The Justinian Code was a collection of laws and legal interpretations issued by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century CE. It was the first comprehensive compilation of Roman law and served as the basis for much of the legal systems of Europe and the Middle East. The code was divided into four parts: the Codex Justinianus, the Digest, the Institutes, and the Novellae. The code was used to codify and standardize Roman law, and it was the basis for much of the legal systems of Europe and the Middle East for centuries.