories of their Roman progenitors. But near the border of Armenia, Byzantine leadership failed to grasp the long-term impact of two critical challenges: the extensive wars and building programmes of expansion by Justinian I (482–565) and the unchecked rise of Islamic armies. Both would guarantee Byzantium’s doom at the devastating debacle at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 that saw a Seljuk Turk army inflict a crippling defeat on the Byzantines, as well as the capture of their emperor.
Justinian's empire
The death of the childless emperor Justin I in 527 was a moment of opportunity and good fortune for his nephew, Flavius Petrus Sabbatius, better known as Justinian. Born around 482 to a peasant family in what is now called Serbia, Justinian demonstrated those skills and traits that were most prized as very ‘Roman’ – a keen and sharp intellect, a strong will, and voracious ambition – and he spoke Latin as his primary language. These were all put to work once Justinian was called to Constantinople to join his uncle Justin early in his life.
Justinian’s relocation to the heart of the existing Roman world afforded him the opportunity to
