Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint
By Peter Sarris
John Murray £30
From the date Octavian took the name Augustus in 27 BC to the bloody end of Constantine XI on 29th May 1453, the Roman Empire was ruled by more than 150 emperors.
Leaving aside its much-romanticised first dynasty, the Julio-Claudians, Justinian sits close to the pinnacle of the pantheon of widely recognised emperors, eclipsed perhaps only by Constantine the Great and Marcus Aurelius.
