Legal Definitions - Edicts of Justinian

The Edicts of Justinian are a set of thirteen laws or constitutions that were added to the Greek collection of the Novels in the Venetian manuscript. These laws were created by the Roman Emperor Justinian and were focused on administrative matters within the provinces of the Roman Empire.

These laws were not known to the glossators, who were medieval legal scholars that studied and commented on Roman law.

An example of one of the Edicts of Justinian is the law that required all public officials to be of the Christian faith. This law was created to strengthen the Christian religion and prevent non-Christians from holding positions of power within the Roman Empire.

Another example is the law that established a uniform legal code throughout the Roman Empire. This law helped to standardize legal practices and ensure that justice was being served fairly and consistently across all provinces.

These examples illustrate how the Edicts of Justinian were focused on maintaining order and stability within the Roman Empire through the use of laws and regulations.