Shadowing Practice: JUSTINIAN: WORKAHOLIC EMPEROR | B1-B2 English Reading Passages - Learn English Speaking with Video
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The city of Constantinople was full of smoke.
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People were running, shouting, and buildings were burning.
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It was one of the darkest days in the city's history.
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The streets were filled with angry crowds.
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Fires covered half of the great city.
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Many people thought the emperor would run away and save himself.
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But then, something no one expected happened.
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The empress, Theodora, stood strong.
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She refused to leave and told the Emperor not to escape either.
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Her words gave courage to the Emperor and his men.
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With a brave plan, they trapped the rioters inside the Hippodrome where races were held.
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Soldiers came into the Hippodrome and ended the riots suddenly.
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The streets became quiet again, but the cost was very high.
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Many people lost their lives.
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After After the dust settled, the city was hurt but not lost.
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A new fire burned, not in buildings, but in the heart of the emperor.
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A dream to rebuild something great.
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The emperor had a dream.
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He wanted to bring back the power of old Rome.
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Many thought this was impossible, but he believed it could happen.
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His wish was not only about fighting or war.
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He wanted to fix the laws, build beautiful places, and make the empire strong and proud again.
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In the middle of pain and loss, one man and one woman stood tall.
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Together, they would try to do something bigger than anyone had done for a long time.
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Far from the big cities of the empire, in a small village, a boy named Petrus Sabatius was born.
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His family was very poor and worked hard to live each day.
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He lived in Illyria, in a place near today's North Macedonia.
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There was not much money, but there were big dreams.
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This boy would one day be called Justinian.
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Justinian's uncle named Justin left their village to find a better life.
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He became a soldier in Constantinople and worked hard to rise in the military.
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Justin stayed loyal to the empire and became head of a special guard group called the Excubitors.
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This group protected the emperor and had great power.
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Because he had no sons of his own, Justin helped his nephew.
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He brought young Justinian to Constantinople and gave him a good education and new clothes.
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Justinian learned about history, religion, and law.
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His teachers saw he was smart and worked hard.
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The city was now his new home, full of chances to grow.
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In 518, the emperor died and had no children.
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Many people fought for power, but Justin became the new emperor with help from his guard group.
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Now Emperor Justin, he gave Justinian important jobs to help run the empire.
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First, Justinian became a consul, which was a leader who worked with laws.
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Later, Justin made him Caesar, which meant he would rule after him.
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Justinian's rise was fast, and many people began to see him as the next true ruler.
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In 527, Justin died, and Justinian became the emperor.
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He went from being a poor boy in a small town to the ruler of one of the greatest empires in history.
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This was the beginning of something very big.
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Justinian was now free to follow his dreams, to fix the empire and bring back the glory of old Rome.
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But before he could make big changes, Justinian needed help.
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He would not do it alone.
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Soon the world would hear another important name, Theodora.
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After his uncle died in 527, Justinian became the only ruler of the empire.
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He now had full control and could start working on his big ideas for the future.
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Justinian wanted to make the empire strong again.
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He began with plans for peace, law, and building new things.
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But he also had something else in his heart.
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He had love.
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He chose to marry Theodora, a woman from a low family.
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Many people were shocked.
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At that time, rulers did not marry women from poor homes.
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The law did not let men from high class marry women like Theodora.
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But Justinian changed the law so he could be with her.
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This made many leaders very angry.
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Theodora became empress after they married.
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She was smart and had strong ideas.
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She was not afraid to tell Justinian what she thought.
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She helped in many decisions and gave advice.
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She wanted to fix people's lives, especially for women and poor people.
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Her heart was full of care and fire.
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Theodora did not forget her past.
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She knew what it felt like to live with very little.
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Because of this, she made laws to protect women and poor families.
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She worked with Justinian to stop bad things like selling people or taking away their homes.
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She also helped women with jobs and safety in the city.
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People began to respect her strength.
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Even those who once hated her started to see her as a voice for the weak.
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She stayed by Justinian's side in hard times.
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Justinian and Theodora were more than husband and wife.
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They were a team.
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While others laughed at them, they planned something big together.
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They wanted to bring back the old Roman glory.
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This was called Renovaux Imperi Romanorum.
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the dream to fix and rebuild the Roman Empire.
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But this dream needed more than talk.
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The land was broken and enemies were many.
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Justinian had to be wise and quick to make the dream come true.
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Justinian knew that to reach his dream, he first needed peace in the East.
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He made a deal with the Sassanid king.
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This was called the eternal peace.
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The peace cost the empire a lot of gold, but it gave time and freedom to look west.
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There, old Roman lands were ruled by outside groups like the Vandals.
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Justinian wanted these lands back.
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In North Africa, the Vandals had taken control.
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They had kings and armies, but some people still hoped for Roman return.
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In 533, Justinian sent his best general, Belisarius, with an army to Africa.
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He used a small reason to start the war.
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A new Vandal king did not like Rome.
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The army landed near Carthage.
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In two big battles, Belisarius beat the Vandals, first at a place called Ad Decimum, then again at Trichimarum.
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The Roman flag was raised again in Carthage.
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It was a great win for Justinian.
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Old Roman lands were back in the empire after almost a hundred years.
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Taking land was not the end of the job.
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Justinian needed to keep control.
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But there were too few soldiers, and many people were still loyal to Vandal rule.
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Soon, local groups began to fight back.
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Some Byzantine soldiers even chose to rebel and refused to follow orders.
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The land was not as safe as it looked.
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Belisarius had to return again to stop the troubles.
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Holding Africa was not easy.
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The emperor found that winning a war was simpler than keeping the peace.
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After the victory in Africa, Justinian wanted to win back Italy.
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During that time, the country was ruled by the Ostrogoths, a strong group with their own kings.
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Justinian sent Belisarius once again.
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In 535, he attacked through Sicily, an island in the south.
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Then he moved to Naples and broke its walls after a hard fight.
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By the end of 536, Belisarius entered the city of Rome without a battle.
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People there opened the gates for him, and he raised the Roman flag once again.
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The Ostrogoths wanted Rome back.
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In 537, under their new king, Wittiges, they surrounded the city.
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This event is known as the Siege of Rome.
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The siege lasted more than one year.
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Food in the city became short.
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Belisarius and his men worked very hard to protect Rome from the strong enemy armies.
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At last, help arrived from Constantinople, and the Ostrogoths left.
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It was a hard time, but the city stayed in Roman hands because of strong defense.
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After Rome was safe, trouble came in the north.
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The city of Milan had asked for help from the empire, but generals did not send enough soldiers.
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The Ostrogoths attacked with help from the Franks, another strong group.
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They broke into Milan and destroyed the whole city.
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Most people were killed.
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This loss made Justinian very angry.
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He called back one of the generals and gave full control to Belisarius, who went on to lead more winning battles.
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In 540, Belisarius reached Ravenna, the capital of the Ostrogoths.
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Instead of fighting, the Gothic leaders offered to make him both king and ruler.
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Belisarius acted like he agreed.
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He came into Ravenna with his army.
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After entering the city, he arrested King Whiteges and sent him to Justinian.
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This surprised everyone.
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Belisarius stayed loyal to the empire.
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The Roman flag now flew in Ravenna too, and more of Italy was under Roman rule.
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Even after winning many battles, Justinian's problems were not over.
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In 541, a new Ostrogothic leader named Totila rose and began to fight back in Italy.
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Totila was smart and fast.
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He took back Roman -held cities one by one.
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Towns that once welcomed Justinian's army now opened their doors to the Goths again.
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Totila treated people well in conquered cities.
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Some began to like his rule better than the empires.
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This made it harder for Justinian to keep control of Italy.
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While trouble grew in the west, more danger came from the east.
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The peace with the Sassanids was broken when their king, Kozrau, started to invade again.
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Sassanid armies entered Byzantine lands fast.
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They burned farms, took towns, and scared the people.
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The army had to be split to fight in two places at once.
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This weakened the empire.
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Now soldiers were fewer in both Italy and the East.
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Justinian had a hard time choosing where to send help first.
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As wars spread, something worse came.
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In 542, a deadly sickness hit Constantinople.
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It killed thousands each day and filled the streets with fear and sadness.
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This plague came from far lands and spread quickly.
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Even Justinian got sick, but he lived.
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Many others, rich and poor, died without warning.
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Shops closed, workers stayed home, and farms were left empty.
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The city stopped moving.
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Nothing like this had happened in the empire before.
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The plague also hurt the army.
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Many soldiers died or were too weak to fight.
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The empire could no longer send enough men to win battles or save cities.
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With fewer people, collecting taxes became hard.
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The empire had less money to build things, pay workers, or feed the people who lost their jobs.
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Cities shrank, farms stood still, and trade stopped in many areas.
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The great power of Justinian began to look weaker than ever before.
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Even as wars tired the empire, Justinian worked on something very important at home.
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He wanted to fix the laws, which were old and confusing to many people.
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He chose smart men to read all the old laws and write them again in a better way.
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This group made the Justinian Code, a clear set of laws for the empire.
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These new laws helped judges and leaders do their jobs better.
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The Code talked about family, land, crime, and more.
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It stayed useful for many years after.
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Justinian also wanted to make the city more beautiful.
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After a big fire during the Nica riots, many buildings were gone.
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One of them was a large old church.
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He started building a new church called Hagia Sophia.
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He told the best designers to make it big, bright, and full of light.
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It took many years to finish.
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When it opened, people were shocked by its beauty.
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Big walls, colorful stones, and high ceilings made it the greatest building in Constantinople.
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While the church rose, wars still needed men and money.
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The empire paid for soldiers, ships, and food.
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These things cost a lot and weakened the state.
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Justinian won back many old Roman lands.
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But keeping them safe was hard.
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The empire had to fight often, and some places did not like Roman rule.
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Some cities were damaged in war, while others stayed empty after the plague.
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Even with victory, the empire felt tired and its people needed peace.
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In In 565, Justinian died at 83 years old.
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He had ruled for nearly 40 years.
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Even after sickness and war, he stayed strong until the end of his life.
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He had no children to take the crown.
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The next emperor was his nephew, Justin II.
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The great dream of Justinian was now in other hands.
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His death ended a long and busy rule.
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People remembered him for law, buildings, and wars.
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His story would live on for many years to come.
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Justinian's life was not only about war or power.
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He had a bigger goal.
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He wanted to bring back the great Roman Empire and its honor for everyone to see.
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His dream was not new.
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Many had wanted to fix the empire, but Justinian worked harder than most.
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His actions and ideas gave new life to old Roman pride.
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Thanks to him, many lands spoke the name of Rome again.
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He built more than buildings.
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He built hope.
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His dream was stronger than fear or pain.
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Justinian's laws helped shape many parts of Europe for a long time.
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The Justinian Code lived on in courts and books, even after his empire grew weak.
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It gave people clear rules about life, family, and justice.
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Later leaders copied parts of it.
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His law made sure people had order, even when rulers changed.
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This code was more than rules.
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It helped people live better lives.
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It taught right from wrong and showed that laws could be fair to all people.
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His dream could not last forever.
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Rome did not fully return, but the things Justinian started made a path for others to follow and dream big too.
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The land, people, and power changed many times.
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Still, pieces of his work stayed.
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His buildings stood tall and his laws were used again and again.
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Even today, many people remember Justinian.
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Not for each battle, but for what he tried to build.
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A world where ideas and law were stronger than war.
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History is full of great kings and leaders, but Justinian's story is special.
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He was not born rich or noble.
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He came from a small place with almost nothing.
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This makes his rise more powerful.
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He used his mind and heart to move forward.
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His uncle helped at the start, but Justinian worked hard for his power from laws to churches,
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from peace to wars, his hand touched them all.
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His ideas stayed even after he was gone.
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That is why Justinian still matters today.
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What You'll Learn
This video is a goldmine for english speaking practice! You’ll build skills in narrating historical events with clarity, using vivid verbs (like "trapped," "rose," "rebuild") to tell a story, and structuring complex ideas—perfect for B1-B2 learners. Plus, you’ll practice linking past and present actions, a key skill for fluent conversations.
Listen For These Sounds
The audio is packed with connected speech to sharpen your ear! Notice how "wanted to" becomes "wanna" and "he would" links to "he’d"—common reductions that make speech flow. Listen for the soft "t" in "rioters" and "soldiers," and how "emperor" is often shortened to "emp’r" in fast dialogue. These sounds are crucial for improve english pronunciation.
Say It Like a Native
Use the shadowing technique to mirror the speaker’s rhythm! Pause the video, repeat phrases like "a new fire burned, not in buildings, but in the heart of the emperor"—stress "new," "burned," "heart" to emphasize emotion. Notice how the speaker slows down for key moments ("He went from a poor boy... to ruler of one of the greatest empires")—copy that pace to add drama. Shadow speak along daily, and you’ll soon sound more natural. This is how to learn english with videos effectively—small, consistent steps that lead to big progress!
Ready to start? Hit play, shadow the dialogue, and watch your speaking skills soar. You’ve got this!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | were filled · were held · was hurt |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | consul, which was · those who once · people who lost |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.