Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/262

 1 86 General History of Europe became king he did his best to preserve them. The old offices and titles were retained, and Goth and Roman lived under the same Roman law. Order was maintained and learning encouraged. In Ravenna, which Theodoric chose for his capital, beautiful build- ings still exist that date from his reign. 293. Code of Justinian. The year after Theodoric's death one of the greatest emperors of the East, Justinian (527-565), came to the throne at Constantinople. He employed a very able lawyer to gather together all the numerous laws which had grown up since the age of the Twelve Tables ( 188) a thousand years before. This collection of decisions of famous Roman judges became the foundation of law for later ages, and still greatly influences the laws of civilized peoples of today. Justinian undertook to regain for his empire the provinces in Africa and Italy that had been occupied by the Vandals and East Goths. He overthrew the Vandal kingdom in northern Africa in 534, and so completely defeated the Goths in 553 that they agreed to leave Italy with all their movable possessions. 294. The Lombards occupy Italy. Immediately after the death of Justinian the country was overrun by the Lombards, the last of the great German peoples to establish themselves within the bounds of the former Empire. The newcomers first occupied the region north of the Po, which has ever since been called "Lombardy" after them, and then extended their conquests southward. They were unable, however, to gain possession of all of Italy. Rome, Ravenna, and southern Italy continued to be held by the emperors at Constantinople. Their kingdom lasted over two hundred years, until it was conquered by Charlemagne. 295. The Franks and their Conquests. While Theodoric had been establishing his kingdom in Italy, Gaul, which we now call France, was coming under the control of the most powerful of all the barbarian peoples, the Franks. (The map on the previous page will give an idea of the new German kingdoms in Theodoric's time.) The various kingdoms established by the German chieftains were not very permanent, as we have seen. The Franks, however, succeeded in conquering more territory than any other people