Justin I

Justin I
Emperor of the Byzantine Empire

Tremissis of Emperor Justin I.
Reign 518 – August 1, 527
Full name Flavius Justinus Augustus
Born c. 450
Birthplace Bederiana, near Naissus (Niš, Serbia)
Died August 1, 527 (aged 77)
Predecessor Anastasius I
Successor Justinian I
Consort Euphemia
Dynasty Justinian Dynasty

Justin I (Latin: Flavius Iustinus Augustus, Greek: Ἰουστίνος; c. 450 – 1 August 527) was Byzantine Emperor from 518 to 527. He rose through the ranks of the army and ultimately became its Emperor, in spite of the fact he was illiterate[1] and almost 70 years old at the time of accession. His reign is significant for the founding of the Justinian Dynasty that included his eminent nephew Justinian I and for the enactment of laws that de-emphasized the influence of the old Roman nobility. His consort was Empress Euphemia.

Contents

Early career

Justin was a peasant and a swineherd by occupation[2] from the Latinophone region of Dardania, which is part of the Diocese of Illyricum.[3] He was born in a hamlet near Bederiana in Naissus (modern Niš, South Serbia).[2][4] He was of Thraco-Roman stock,[5][6][7][8][9] and bore, like his companions and members of his family (Zimarchus, Dityvistus, Boraides, Bigleniza, Sabatius, etc.) a Thracian name,[5][10] and who never learned to speak more than rudimentary Greek. His sister Vigilantia (b. ca 455) married Sabbatius and had two children: Vigilantia (b. ca 490), married to Dulcissimus and had Praejecta (b. ca 520), married to the senator Areobindus and Justin II (b. ca 520); Justinian I.

As a teenager, he and two companions fled from a barbaric invasion, taking refuge in Constantinople possessing nothing more than the ragged clothes on their backs and a sack of bread between them. Justin soon joined the army and, because of his ability, rose through the ranks to become a general and under the Emperor Anastasius I; by the time of Anastasius' death in 518, he held the influential position of comes excubitorum, commander of the palace guard.[11]

Emperor

Thanks to his position commanding the only troops in the city and making gifts of money, Justin was able to secure election as emperor in 518.

A career soldier with little knowledge of statecraft, Justin wisely surrounded himself with trusted advisors. The most prominent of these, of course, was his nephew Flavius Petrus Sabbatius, whom he adopted as his son and invested with the name Iustinianus (Justinian).

Justin's reign is noteworthy for the resolution of the Acacian_Schism between the eastern and western branches of the Christian church. As a devout Catholic, Justin endorsed Rome's view on the question of the dual nature of Christ and the more general principle of Roman supremacy. This temporary eastern deferral to the western church did not endure.

Relying upon the accounts of the historian Procopius, it often has been said that Justinian ruled the Empire in his uncle's name during the reign of Justin, however, there is much evidence to the contrary. The information from the Secret History of Procopius was published posthumously. Critics of Procopius (whose work reveals a man seriously disillusioned with his rulers) have dismissed his work as a severely biased source, being vitriolic and pornographic, but without other sources, critics have been unable to discredit some of the assertions in the publication. However, contrary to the secret history, Justinian was not named as successor until less than a year before Justin's death and he spent 3,700 pounds of gold during a celebration in 520.[12]

In 525, Justin repealed a law that effectively prohibited a member of the senatorial class from marrying a woman from a lower class of society, including the theatre, which was considered scandalous at the time. This edict paved the way for Justinian to marry Theodora, a former mime actress, and eventually resulted in a major change to the old class distinctions at the Imperial court. She became an equal to Justinian, participating in the governance with significant influence.

Later years

The latter years of the reign of Justin were marked by strife among the Empire, the Ostrogoths, and the Persians. In 526, Justin's health began to decline and he formally named Justinian as co-emperor and, on April 1, 527 as his successor. On August 1 of that year, Justin died and was succeeded by Justinian.

Legacy

The town of Anazarbus was re-named Justinopolis in 525, in honour of Justin I.

Notes

  1. ^ Chapman, H. John (1971). Studies on the Early Papacy. Kennikat Press, University of Michigan. p. 210. ISBN 0804611394. 
  2. ^ a b Cameron, Averil, "Chapter III: Justin I and Justinian", The Cambridge Ancient History, XIV: Late Antiquity: Empire and Successors, Cambridge University Press, p. 63, ISBN 9780521325912, http://books.google.com/books?id=Qf8mrHjfZRoC&lpg=PA63&dq=Justin%20I%20%20Illyricum&lr&pg=PA63#v=onepage&q&f=false 
  3. ^ Binns, John (1996). Ascetics and Ambassadors of Christ: The Monasteries of Palestine, 314–631. Clarendon Press. http://books.google.com/books?id=pChoU6Ux2gYC&pg=PA11&dq=Justin+I+Dardania&lr=&sig=sak3d5BkL32-UEnxEl50rLpkL04. 
  4. ^ The Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 16, Grolier Incorporated, 1989, http://books.google.com/books?id=ugUaAAAAMAAJ&q=Justin+I++Bederiana+Nis&dq=Justin+I++Bederiana+Nis&lr=&pgis=1 
  5. ^ a b Russu, Ion I. (1976) (in Romanian). Elementele traco-getice în Imperiul Roman și în Byzantium. veacurile III-VII. Editura Academiei R. S. România. p. 95. 
  6. ^ Iv Velkov, Velizar (1977). Cities in Thrace and Dacia in Late Antiquity: (studies and Materials). University of Michigan. p. 47. 
  7. ^ Browning, Robert (2003). Justinian and Theodora. Gorgias Press LLC. p. 23. ISBN 1593330537. 
  8. ^ Johnson, Scott Fitzgerald (2006). Greek Literature in Late Antiquity. Ashgate Publishing. p. 166. ISBN 0754656837. 
  9. ^ Norwich, John Julius (1997). A Short History of Byzantium. Vintage Books. p. 59. ISBN 0679772693. 
  10. ^ Evans, James Allan Stewart (1996). Routledge. p. 96. ISBN 0415237262. 
  11. ^ Jones, A.H.M. (1986). The Later Roman Empire, 284–602: A Social, Economic, and Administrative Survey. Baltimore: JHU Press. pp. 658. ISBN 0801833531. http://books.google.com/books?id=IiLtO4ZvTdEC&pg=PA658&lpg=PA658&dq=%22Comes+Excubitorum%22&source=web&ots=M8RQICB-bx&sig=G9M65aWE48v0hi8xJbRy2Ay3OJU&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result. 
  12. ^ Norwich, John Julius (1988). Byzantium: The Early Centuries. Viking. p. 189. 

References

External links

Media related to Justin I at Wikimedia Commons
Justin I
Born: c. 450 Died: 1 August 527
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Anastasius I		 Byzantine Emperor
518–527
with Justinian I (527)		 Succeeded by
Justinian I
Political offices
Preceded by
Flavius Anastasius Paulus Probus Moschianus Probus Magnus,
Post consulatum Agapiti (West)		 Consul of the Roman Empire
519
with Flavius Eutharicus Cillica		 Succeeded by
Flavius Rusticius,
Flavius Vitalianus
Preceded by
Anicius Maximus (alone)		 Consul of the Roman Empire
524
with Venantius Opilio		 Succeeded by
Anicius Probus Iunior
Flavius Theodorus Philoxenus Soterichus Philoxenus