He set up an "Eternal Peace" with Khosrau I that did not last twenty years.
This man's military defeated king Totila at the Battle of Taginae, and he employed the unpopular tax collector John the Cappadocian. He set up an "Eternal Peace" with Khosrau I that did not last twenty years. This ruler dispatched Mundus to massacre dissidents, who had chosen Hypatius to replace this man. His reign is covered in the Secret History of Procopius and he was married to the powerful Theodora. This ruler was forced to dismiss his adviser Tribonian after tension at the Hippodrome's chariot races turned into the Nika riots. During his reign, the Corpus Juris Civilis law code was compiled and his general Belisarius defeated the Vandals. For 10 points, name this Byzantine emperor who ordered the building of the majestic Hagia Sophia.
This man's military defeated king Totila at the Battle of Taginae, and he employed the unpopular tax collector John the Cappadocian.
Justinian I [or Justinian the Great]