Justin II

Justin II - Byzantine emperor in 565 - 578 years. + October 4. 578 g.
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Justinian's sister's son Justin was the Tao (the head of the palace guards). After the death of his uncle, he was clothed in purple. Nobody knew about the death of old Emperor and the election of a new up until he himself in royal robes has not come to the racetrack. First he summoned from the Danube's cousin, Justin, too, at first kind to him, and then portrayed the anger, banished in Alexan-driyu and there ordered to kill. In his life Justin was messy: wallow in luxury and shameful pleasures, was a passionate lover of another's property, sold all the posts, and even sacred degrees and distinguished two evils - arrogance and cowardice (Evagrius: 5, 1, 2).

. In foreign affairs he was from the very beginning behaved arrogantly and above all, stopped to pay tribute to the emperors established the same barbarians
. John writes that soon after Justinian left the world, Constantinople was a lot of the Avars, to the manner of a load of gifts and leave. Few days later, they came to Justin and told him: 'Give us, give the deceased king, and let us go to his king. But the Emperor Justin, bewailed the fact how many Avars take and carry away from the kingdom, said to them: the more you do not receive anything and get away with anything. And when they began to threaten, he was angry at them and told them: you, a dead dog, threatening the kingdom of Romeo? Know that I shaved off all your hair and then take off and head. By his order they were captured and sent to the ships, and he, by removing them from the city, kept six months in captivity. Avars feared for a long time did not show. Finally they sent a new embassy, an alliance and a few years of the empire remained friends (John: 3, 6, 24).

But this success was the only equivocal. Italy, beaten off with great difficulty in ready in the previous reign, was lost in the first years of reign of Justin. In 569 g. on the peninsula invaded the Lombards. In the short time they have mastered most of the country, and to 573 g. under the Romans left Romagna, the coast from Rimini to Ancona, Rome and the lower part of the peninsula (Dashkov: 'Justinian II'). In the Empire no longer had the strength to resist this new invasion. Moreover, because of the thoughtlessness of Justin Romans were soon embroiled in a much more dangerous war: the emperor refused to pay the Persians established in Yusti-niane tribute to the 500 pounds of gold and intervened in the affairs of the Armenian. The consequence was a war that has become, according to Simokatta, the source of all disasters for the Romans and the Persians. Initially, the Romans had some success, but after Justin had dismissed the popular commander Markian, the Persians took the offensive, and 574 g. captured Dara. Hearing about this, Justin, shaken by the rapid onslaught of misery, and soon after struck by disease and madness, decided to conclude with

Persians truce. And since the disease struck him more and more (he paralyzed legs), he decided to appoint a co-ruler. On the advice of his wife Sophia he adopted and declared Caesar head the king's guard Tiberius. Since then until his death he was not involved in the affairs of government (Simokatta: 3, 9-II).