Justin II

Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 565 to 574 (520-578)

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Lived 520–578, aged 58

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Era
520–578
Aged 58

Summary

Updated 2026-06-09

He inherited an empire stretched to breaking and tried to hold it with bluster instead of tribute. The wars that followed — Persia, the Lombards in Italy — undid much of what his uncle Justinian had won, and his own mind gave out before the end.

Biography

About

Justin II was Eastern Roman emperor from 565 until 578, nephew to Justinian I and married to Sophia, niece of Theodora. He took the throne with a vastly enlarged empire but far fewer resources to sustain it. Refusing to continue tribute payments, he adopted a hardline posture toward neighboring powers — a gamble that backfired. War with the Sassanid Empire reignited in 572 and went badly. The Byzantine-Lombard wars began in 568 and would drag on until 750, costing Rome much of Italy. His later years were consumed by severe mental illness. He died 4 October 578.

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