Justin I

Born around 450 to a peasant family in Thrace, Justin rose through the Roman army's ranks to command the imperial guard. When Emperor Anastasius I died in 518, he outmaneuvered his rivals and took the throne despite his age. His reign centered on hardline Chalcedonian Christianity: he ended the decades-long Acacian schism with Rome, cultivated the papacy, and issued edicts against groups deemed heretical. He used faith as statecraft, building client states along the empire's borders while avoiding major wars. His nephew Justinian, whom he positioned as successor, would inherit the throne in 52…