Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/747

 JUSTIN JUSTINIAN 727 There are some dark stains on Justin's charac- ter. Amantius was executed on charges of conspiracy and heresy, Theodatus was mur- dered in prison, and Vitalian, a Gothic chief, who had become popular by his civil war against Anastasius in defence of the orthodox faith, was treacherously murdered at a ban- quet. Both Justin and his successor Justinian (during part of his reign) were defenders of the orthodox creed. II. The Yonnger, nephew of Justinian I., succeeded him in 665, and died Oct. 5, 578. lie was of a very crafty disposi- tion, and while his cousins Justin and Justini- an, the sons of Germanus, were absent in the campaign against the Persians, he remained in Constantinople and courted the aged emperor. On assuming the imperial authority after the death of Justinian, he won popular favor by the expression of virtuous and generous senti- ments. He granted a general pardon to offend- ers, liquidated all the debts of Justinian, and issued an edict of universal religious toleration. But he soon showed his true character. He instigated the murder of his cousin Justin, of whom he had become jealous, sold offices and positions without disguise, and recovered by rapacity and oppression the sums used in satis- fying the creditors of his predecessor. "While he was thus arousing the indignation of the Greeks at home, Italy was in a deplorable state. Narses, who had been removed from the ex- archy through the hatred of the empress So- phia, revenged himself by inviting an invasion of the Longobards, who overran the country. At the same time Justin was involved in a war with the Persians, who ravaged Syria and took Dara. On the receipt of this news he ex- hibited symptoms of insanity, and the govern- ment devolved on the empress Sophia, who persuaded the emperor (574) to adopt Tiberius, the captain of his guards. The latter became virtually the ruler from that time, although Justin did not create him Augustus until Sept. 26, 578. JUSTIN (JuBTiJJtrs), a Latin historian, of whose personal history nothing is known. It is probable that he lived at Rome in the 3d or 4th century. He is the author of a work enti- tled Historiarum Philippicnrum Libri XLIV., founded on a lost work of Trogus Pompeius, a historian of the Augustan age. The original work, though professing to give only an ac- count of the Macedonian monarchy, was hardly less than a universal history, and was of great value. Justin seems rather to have compiled selections from it than to have abridged it sys- tematically, and his history contains a great va- riety of information that would not otherwise have been preserved, carelessly arranged, hut written in a clear and sometimes elegant style. The first edition of Justin was printed at Ven- ice by Jensen in 1470. The latest editions are those of Gutschmid (Leipsic, 1857), Hartwig (Brunswick, 1860), Pierrot and Boitard (Paris, 1862), and Domke and Eitner (Breslau, 1865). The English translations are by Codrington (16G4), Brown (1712), Bayley (1732), Clark (1732), and Turnbull (1746). JUSTINIAN. I. (FLAVIUS ANIOIUS JUSTINIA- NUS), surnamed the Great, a Byzantine empe- ror, born at Tauresium, a village near Sardica (now Sophia), in Bulgaria, in 482 or 483, died Nov. 14, 565. He was the son of a poor bar- barian family, but his elevation was promoted by his uncle Justin I., who shortly before his death in 527 adopted him as co-emperor at the request of the senate. Justinian, who had effectively and unscrupulously promoted his uncle's elevation, was possessed long before the decease of the latter of all power in the state, as well as of a large private fortune. lie shared both his power and wealth with Theo- dora, a beautiful, crafty, and unscrupulous wo- man, the daughter of a keeper of wild beasts, who had been long known as a comedian and prostitute, and despised by the people of the capital as one of the vilest of her sex. Having married her in spite of all opposition, he not only seated her on his throne, but made her an equal colleague ; and her demoralizing, cor- rupting, and despotic influence remained pow- erful till her death in the 22d year of their reign. In the questions of creed in the church and of color in the games of the charioteers in the hippodrome, then distracting the empire, Justinian and his wife were agreed in zealously supporting the orthodox and the blue parties. In the capital and most of the provinces heresy was totally powerless, but the faction of the greens was often able to resist by open violence the arrogance of their opponents and oppres- sors. In 532, after a fierce contest between the factions, in which Constantinople was almost laid in ashes, they momentarily com- bined their forces against the government, and proclaimed Hypatius, a nephew of the emperor Anastasius, emperor. The resolute spirit of Theodora and the bravery of Belisarius tri- umphed. The blues returned to allegiance, the greens were crushed with dreadful slaughter, Hypatius and his principal accomplices were executed, and tranquillity was restored. Jus- tinian now turned his chief attention to the external interests of his vast empire. Purchas- ing at an immense sum a truce from Chosroes I. of Persia, after a war of a few years waged with varying success, he sent Belisarius with a fleet and an army against Gelimer, who had usurped power in the kingdom of the Vandals of Africa, and as an Arian ruler oppressed his Catholic subjects. A series of victories soon brought Carthage and the person of Gelimer himself into the power of the Byzantines. Gelimer was sent a captive to Constantinople, the kingdom of the Vandals destroyed, and the Arian worship suppressed. The conquest of the province of Africa and the adjoining prov- inces procured new influence and some strong stations in Spain, and paved the way for the reestablishment of the Roman imperial pow- er in Italy, where Theodatus had succeeded (535) the regent Amalasontha, who usurped the