Justin (consul 540)
Justin | |
|---|---|
 The ivory consular diptych of Justin, Bode Museum. | |
| Born | ca. 525 Constantinople |
| Died | 566 Alexandria |
| Allegiance | Byzantine Empire |
| Rank | magister militum |
| Battles/wars | Lazic War |
| Relations | Germanus (father) Justinian (brother) Justin II (cousin) John (brother-in-law) |
Flavius Mar(cianus?) Petrus Theodorus Valentinus Rusticius Boraides Germanus Iustinus,[1] simply and commonly known as Justin (Latin: Iustinus, Greek: Ἰουστίνος; circa 525–566), was an East Roman (Byzantine) aristocrat and general, who was appointed as one of the last Roman consuls in 540.
Biography
Justin was born around 525, the eldest son of Germanus and his wife Passara. Germanus was a cousin of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565) and thus a member of the wider Justinian dynasty and cousin to Justinian's successor, Emperor Justin II (r. 565–578).[2] 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.[2] In 549, he was instrumental in the revelation of the plot to overthrow Emperor Justinian by the Armenian general Artabanes and his associates. The conspirators intended to assassinate Emperor Justinian and Belisarius, and raise Germanus to the Byzantine throne. Notified of their intentions, Justin informed his father, who then told Marcellus, the Count of the Excubitors, leading to the plotters' arrest.[3]
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.[4] After this, Justinian and Germanus's son-in-law, John, led the army towards Salona (modern Split, Croatia), where the eunuch Narses assumed command in late 551.[5] In early 552, Justin and Justinian were placed at the head of an expedition against a Slavic raid into the Roman province of 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.[6][7]
From then and until 566, he held senior military commands (as magister militum) against the Sassanid Persians in Lazica and afterwards again in Thrace. From these posts, he played an important role as mediator in the Byzantine Empire's first contacts with the Avars.[8] 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.[9] It was in this capacity that in 558 he received the first Avar embassy to the Byzantine 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.[10] Then, they demanded to settle in Byzantine imperial territory in Scythia Minor. Here, Justin played a crucial role, warning the Byzantine 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 Danube river, the Avars contented themselves with the annual subsidy paid by Byzantium, and left the Empire in peace for some years to come.[11]
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 Byzantine Senate, was hastily elevated to the throne.[12] The new Byzantine 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.[13]
References
- ^ Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, p. 750. The Mar. could be an abbreviation of either Marcellus, Marcianus or Marianus.
- ^ a b Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, p. 750.
- ^ Bury 1958, pp. 67–68; Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, pp. 750–751; Evans 1996, p. 176.
- ^ Bury 1958, pp. 253–254.
- ^ Bury 1958, pp. 255–256.
- ^ Bury 1958, p. 304.
- ^ Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, p. 751.
- ^ Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, pp. 750–753.
- ^ Greatrex & Lieu 2002, pp. 120, 122; Evans 1996, p. 168.
- ^ Evans 1996, p. 260.
- ^ Evans 1996, pp. 260–261.
- ^ Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, pp. 753–754.
- ^ Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, p. 754; Evans 1996, p. 265.
Sources
- Bury, John Bagnell (1958). History of the Later Roman Empire: From the Death of Theodosius I to the Death of Justinian, Volume 2. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. ISBN 0486203999.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Evans, James Allan Stewart (1996). The Age of Justinian: The Circumstances of Imperial Power. New York, New York: Routledge. ISBN 0415022096.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Greatrex, Geoffrey; Lieu, Samuel N. C. (2002). The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars (Part II, 363–630 AD). London, United Kingdom: Routledge. ISBN 0415146879.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Martindale, John Robert; Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin; Morris, J., eds. (1992). The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire. Vol. III: A.D. 527–641. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-52-120160-5.
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