Information about Justin I

Justin I
Byzantine Emperor
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 born of Macedonian peasant stock ^{[2][1][4][5][6][7][8]} in a hamlet near Bederiana in the Roman province of Macedonia Salutaris. 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.^[9]

In 525, Justin repealed a law that effectively prohibited a member of the senatorial class from marrying a woman from a lower class of society, including the theatre, which was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.

Notes

External links

• Media on in the Wikicommons.
• 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

Justin I Justinian Dynasty Born: c. 450 Died: 1 August 527
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

•  • [ e] Roman Emperors
Principate 27 BC - 235 AD	Augustus Tiberius Caligula Claudius I Nero Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasian Titus Domitian Nerva Trajan Hadrian Antoninus Pius Marcus Aurelius Lucius Verus Commodus Pertinax Didius Julianus Septimius Severus Caracalla Geta Macrinus Elagabalus Alexander Severus
Crisis 235 AD - 284 AD	Maximinus I Thrax Gordian I and Gordian II Pupienus and Balbinus Gordian III Philip the Arab Decius Herennius Etruscus Trebonianus Gallus Hostilian Volusianus Aemilianus Valerian Gallienus Claudius II Quintillus Aurelian Tacitus Florianus Probus Carus Carinus Numerian
Dominate 284 AD - 1453 AD	284 AD - 395 AD Diocletian Maximian Constantius I Galerius Severus II Maxentius Maximinus II Daia Licinius Valerius Valens Martinianus Constantine I Constantine II Constans I Constantius II Magnentius Vetranio Julian the Apostate Jovian Valentinian I Valens Gratian Valentinian II Magnus Maximus Eugenius Theodosius I Western Empire (395 AD - 480 AD) Honorius Constantius III Joannes Valentinian III Petronius Maximus Avitus Majorian Libius Severus Anthemius Olybrius Glycerius Julius Nepos Romulus Augustus Eastern Empire (395 AD - 480 AD) Arcadius Theodosius II Pulcheria Marcian Leo I Leo II Zeno Byzantine Empire (480 AD - 1453 AD) Zeno Basiliscus Anastasius I Justin I Justinian I Justin II Tiberius II Constantine Maurice Phocas Heraclius Constantine III Heraklonas Constans II Mezezius Constantine IV and Justinian II Leontios Tiberios III Philippikos Anastasios II Theodosios III Leo III the Isaurian Constantine V Artabasdos Leo IV the Khazar Constantine VI Irene Nikephoros I Staurakios Michael I Rangabe Leo V the Armenian Michael II Theophilos Theodora I Michael III Basil I Leo VI the Wise Alexander Constantine VII Romanos I Romanos II Nikephoros II John I Tzimiskes Basil II Constantine VIII Zoe Romanos III Michael IV Michael V Constantine IX Theodora II Michael VI Isaac I Constantine X Michael VII Romanos IV Nikephoros III Alexios I John II Manuel I Alexios II Andronikos I Isaac II Alexios III Angelos Alexios IV Nikolaos Kanabos Alexios V Constantine Laskaris Theodore I John III Theodore II John IV Michael VIII Andronikos II Andronikos III John V John VI Matthew Andronikos IV John VII Andronikos V Manuel II John VIII Constantine XI