Justin II

Justin II was the Eastern Roman emperor from 565 until 578. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of Sophia, the niece of Justinian's wife Theodora.

When Justin II became emperor, he inherited a large but weakened empire. There were fewer resources than before, and he made some tough decisions. He stopped paying tributes to neighboring groups and took a strong stance against them. This led to wars with the Sassanid Empire in 572 and with the Lombards in 568. These conflicts took away much of the Roman territory in Italy by the time they ended in 750.

Justin II's war against the Persians did not go well, and later in his rule, he suffered from severe mental illness. He died on 5 October 578.

Family

Justin II was the son of Vigilantia and Dulcidio. Vigilantia was the sister of Justinian, and Dulcidio was his brother-in-law. Justin II had siblings named Marcellus and Praejecta. With his wife Sophia, he had a daughter named Arabia. They may have also had a son named Justus, who died when he was very young. Justin II also had a niece named Helena.

Early life

Justin’s early years are not very clear. Some old records say he may have been born around the year 511, but historians are not sure. Others think he was born by 520 at the latest, because when he became emperor in 565, people said he was still quite young.

During the time when Justinian I was emperor, Justin worked at the court in an important job called curopalates. He first appears in records from the years 552 and 553, when he was part of a group sent to talk to Pope Vigilius about a religious disagreement called the Three-Chapter Controversy.

In 559, Justinian I sent Justin to help guide some raiders called the Kutrigur who were moving back across the Danube river. Later, in 562 and 563, Justin worked to calm down big street fights in Constantinople caused by two groups of fans called the Blues and Greens.

Over time, Justin made many friends at the court. His wife Sophia and others asked Justinian I to give Justin an important title called caesar, but this did not happen. Some writers from that time described Justin as someone who was strong and liked by many people.

Reign

Justinian I died without children on 14 November 565. His nephew Justin became the new emperor. Justin promised to fix problems left by his uncle, like paying back debts and filling the treasury.

Justin changed many policies. He stopped paying enemies to keep peace, which led to new wars. He also allowed local leaders more power. Sadly, Justin faced mental health issues later in his rule, and his wife Sophia helped manage the empire during those times.

Succession and death

After 572, Justin was said to have times when he was not well. Some reports describe him as acting strangely and needing special care.

Even with these difficulties, Justin was still able to make important decisions. In 574, with help from Sophia, Justin named Tiberius as caesar and adopted him as his son. On 7 December, Justin gave an important speech while passing on the crown, advising Tiberius to be wise, kind, and fair to his people.

In 578, Justin named Tiberius as Augustus. Justin passed away only nine days later, on 5 October 578.