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Was Justinian a Truly Great Ruler? Famous leaders in history often exhibit a combination of good and bad qualities. The Byzantine emperor Justinian was such a leader, showing both great talents and great personality flaws. When trying to determine whether Justinian was a great ruler. The three things that tell the most about him are; his conquests, political accomplishments, and personal life. This first examination will be along the lines of his militant conquests and …

…of a noble, smart and truly just emperor, Justinian was a truly horrible person. Procopius described him as, extremely hypocritical, very quick to judge, fickle with people, and as someone who often used other people. On balance, Justinian must be considered a generally good ruler, mainly because in my view, his accomplishments should outweigh his personality. You have to look at what he did, and how he made Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire truly great.