Justinian I and the Byzantine Golden Age

Justinian I ascended the Byzantine throne in 527 CE, succeeding his uncle Justin I. His wife Theodora, a former actress, wielded enormous political influence and effectively served as co-ruler; her resolve proved decisive during the Nika riots of 532 CE in Constantinople, when she persuaded Justinian not to flee the capital, allowing the revolt to be crushed in a massacre of some thirty thousand rioters in the Hippodrome. Justinian conceived an ambitious project of territorial restoration aimed at recovering the lost western provinces, and he pursued it alongside sweeping legal and architectural achievements.