Judging by Justinian's code, the Byzantine empire was patriarchal and limited the rights of women during the time. First off, the women could not decide who they were going to marry, but rather the father or grandfather had the right to decide who she could marry. In addition, if a father were to set up a marriage where his son or daughter would not agree to, the marriage would still be valid. Yet, women did get some support from the laws. For example, men living with freewomen would imply a marriage, therefore, adultery would also merit punishment on the men. Also, women were allowed to remarry within five years if their husband were captured by an enemy. Overall, Justinian's laws gave much power to the males in the family, but still gave women some rights as opposed to none.
2) Why does Justinian's background matter when reading this document?
Justinian's background is important when reading this document, because it reflects on the type of laws being implemented. First off, since he was a peasant, it can be inferred that he experienced what it was like to adhere to the lifestyle of the peasants--which was probably not very fair. By experiencing the lifestyle of the low class, then rising to the top, it can be concluded he would be biased and be in favor of the poor classes as opposed to further supporting the rich.
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