Justin (consul 540)
Encyclopedia
Flavius Mar Petrus Theodorus Valentinus Rusticius Boraides Germanus Iustinus, commonly simply Iustinus was an East Roman (Byzantine
) aristocrat and general, who was appointed as one of the last Roman consul
s in 540.
He was born around 525, the eldest son of Germanus and his wife Passara. Germanus was a cousin of the Roman Emperor Justinian I
(r. 527–565) and thus a member of the wider Justinian dynasty
and cousin to Justinian's successor, Justin II
(r. 565–578). In 540, he was named ordinary consul at a very young age. At this point, he already held the title of vir illustris
and the honorary office of comes domesticorum. In the same year, he accompanied his father to the East against the Sassanid Persians, but saw no action. In 549, he was instrumental in the revelation of the plot to overthrow Justinian by the Armenian general Artabanes
and his associates. The conspirators intended to assassinate Justinian and Belisarius
, and raise Germanus to the throne. Notified of their intentions, Justin informed his father, who then told Marcellus, the Count of the Excubitors
, leading to the plotters' arrest.
In 550, together with his younger brother Justinian
, he joined their father in his expedition against Ostrogoth Italy, but Germanus died suddenly in the autumn of 550, before the army had left the Balkans, where it was assembling. After this, Justinian and Germanus' son-in-law John led the army towards Salona
(modern Split
, Croatia
), where the eunuch Narses
assumed command in late 551. In early 552, Justin and Justinian were placed at the head of an expedition against a Slav raid into the Illyricum
. Shortly after, they were ordered north to assist the Lombards
against the Gepids, but were detained by the need to suppress the revolt of the city of Ulpiana
.
From then and until 566, he held senior military commands (as magister militum
) against the Persians in Lazica and afterwards again in Thrace
. From these posts he played an important role as mediator in the Empire's first contacts with the Avars
. In 554–556 he served during the last, victorious stages of the Lazic War
, first as deputy to the magister militum per Armeniam Martin, and eventually as his successor. It was in this capacity that in 558 he received the first Avar embassy to the Empire and forwarded them to Constantinople. Turned away from the Empire and towards the plains of the Ukraine, the Avars defeated enemy after enemy and eventually reached the northern bank of the Danube
in 561/562. Then they demanded to settle in Imperial territory in Scythia Minor
. Here Justin played a crucial role, warning the Emperor of the Avars' intentions. Consequently, the Avar embassy to Constantinople was detained while the defences of the Danube limes
were put in order. With Justin continuing to maintain a careful watch over the river, the Avars contented themselves with the annual subsidy paid by Byzantium, and left the Empire in peace for some years to come.
At the time of Emperor Justinian's death in 565, due to his titles and reputation as a commander, as well his army's proximity to the imperial capital, he was the leading contender for the vacant throne, along with his cousin Justin, the curopalates
. The latter however was already present at Constantinople
, and, with the support of the Senate
, was hastily elevated to the throne. The new Emperor then recalled Justin to Constantinople before banishing him to Alexandria
, ostensibly as the new augustalian prefect of Egypt. There he was murdered in his sleep at the instigation of Empress Sophia
, according to the account of John of Biclaro
.
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
) aristocrat and general, who was appointed as one of the last Roman consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
s in 540.
He was born around 525, the eldest son of Germanus and his wife Passara. Germanus was a cousin of the Roman Emperor Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
(r. 527–565) and thus a member of the wider Justinian dynasty
Justinian Dynasty
The Justinian Dynasty is a family who ruled over the Byzantine Empire from 518 to 602. It originated with Justin I and ended with Maurice. Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople , whose father was named Justinian, might have been a descendant of the dynasty...
and cousin to Justinian's successor, Justin II
Justin II
Justin II was Byzantine Emperor from 565 to 578. He was the husband of Sophia, nephew of Justinian I and the late Empress Theodora, and was therefore a member of the Justinian Dynasty. His reign is marked by war with Persia and the loss of the greater part of Italy...
(r. 565–578). In 540, he was named ordinary consul at a very young age. At this point, he already held the title of vir illustris
Vir illustris
The title vir illustris is used as a formal indication of standing in late antiquity to describe the highest ranks within the senates of Rome and Constantinople...
and the honorary office of comes domesticorum. In the same year, he accompanied his father to the East against the Sassanid Persians, but saw no action. In 549, he was instrumental in the revelation of the plot to overthrow Justinian by the Armenian general Artabanes
Artabanes (general)
Artabanes was an East Roman general of Armenian origin who served under Justinian I . Initially a rebel against Byzantine authority, he fled to the Sassanid Persians but soon returned to Byzantine allegiance. He served in Africa, where he won great fame by killing the rebel general Guntharic and...
and his associates. The conspirators intended to assassinate Justinian and Belisarius
Belisarius
Flavius Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously....
, and raise Germanus to the throne. Notified of their intentions, Justin informed his father, who then told Marcellus, the Count of the Excubitors
Excubitors
The Excubitors were founded in circa 460 AD as the imperial guards of the early Byzantine emperors. Their commanders soon acquired great influence and provided a series of emperors in the 6th century...
, leading to the plotters' arrest.
In 550, together with his younger brother Justinian
Justinian (general)
Justinian was an East Roman aristocrat and general, and a member of the ruling Justinian dynasty. As a soldier, he had a distinguished career in the Balkans and in the East against Sassanid Persia...
, he joined their father in his expedition against Ostrogoth Italy, but Germanus died suddenly in the autumn of 550, before the army had left the Balkans, where it was assembling. After this, Justinian and Germanus' son-in-law John led the army towards Salona
Salona
Salona was an ancient Illyrian Delmati city in the first millennium BC. The Greeks had set up an emporion there. After the conquest by the Romans, Salona became the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia...
(modern Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
), where the eunuch Narses
Narses
Narses was, with Belisarius, one of the great generals in the service of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I during the "Reconquest" that took place during Justinian's reign....
assumed command in late 551. In early 552, Justin and Justinian were placed at the head of an expedition against a Slav raid into the Illyricum
Illyricum (Roman province)
The Roman province of Illyricum or Illyris Romana or Illyris Barbara or Illyria Barbara replaced most of the region of Illyria. It stretched from the Drilon river in modern north Albania to Istria in the west and to the Sava river in the north. Salona functioned as its capital...
. Shortly after, they were ordered north to assist the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
against the Gepids, but were detained by the need to suppress the revolt of the city of Ulpiana
Ulpiana
Ulpiana was an ancient Roman city located in what is today Kosovo. It was also named Justiniana Secunda. Ulpiana is situated in the municipality of Lipljan...
.
From then and until 566, he held senior military commands (as magister militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
) against the Persians in Lazica and afterwards again in Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. From these posts he played an important role as mediator in the Empire's first contacts with the Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
. In 554–556 he served during the last, victorious stages of the Lazic War
Lazic War
The Lazic War or Colchic War, also known as the Great War of Egrisi in Georgian historiography, was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia for control of the region of Lazica, in what is now western Georgia...
, first as deputy to the magister militum per Armeniam Martin, and eventually as his successor. It was in this capacity that in 558 he received the first Avar embassy to the Empire and forwarded them to Constantinople. Turned away from the Empire and towards the plains of the Ukraine, the Avars defeated enemy after enemy and eventually reached the northern bank of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
in 561/562. Then they demanded to settle in Imperial territory in Scythia Minor
Scythia Minor
Scythia Minor, "Lesser Scythia" was in ancient times the region surrounded by the Danube at the north and west and the Black Sea at the east, corresponding to today's Dobruja, with a part in Romania and a part in Bulgaria....
. Here Justin played a crucial role, warning the Emperor of the Avars' intentions. Consequently, the Avar embassy to Constantinople was detained while the defences of the Danube limes
Limes
A limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire.The Latin noun limes had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields, a boundary line or marker, any road or path, any channel, such as a stream channel, or any...
were put in order. With Justin continuing to maintain a careful watch over the river, the Avars contented themselves with the annual subsidy paid by Byzantium, and left the Empire in peace for some years to come.
At the time of Emperor Justinian's death in 565, due to his titles and reputation as a commander, as well his army's proximity to the imperial capital, he was the leading contender for the vacant throne, along with his cousin Justin, the curopalates
Curopalates
Kouropalatēs, Latinized as curopalates or curopalata and Anglicized as curopalate, was a Byzantine court title, one of the highest from the time of Emperor Justinian I to that of the Komnenoi in the 12th century...
. The latter however was already present at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, and, with the support of the Senate
Byzantine Senate
The Byzantine Senate or Eastern Roman Senate was the continuation of the Roman Senate, established in the 4th century by Constantine I. It survived for centuries but was increasingly irrelevant until its eventual disappearance in the 13th century....
, was hastily elevated to the throne. The new Emperor then recalled Justin to Constantinople before banishing him to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, ostensibly as the new augustalian prefect of Egypt. There he was murdered in his sleep at the instigation of Empress Sophia
Sophia (empress)
Aelia Sophia was the Empress consort of Justin II of the Byzantine Empire from 565 to 578. She was specifically interested in economic matters and was involved in financial matters during Justin's reign...
, according to the account of John of Biclaro
John of Biclaro
John of Biclaro, Biclar, or Biclarum , also Iohannes Biclarensis, was a Visigoth chronicler, born in Lusitania, in the city of Scallabis , who must have been from a Catholic family, to judge from his name...
.