| Tiberius II Constantine | |
|---|---|
| Byzantine Emperor | |
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| Tiberius II Constantine, wearing consular robes | |
| Reign | 574 – 582 |
| Full name | Flavius Tiberius Constantinus Augustus |
| Born | c. 520 |
| Died | August 14, 582 |
| Predecessor | Justin II |
| Successor | Maurice |
| Dynasty | Justinian Dynasty |
Flavius Tiberius Constantinus Augustus or Tiberius II Constantine (c. 520 - August 14, 582) was a Byzantine emperor (574 - 582) of the Justinian Dynasty. The historian C. W. Previté-Orton states that Tiberius "was really the first of the Greek Emperors, and with him Byzantine becomes the fittest name for the Eastern Empire, which was still Roman in tradition."[1] During Tiberius II Constantine's reign, he gave away 7,200 pounds of gold each year for four years.[2] He was a friend of Justin II, who appointed Tiberius comes of the excubitors. He took control of the empire when Justin II went insane in 574, and to increase his popularity, he immediately began spending money that Justin had reserved in his treasury Justin II, Tiberius's predecessor, had been made infirm by disease; the faculties of his mind were impaired and he subsequently lost the use of his feet. Confined to his palace, he became a stranger to the complaints of the people and the vices of the government. Conscious of his infirmity, he honorably chose to seek a successor to the Imperial throne. On the advice of his wife, he handed the diadem to one of his Excubitors, Tiberius. While Justin was still alive, Tiberius' general Maurice fought and defeated the Persians in Armenia. When Tiberius became full emperor upon Justin's death in 578, he extended his military activities into the remnants of the Western Empire, where he made peace with the Visigoths in Spain and defeated the Berbers in North Africa. Meanwhile, the Slavs began to migrate into the Balkans in 579; unfortunately, Tiberius needed the army to defend against Persian invasions, and was unable to stop the Slavic migrations. In 582, Tiberius fell ill, and Maurice was named his heir. Maurice became emperor when Tiberius died in August - poisoned, it was rumored.
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Tiberius II Constantine
Born: c. 520 Died: 14 August 582 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Justin II |
Byzantine Emperor 574 - 582 with Justin II (574-578) Maurice (582) |
Succeeded by Maurice |
| Preceded by Imp. Caesar Flavius Iustinus Augustus in 566, then lapsed |
Consul of the Roman Empire 579 |
Succeeded by Lapsed, Imp. Caesar Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus in 583 |
