?š The writing in bold refers to the works cited page from which the information comes. Justinian was a Byzantine emperor who helped revitalize the Byzantine Empire, which would leave a lasting legacy for Western civilization. . During the reign of Justinian, the Byzantine Empire was in a time of decline. With Justinian's visions, he was able to lay the foundations that would help the Byzantine Empire survive for many years to come. Justinian (Flavius ​​Petrus Sabbatius Justinianus) was born in 483 AD in Tauresium in Illyricum in the Balkans of what is now Central Europe. He was the nephew of Emperor Justin. His uncle Justin had entrusted the functions of government of the Empire to his wife Lupicina and his nephew Justinian (Fortescue-Justinian I, Roman emperor). Justinian worked hard and rose in his uncle's government. He studied in Constantinople and became consul in 521. He married his wife Theodora in 523 (Abri) and became general-in-chief of the Byzantine Empire in April 527. That same year, his uncle Justin died and Justinian became the new emperor. (Fortescue-Justinian I, Roman Emperor). Justinian had dreamed of restoring the Roman Empire in Europe, so he immediately set about securing and expanding the weakened Byzantine Empire (Norwich - A Brief History of Byzantium, 68). The only way for Justinian to achieve his goal was to regain control of the western provinces that were formerly ruled by Rome (Fortescue-Justinian I, Roman Emperor). His first challenge of conquest in the West was to end the war in the Persian Empire. The two empires were long-time rivals in the Middle East and had often fought each other (Norwich-A Short History of Byzantium, 27). During the 400 years, the Romans and Persians struggled to cope with invasions from outside groups. But in 502, the conflict resumed between them. From 502 to 505, the Byzantines, led by Justinian, fought the Persians and then again from 527 to 532. This revisited war conflict between the two rival empires ended when the Byzantines fought the Persians to a standstill and ordered them to accept a peace treaty (Whittow-Making of Byzantium, 41). With peace now in the East, Justinian appointed General Belisarius to lead an army and reconquer the western Roman provinces (Fortescue-Justinian I, Roman Emperor). In 533, Belisarius' army crushed the Vandals, seized the provinces of North Africa and sent their king, Gélimer, back to Constantinople as a prisoner. In 535, the Byzantines invaded Sicily and then settled in Italy (Norwich-A Short History of Byzantium,68-69).