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Early Life and First Reign of Justinian II
Justinian II came to power on the Byzantine throne at just sixteen years old in 669 CE. He was Emperor Constantine IV and Anastasia’s son. His early reign looked promising because his father’s victories had created stability in the Eastern provinces.
The young emperor’s first years brought remarkable success. He struck a favorable deal with Caliph Abd al-Malik, who agreed to pay more annual tribute to Byzantium and share revenues from Armenia, Iberia, and Cyprus. He also arranged strategic population movements to boost the empire’s defenses. The emperor moved 12,000 Christian Maronites from Lebanon in 687 and later resettled Mardaites in western Asia Minor and the Peloponnese.
His military campaigns started with impressive victories. He led a successful campaign against the Slavs in 688-689 that let him enter Thessalonica, the empire’s second most important European city. The emperor moved the conquered Slavs to Anatolia, where they formed a military force of 30,000 men.
Notwithstanding that, Justinian’s reign soon darkened. The countryside thrived with better living standards among independent peasants, but his heavy taxation created widespread anger. Things got worse when 20,000 Slav soldiers switched sides to join the Arabs during the Battle of Sebastopolis. Justinian retaliated by ordering the slaughter of countless Slavic families in Bithynia.
His administrative changes, though important, sparked controversy. He created the new theme of Hellas in southern Greece and restructured the empire’s military. He became the first emperor to put Christ’s image on imperial coins. His efforts to protect peasant freeholders from aristocratic land grabs, while well-meaning, made powerful enemies among the empire’s wealthy landowners.
Justinian funded expensive building projects and lived lavishly through his financial agents, Stephen and Theodotos. His harsh taxes, religious tensions, and increasingly authoritarian rule ended up causing widespread unrest. The population rebelled under Leontius’s leadership in 695, bringing his first reign to an end.
The Rhinotmetos Period
Justinian’s dramatic fall from power began his notorious “Rhinotmetos” period. Leontios ordered a brutal punishment after deposing him. He had Justinian’s nose cut off – a Byzantine practice that prevented future claims to the throne because an emperor needed physical perfection. People started calling him “Rhinotmetos” (the Split-nosed). He later wore a gold prosthetic nose to hide his disfigurement.
Justinian refused to accept a quiet life during his banishment to Cherson in the Crimean peninsula. He started plotting his return to power right away. The local authorities grew worried about his ambitious schemes and planned to send him back to Constantinople.
Someone warned him about these plans, and he escaped to the Khazars. There, he found an unexpected ally in their khan, Busir Glaven. The khan did more than just offer sanctuary – he gave his sister’s hand in marriage to the deposed emperor. Justinian married her, and she took the name Theodora to honor Justinian I’s wife.
They made their home in Phanagoria near the Sea of Azov, but peace didn’t last long. The Byzantine emperor wanted to eliminate any threat from Justinian and bribed Busir to kill his brother-in-law. Theodora stayed loyal to her husband and told him about the plot. Justinian showed amazing strength when he strangled his would-be killers with his own hands before making a bold escape.
Justinian sailed west across the Black Sea to seek help from Tervel of Bulgaria. The Bulgarian leader became a valuable ally and agreed to help Justinian reclaim his throne. In return, he wanted financial rewards, a Caesar’s crown, and marriage to Justinian’s daughter Anastasia.
Spring 705 saw Justinian launch his ambitious return with an army of 15,000 Bulgar and Slav horsemen. The city’s strong walls proved too much for a direct attack. He and a small group of loyal supporters snuck into Constantinople through an unused water conduit. Their midnight coup d’état succeeded in taking the palace. On August 21, Justinian achieved what many thought impossible – he sat on the imperial throne once again.
Return to Power
Justinian II showed his vengeful nature right after reclaiming the throne in 705. He staged a dramatic spectacle at the Hippodrome by parading his chained predecessors Leontius and Tiberius III. The emperor, wearing a golden nasal prosthesis, placed his feet on their necks and ordered their beheading.
His revenge went far beyond his direct rivals. The emperor launched systematic persecution of anyone who had backed his overthrow or served the previous rulers. Patriarch Kallinikos I learned this the hard way when Justinian had him blinded and banished to Rome for his role in the earlier coup.
Military campaigns proved nowhere near as effective. The emperor betrayed Khan Tervel, his former ally whom he had crowned Caesar, in 708. His attempt to take back territories given to Bulgaria failed spectacularly. Byzantine forces suffered a humiliating defeat and found themselves trapped in Anchialus before they had to retreat.
Things got worse as Arab forces won most important victories in Asia Minor. The cities of Cilicia fell to enemy control between 709 and 711, and Arab forces pushed into Cappadocia. The emperor’s aggressive foreign policy combined with his tyrannical rule at home steadily eroded his support.
A final rebellion sealed his fate in 711. The emperor’s brutal assault on Cherson, where he had seven nobles roasted alive and others drowned at sea, backfired when the survivors joined forces with General Bardanes. While Justinian traveled to Armenia, unable to defend his capital, Bardanes took control of Constantinople.
The end came quick. Justinian II met a grim fate in November 711 after being caught trying to reach safety. His execution marked both his personal downfall and the end of the Heraclian dynasty. His enemies showed one last act of cruelty by murdering his young son Tiberius in front of Justinian’s mother and grandmother Anastasia.
Justinian II’s second reign ended up showing how personal revenge and poor political choices could destroy even the most remarkable comeback in Byzantine history. His obsession with punishing opponents led to mass executions that alienated his supporters and paved the way for his final downfall.
Conclusion
Justinian II’s story remains one of the most remarkable yet tragic tales in Byzantine history. His original reign showed promise with successful treaties and military campaigns, but his excessive taxation and harsh policies caused his first overthrow. His impressive return to power ended up in disaster because he obsessed over revenge.
His tumultuous reign shows how personal vengeance can cloud political judgment. He achieved the impossible by reclaiming the throne after mutilation and exile. Yet he wasted this second chance by brutally persecuting his enemies and betraying his allies.
His death changed Byzantine history by a lot as it ended the Heraclian dynasty. The empire lost a ruling family that had governed for over a century when executioners killed his young son Tiberius. His story reminds us that even the greatest comebacks can fall apart through unchecked revenge and poor political choices.
This cautionary tale of power, resilience, and revenge strikes a chord even today. It shows how personal grudges can destroy political legacies. Though Justinian II’s early reign brought state-of-the-art changes, people remember him more for his vengeful nature and dramatic downfall.
