Tiberius II Constantine
Encyclopedia
Tiberius II Constantine (ca. 520/535 – August 14, 582) was Byzantine Emperor from 574 to 582.
During his reign, Tiberius II Constantine gave away 7,200 pounds of gold each year for four years.
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. The Empress Sophia, Justin's wife, reproached Tiberius for having reduced the state to poverty, saying:
Tiberius replied:
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 Sophia, he handed the diadem
to one of his Excubitors
, Tiberius.
While Justin was still alive, Tiberius' general Justinian
fought and defeated the Persians
in the East
. Tiberius sent reinforcements to Italy in order to fight the Lombards
. He saved Rome
from the Lombards and allied with Childebert II
, the King of the Franks, in order to defeat them, but his army, under the command of Baduarius
, was defeated by the enemy and the Lombards continued their conquests in Italy.
When Tiberius became full Emperor upon Justin's death in 578, he extended his military activities into the remnants of the Western Roman Empire
, where he made peace with the Visigoths in Spain
and defeated the Berbers
in North Africa
. He may have been the Emperor Lucius Tiberius
of Arthurian legend
, sending envoys to former Roman provinces after a long period without Imperial presence. 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.
Sophia, Justin's wife, was persuaded that she should preserve her station and influence by marrying the new emperor Tiberius. But he refused her proposal of marriage because he was already married to Anastasia
. Sophia sought revenge: a secret alliance was concluded between the dowager empress and the general Justinian. They conspired to overthrow the Emperor: if the plot had been successful, Justinian would have become the new Emperor. However the conspiracy failed and Sophia was reduced to a modest allowance. Justinian was forgiven by Tiberius II.
In 582, Tiberius fell ill. The general Maurice
was named his heir and betrothed to Tiberius' daughter Constantina
. Maurice became emperor when Tiberius died in August – poisoned, it was rumored. His last words were spoken to his successor:
According to Edward Gibbon
, Tiberius II was a good emperor:
During his reign, Tiberius II Constantine gave away 7,200 pounds of gold each year for four years.
He was a friend of Justin II
Justin II
Justin II was Byzantine Emperor from 565 to 578. He was the husband of Sophia, nephew of Justinian I and the late Empress Theodora, and was therefore a member of the Justinian Dynasty. His reign is marked by war with Persia and the loss of the greater part of Italy...
, who appointed Tiberius Comes
Comes
Comes , plural comites , is the Latin word for companion, either individually or as a member of a collective known as comitatus, especially the suite of a magnate, in some cases large and/or formal enough to have a specific name, such as a cohors amicorum. The word comes derives from com- "with" +...
of the Excubitors
Excubitors
The Excubitors were founded in circa 460 AD as the imperial guards of the early Byzantine emperors. Their commanders soon acquired great influence and provided a series of emperors in the 6th century...
. 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. The Empress Sophia, Justin's wife, reproached Tiberius for having reduced the state to poverty, saying:
What I have been collecting through many years you are scattering prodigally in a short time
Tiberius replied:
I trust to the Lord that money will not be lacking in our treasury so long as the poor receive charity and captives are ransomed. For this is the great treasure, since the Lord says, 'Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal.' Therefore of these things which God has furnished us let us gather treasures in heaven, and God will deign to give us increase in this world.
Justin II
Justin II was Byzantine Emperor from 565 to 578. He was the husband of Sophia, nephew of Justinian I and the late Empress Theodora, and was therefore a member of the Justinian Dynasty. His reign is marked by war with Persia and the loss of the greater part of Italy...
, 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
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
throne. On the advice of his wife Sophia, he handed the diadem
Diadem
Diadem may refer to:*Diadem, a type of crown-Military:*HMS Diadem was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line in the Royal Navy launched in 1782 at Chatham and participated in the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1787...
to one of his Excubitors
Excubitors
The Excubitors were founded in circa 460 AD as the imperial guards of the early Byzantine emperors. Their commanders soon acquired great influence and provided a series of emperors in the 6th century...
, Tiberius.
“You behold,” said the emperor, “the ensigns of supreme power. You are about to receive them, not from my hand, but from the hand of God. Honor them, and from them you will derive honor. Respect the empress your mother: you are now her son; before, you were her servant. Delight not in blood; abstain from revenge; avoid those actions by which I have incurred the public hatred; and consult the experience, rather than the example, of your predecessor. As a man, I have sinned; as a sinner, even in this life, I have been severely punished: but these servants, (and we pointed to his ministers,) who have abused my confidence, and inflamed my passions, will appear with me before the tribunal of Christ. I have been dazzled by the splendor of the diadem: be thou wise and modest; remember what you have been, remember what you are. You see around us your slaves, and your children: with the authority, assume the tenderness, of a parent. Love your people like yourself; cultivate the affections, maintain the discipline, of the army; protect the fortunes of the rich, relieve the necessities of the poor.”
While Justin was still alive, Tiberius' general Justinian
Justinian (general)
Justinian was an East Roman aristocrat and general, and a member of the ruling Justinian dynasty. As a soldier, he had a distinguished career in the Balkans and in the East against Sassanid Persia...
fought and defeated the Persians
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
in the East
East
East is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the right side of a map is east....
. Tiberius sent reinforcements to Italy in order to fight the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
. He saved Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
from the Lombards and allied with Childebert II
Childebert II
.Childebert II was the Merovingian king of Austrasia, which included Provence at the time, from 575 until his death in 595, the eldest and succeeding son of Sigebert I, and the king of Burgundy from 592 to his death, as the adopted and succeeding son of his uncle Guntram.-Childhood:When his father...
, the King of the Franks, in order to defeat them, but his army, under the command of Baduarius
Baduarius
Baduarius was an East Roman aristocrat, the son-in-law of Byzantine emperor Justin II . Theophanes the Confessor erroneously calls him a brother.- Life :...
, was defeated by the enemy and the Lombards continued their conquests in Italy.
When Tiberius became full Emperor upon Justin's death in 578, he extended his military activities into the remnants of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, where he made peace with the Visigoths in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and defeated the Berbers
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. He may have been the Emperor Lucius Tiberius
Lucius Tiberius
Lucius Tiberius is a fictional Roman Emperor from Arthurian legend appearing first in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae. No Roman Emperor of that name ever existed; Geoffrey either heard of him from folk tradition or made him up...
of Arthurian legend
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, sending envoys to former Roman provinces after a long period without Imperial presence. Meanwhile, the Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
began to migrate into the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
in 579; unfortunately, Tiberius needed the army to defend against Persian invasions, and was unable to stop the Slavic migrations.
Sophia, Justin's wife, was persuaded that she should preserve her station and influence by marrying the new emperor Tiberius. But he refused her proposal of marriage because he was already married to Anastasia
Ino Anastasia
Ino , renamed Aelia Anastasia was the Empress consort of Tiberius II Constantine of the Byzantine Empire, and Augusta from 578 until her death.-Early life and marriages:...
. Sophia sought revenge: a secret alliance was concluded between the dowager empress and the general Justinian. They conspired to overthrow the Emperor: if the plot had been successful, Justinian would have become the new Emperor. However the conspiracy failed and Sophia was reduced to a modest allowance. Justinian was forgiven by Tiberius II.
In 582, Tiberius fell ill. The general Maurice
Maurice (emperor)
Maurice was Byzantine Emperor from 582 to 602.A prominent general in his youth, Maurice fought with success against the Sassanid Persians...
was named his heir and betrothed to Tiberius' daughter Constantina
Constantina (empress)
Constantina was the Empress consort of Maurice of the Byzantine Empire.-Family:Constantina was a daughter of Tiberius II Constantine and his wife Ino Anastasia. Her parentage was recorded in the chronicles of Theophylact Simocatta, Paul the Deacon and John of Biclaro.The Georgian Chronicle...
. Maurice became emperor when Tiberius died in August – poisoned, it was rumored. His last words were spoken to his successor:
Let my sovereignty be delivered to thee with this girl. Be happy in the use of it, mindful always to love equity and justice.
According to Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
, Tiberius II was a good emperor:
With the odious name of Tiberius, he assumed the more popular appellation of Constantine, and imitated the purer virtues of the Antonines. After recording the vice or folly of so many Roman princes, it is pleasing to repose, for a moment, on a character conspicuous by the qualities of humanity, justice, temperance, and fortitude; to contemplate a sovereign affable in his palace, pious in the church, impartial on the seat of judgment, and victorious, at least by his generals, in the Persian war. The most glorious trophy of his victory consisted in a multitude of captives, whom Tiberius entertained, redeemed, and dismissed to their native homes with the charitable spirit of a Christian hero. The merit or misfortunes of his own subjects had a dearer claim to his beneficence, and he measured his bounty not so much by their expectations as by his own dignity. This maxim, however dangerous in a trustee of the public wealth, was balanced by a principle of humanity and justice, which taught him to abhor, as of the basest alloy, the gold that was extracted from the tears of the people. For their relief, as often as they had suffered by natural or hostile calamities, he was impatient to remit the arrears of the past, or the demands of future taxes: he sternly rejected the servile offerings of his ministers, which were compensated by tenfold oppression; and the wise and equitable laws of Tiberius excited the praise and regret of succeeding times. Constantinople believed that the emperor had discovered a treasure: but his genuine treasure consisted in the practice of liberal economy, and the contempt of all vain and superfluous expense. The Romans of the East would have been happy, if the best gift of Heaven, a patriot king, had been confirmed as a proper and permanent blessing. But in less than four years after the death of Justin, his worthy successor sunk into a mortal disease, which left him only sufficient time to restore the diadem, according to the tenure by which he held it, to the most deserving of his fellow-citizens.
Sources
- Edward WalfordEdward WalfordEdward Walford was a British magazine editor and a compiler of educational, biographical, genealogical and touristic works, perhaps best known for his Old and New London 6 volumes , 1878....
, translator (1846) The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius: A History of the Church from AD 431 to AD 594, Reprinted 2008. Evolution Publishing, ISBN 978-1-889758-88-6. http://www.evolpub.com/CRE/CREseries.html#CRE5 - Edward GibbonEdward GibbonEdward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman EmpireThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman EmpireThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is a non-fiction history book written by English historian Edward Gibbon and published in six volumes. Volume I was published in 1776, and went through six printings. Volumes II and III were published in 1781; volumes IV, V, VI in 1788–89... - Paul the DeaconPaul the DeaconPaul the Deacon , also known as Paulus Diaconus, Warnefred, Barnefridus and Cassinensis, , was a Benedictine monk and historian of the Lombards.-Life:...
, Historia Langobardorum - Theophylact SimocattaTheophylact SimocattaTheophylact Simocatta was an early seventh-century Byzantine historiographer, arguably ranking as the last historian of Late Antiquity, writing in the time of Heraclius about the late Emperor Maurice .-Life:His history of the reign of emperor Maurice is in eight books...
, History