The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire · Character
Justin II
Also known as Justin the Younger
- Supporting
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 199
There's something both regal and tragic about this emperor whose accession brought the full splendor of Byzantine ceremony, yet whose reign would be marked by the physical confinement that increasingly limited his rule. His presence carries the weight of inherited empire and personal limitation.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- Middle-aged at accession
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 199
- Books
- 1
Justin II succeeded his uncle Justinian as emperor, chosen by the senate in a midnight ceremony and invested with the full imperial garments—red buskins, white tunic, and purple robe—before being crowned with the diadem. His reign would be increasingly constrained by illness that eventually confined him to the palace and deprived him of the use of his feet, leading eventually to his abdication.
Description
A middle-aged Byzantine emperor whose dignified bearing is tempered by the visible effects of illness, wearing the complete imperial regalia of his office: a white tunic beneath a flowing purple robe, distinctive red buskins, and a jeweled diadem that marks his sovereignty. His face reflects both the authority of his position and the physical strain that would increasingly confine him to the palace, while his posture suggests a man accustomed to ceremony but increasingly limited by his condition.
Story so far
BOOK 1The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire / Table of Contents with links in the HTML file to the two Project Gutenberg editions (12 volumes)
Appearances
Meet Justin II in Bookworm
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