In the eighth century CE, Leo III, 717-741 CE, and Constantine V, 741-775 CE, modified the Justinian Code and made it more Christian in character; they reduced harsh penalties like the death penalty, which had been characteristic of Roman law. They instituted less severe punishment, allowing such acts as mutilations. Marriage and family law they based on Christian values and they also officially endorsed popular
custom that prevailed among Greeks and others in the Eastern Roman Empire.