Justin I
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| Justin I | |
|---|---|
| Byzantine Emperor | |
| Image:Tremissis-Justin I-sb0058.jpg | |
| Flavius Iustinus | |
| Reign | 518 – August 1, 527 |
| Full name | Flavius Iustinus |
| Born | c. 450 |
| Died | August 1, 527 |
| Predecessor | Anastasius I |
| Successor | Justinian I |
| Dynasty | Justinian Dynasty |
Flavius Iustinus (c. 450–August 1, 527), known in English as Justin I, was an Eastern Roman Emperor (518–527) of the Justinian Dynasty, who rose through the ranks of the army of the Byzantine Empire 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 a dynasty that included his eminent nephew Justinian I and laws that de-emphasized the influence of the old Byzantine nobility.
Justin was a Thracian[2] [3][4][5][6] or Illyrian[7][8][9][10][11]peasant from the Latinophone region of Dardania[12] part of the province of Illyricum[13], in a hamlet near Bederiana in Naissos,modern Niš,South Serbia[14][15]. As a teenager, he and two companions fled from a barbaric invasion, taking refuge in Constantinople. Justin soon joined the army, and because of his ability, rose through the ranks to become a general and commander of the palace guard under the Emperor Anastasius I decades later. Thanks to his position (he commanded the only troops in the city) and 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 men, of course, was his nephew Flavius Petrus Sabbatius, whom he adopted as his son and invested with the name Iustinianus (Justinian). It is common now to say that Justinian ruled the empire in his uncle's name during this time, thanks to the accounts of the historian Procopius, but there is much evidence to the contrary. In fact, Justinian was not named as successor until less than a year before Justin's death. He spent 3,700 pounds of gold during a celebration in 520.[16]
In 525, Justin repealed a law that effectively prohibited a member of the senatorial class from marrying a woman from a lower class of society, including the theatre, which was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.
The latter years of his reign were marked by strife between the empire and the Ostrogoths and Persians. In 526, Justin's health began to decline and he formally named Justinian as co-emperor and his successor on April 1, 527. On August 1 of that year, Justin died and was succeeded by Justinian.
The town of Anazarbus was re-named Justinopolis in 525, in his honour.
[edit] Notes
- ^ H. John Chapman (1971). Studies on the Early Papacy. Kennikat Press, University of Michigan , p.210. ISBN ISBN 0804611394.
- ^ A History of the Byzantine State and Society by Warren T. Treadgold[1]
- ^ The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius Scholasticus by Evagrius, Michael Whitby[2]
- ^ The Book of Dignities by Joseph Haydn[3]
- ^ Ancient Illyria: An Archaeological Exploration by Arthur Evans, Bejtullah D.Destani[4]
- ^ Law Out of Context by Alan Watson[5]
- ^ The Later Roman Empire, 284-602: A Social Economic and Administrative Survey by Arnold Hugh Martin Jones[6]
- ^ A History of Rome for High Schools and Academies by George Willis Botsford[7]
- ^ Count Marcellinus and His Chronicle By Brian Croke[8]
- ^ A History of the Later Roman Empire from Arcadius to Irene (395 A.D. -800 A.D.) By J B Bury[9]
- ^ From Rome to Byzantium: The Fifth Century A.D.by Michael Grant[10]
- ^ Ascetics and Ambassadors of Christ: The Monasteries of Palestine, 314-631 By John Binns[11]
- ^ The Cambridge Ancient History By Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards, Cambridge University Press[12]
- ^ The Cambridge Ancient History By Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards, Cambridge University Press[13]
- ^ The Encyclopedia Americana by Grolier Incorporated[14]
- ^ J. Norwich, Byzantium: The Early Centuries, 189
[edit] External links
- Image:Commons-logo.svg Media related to Justin I from the Wikimedia Commons.
- Bury, John Bagnall, History of the Later Roman Empire, Macmillan & Co., Ltd., 1923
- Evans, James Allan, "Justin I (518-527 A.D.)", De Imperatoribus Romanis, 1998
- Gibbon, Edward, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. 4, chapter xl.
- Smith, "Justinus I.", Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, 1870, v. 2, p. 677
- Encyclopædia Britannica Justin I
| 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 |
| 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 Flavius Maximus (alone) | Consul of the Roman Empire 524 with Venantius Opilio | Succeeded by Flavius Probus Flavius Theodorus Philoxenus Soterichus Philoxenus |
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