The Byzantine Empire While the western part of Rome had fallen into the hands of invaders, especially those of the Germanic tribes, the eastern part eventually began to prosper. The eastern provinces began to develop independently of the declining west. The eastern and western parts of what was known as Rome were officially separated in 395. However, the eastern emperors still considered themselves Roman. In 527, a man named Justinian ascended the throne. In 533, his general Belisarius was sent to reconquer the areas. He recovered northern Africa from the Vandals and took Rome from the Ostrogoths. After multiple campaigns, Justinian's armies had conquered nearly all of Italy and parts of Spain. By this time, Justinian had reconquered nearly all of the land that once comprised the Roman Empire. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay What also separated the eastern and western parts of Rome was the use of a common language: the Greek language, the eastern part and the western part Latin. The east also belonged to the eastern branch of the Christian church, while the west remained Roman Catholic. In the years 528 - 533, under the reign of Justinian, a uniform legal code was established by revising previous Roman laws. To complete the task, a group of 10 legal experts was established. When finished, the Code of Justinian, as it was called, consisted of 4 parts (The Code, The Digest, The Institutes and The Novellae). After Justinian's death in 565, the legal code continued to serve empires for 900 years. During the reign of Justinian, the Byzantine Empire reached its peak. The city of Constantinople was rebuilt and protective walls were also built around it. However, Justinian's greatest passion was the construction of churches, such as the wonderful Hagia Sophia. As part of his building program, Justinian built baths, courts, hospitals, and aqueducts. Justinian also built schools as education was highly valued in Byzantine society. When Justinian died in 565, the empire fell into chaos. There were many riots, religious disputes, street riots and invasions. Another problem was famine. Justinian had died from a disease we know as bubonic plague. There had been frequent outbreaks of the disease in Constantinople, usually occurring every 8 to 12 years, killing much of the population. The smaller population that remained was more open to invasion. Invaders from Russia and Persia, as well as Arab and Lombard armies attacked the empire. As the Turks conquered the Muslim world, they slowly began to make their way into Anatolia. The Turks defeated the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, coming closer to the city of Constantinople than the Arabs or Persians had ever come. In an attempt to reduce invasions, Emperor Heraclius reorganized the empire along military lines, with provinces becoming military districts. The fall of the empire continued and was finally conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Keep in mind: this is just one example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay During the years of turmoil, many religious quarrels took place. There were many disputes between emperors and religious leaders, which led to the schism or split of the Church. The East developed Orthodoxy and falsehood under Roman Catholic Orthodoxy. This had been the result of a pope and a patriarch excommunicating each other in a dispute over religious doctrine. As the East and.