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Justin II (; ; died 5 October 578) was 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.
Justin II inherited a greatly enlarged but overextended empire, with far fewer resources at his disposal compared to Justinian I. He ended the payment of tributes and adopted a hardline stance against the empire's neighbors, which resulted in rekindling of war with the Sassanid Empire, and in a Lombards invasion which cost the Romans much of their territory in Italy.
During Justinian's reign, he served in the position of Kouropalates at the court. He is first attested in the contemporary sources from 552 and 553 as being part of the embassy to Pope Vigilius during the Three-Chapter Controversy.
In 559, he was sent by Justinian to escort the Kutrigurs raiders retreating across the Danube. In 562 and 563, he was in charge of dissipating the urban riots caused by the circus factions in Constantinople.
Over time, he built a network of supporters in the court. In the early 560s, his wife Sophia and his supporters were said to have pleaded with Justinian to name him caesar, albeit unsuccessfully. Historian Sihong Lin writes that early on, Justin was seen as an "energetic, even well-liked individual."
In any case, Callinicus started alerting those most interested in the succession, originally various members of the Byzantine Senate. Then they jointly informed Justin and Sophia, offering the throne. Justin accepted after the traditional token show of reluctance, and with his wife Sophia, he was escorted to the Great Palace of Constantinople.: In laudem lustini Augusti minoris 1.155–200 The Excubitors blocked the palace entrances during the night, and early in the morning, John Scholasticus, Patriarch of Constantinople, crowned the new Augustus. Only then was the death of Justinian and the succession of Justin publicly announced in the Hippodrome of Constantinople. Justin's coronation was written in detail by Corippus in his panegyric In laudem lustini Augusti minoris (In praise of Justin the Younger).
Both the Patriarch and Tiberius, commander of the Excubitors, had been recently appointed, with Justin having played a part in their respective appointments, in his role as Justinian's curopalates. It is thus seen that they were willing to elevate their patron and ally to the throne.
Justin's first address to the senate contained criticisms of Justinian: "Let the world rejoice that whatever was not done or put into practice because of our father's old age has been corrected in the time of Justin." In the speech, he vowed to repay debts, restore the emptied treasury and promised not to confiscate senatorial properties.: In laudem lustini Augusti minoris 2.255–275
He conceded greater control to the provincial elites. In 569, he allowed them to nominate their own Roman governor, and if the nominees pleased the court, eliminated their appointment fees, resulting in decreased imperial oversight of the provinces.
The North and East frontiers were the main focus of Justin's attention. Justin began to cement an alliance with the Turks, the new Central Asian power that threatened both the Avars and Sassanian Empire from the mid 6th century. In line with his policies against subsidies, he rejected Arab demands of payments. In 572 his refusal to pay tribute to the Persians in combination with overtures to the Turks led to a war with the Sassanid Empire. After two disastrous campaigns, in which the Persians under Khosrow I overran Roman Syria and captured the strategically important fortress of Dara, Justin became inflicted with a severe mental illness. During his incapacitation, his wife Sophia reversed his tributary policy by attaining a one-year truce from Persia with a payment of 45,000 gold coins. This was followed by a three-year truce when Tiberius reached an agreement to pay 30,000 coins annually. Further negotiations had the Romans recognizing Persian dominance of Eastern Armenia and Iberia, though the wars continued in Armenia.
Shortly after the smuggling of silkworm eggs into the Byzantine Empire from China by Nestorianism monks, the 6th-century Byzantine historian Menander Protector writes of how the attempted to establish a direct trade of Silk Road with the Byzantine Empire. After forming an alliance with the Sassanid ruler Khosrow I to defeat the Hephthalites, Istämi, the Göktürk ruler of the Western Turkic Khaganate, was approached by Sogdian merchants requesting permission to seek an audience with the Sassanid king of kings for the privilege of traveling through Persian territories in order to trade with the Byzantines.Howard, Michael C., Transnationalism in Ancient and Medieval Societies, the Role of Cross Border Trade and Travel, McFarland & Company, 2012, p. 133. Istämi refused the first request, but when he sanctioned the second one and had the Sogdian embassy sent to the Sassanid king, the latter had the members of the embassy poisoned to death. Maniah, a Sogdian diplomat, convinced Istämi to send an embassy directly to Constantinople, which arrived in 568 and offered not only silk as a gift to Justin, but also proposed an alliance against Sassanid Persia. Justin agreed and sent an embassy to the Turkic Khaganate, ensuring the direct silk trade desired by the Sogdians.Liu, Xinru, "The Silk Road: Overland Trade and Cultural Interactions in Eurasia", in Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in Ancient and Classical History, ed. Michael Adas, American Historical Association, Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2001, p. 168.
His foreign policy has received unfavorable modern assessments. In 1937, historian Previte-Orton criticized Justin as lacking realism, having overestimated Roman strength against foreign enemies.
Despite moments of clarity, Justin was no longer able to govern. Eastern Roman sources report that Tiberius, the commander of the Excubitors, directed the government from this point, alongside Sophia.Evagrius, Ecclesiastical History, 5.11; Menander Protector 18 In 574, about a year after his incapacitation, Justin elevated Tiberius as caesar at Sophia's suggestion and adopted him as his son.Gibbon, Edward, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Chapter XLV, Part II On 7 December, according to Theophylact Simocatta, Justin remained sufficiently clear-minded to make an eloquent speech as he passed the crown:Theophylact Simocatta III.11: "This was spoken on the seventh of December, on the sixth day, in the ninth indiction."John of Ephesus, 3.5.
Four years later, on 26 September 578, he elevated Tiberius as Augustus. Justin died only nine days later, on 5 October 578. Chronicon Paschale ; John of Ephesus, 3.5.
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