Emperor Forget me, The past cannot be returned! Gypsy romance O negus, negest, save Abyssinia: The threat loomed over the entire southern line, And north of Mekele the enemies defeated us. O Negus, Negus, king of kings, give me cartridges quickly! Pre-war Warsaw song Watching

Justin was an Illyrian peasant by origin. Under Emperor Leo I (), in order to get rid of poverty, together with two brothers he reached Constantinople on foot and entered the military service. military service. Procopius writes that upon arrival in the city they had nothing but goat coats and crackers they had grabbed from home, but here the brothers were immediately lucky: since they were distinguished by their excellent physique, they were selected for the court guard. Subsequently, under Anastasia I (), Justin participated in the Isaurian War. Then he gradually achieved great power and was placed in charge of the court guard. (Procopius: “The Secret History”; 6). Justin received imperial power beyond all expectations, because there were many noble and rich people who were related to the deceased Anastasius and had more rights to appropriate such great power to themselves. Amantius, the overseer of the imperial repose, was a very strong man at that time. As an eunuch, he himself, by law, could not rule, but he wanted to put the crown of autocratic power on Theocritus, a man devoted to him. For this purpose, he called Justin, gave him a large amount of money and ordered it to be distributed to people who were especially suitable for such a task and could clothe Theocritus in purple. But Justin, either because he bribed the people with this money, or because he gained the favor of the so-called bed servants with it - they talk about this in two ways - acquired royal power for himself and then took the lives of both Amantius and Theocritus with some other people.

Justin summoned Vitalian, who lived in Thrace, to Constantinople, who had once attempted to deprive Anastasius of supreme power, because he feared his strength and his belligerence, about which rumors spread everywhere. To inspire confidence in him, Justin declared him commander of part of the army and then promoted him to consul. In the rank of consul, Vitalian came to the palace and was treacherously killed at one palace door. (Evagrius: 4; 1,3). Unlike the previous emperors Zenon () and Anastasius, Justin professed strict Orthodoxy. He ordered the removal of about fifty Syrian Monophysite bishops and initiated persecution of adherents of all heretical trends. (Dashkov: “Justin the First”). Justin even wanted to seize and cut off the tongue of the Antiochian primate of the North for blaspheming the Council of Chalcedon. (Evagrius: 4; 4).

According to Procopius, Justin was alien to all learning and did not even know the alphabet, which had never happened among the Romans before. And while it was customary for the emperor to put his own hand on the documents containing his decrees, he was not able either to issue decrees or to be involved in what was being done. But someone who happened to be with him in the position of quaestor, named Proclus, did everything himself at his own discretion. But in order to have evidence of the emperor’s handwritten signature, those to whom this matter was entrusted came up with the following. Having cut an outline of four letters on a small smooth board, meaning Latin“read,” and dipping the pen in the colored ink with which emperors usually write, they handed it to Justin. Then, placing the said tablet on the document and taking the emperor's hand, they traced the outline of these four letters with a pen so that it passed along all the slots in the wood.

Justin lived with a woman named Luppikina. A slave and barbarian, she was bought by him in the past and was his concubine. And together with Justin, in her declining years, she achieved imperial power. This woman did not have any merits; she remained ignorant of state affairs. She did not appear in the palace under her own name (it was too funny), but began to be called Euphemia. Justin himself was unable to make his subjects either good or bad, for he was extremely weak-minded and truly like a pack donkey, capable only of following the one who pulls his bridle, and every now and then shaking his ears. He was distinguished by his simplicity, did not know how to speak well, and was generally very masculine. In old age, having weakened in mind, he became a laughing stock for his subjects, and everyone treated him with complete disdain, since he did not understand what was happening. His nephew Justinian, while still young, began to manage all state affairs and was the source of many misfortunes for the Romans. (Procopius: “The Secret History”; 6,8,9).

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Origin and military career

Origin

The origins of Justin I have been examined in connection with the question of the origins of his much more famous nephew Justinian.

Military career

The future emperor began his military service during the reign of Leo as a simple legionary soldier. According to numerous sources, he did not learn to write until the end of his life. In the first years of his reign, Anastasia participated in the suppression of the Isaurian rebellion. During the Persian campaign 502-505 AD. Anastasia commanded a separate detachment. During Vitalian's revolt of 514-515 AD. participated in the defense of Constantinople and breaking the naval blockade of the city. By the end of his reign, Anastasia rose to the rank of committee of excuvites - head of the palace guard.

Accession to the throne

Emperor election

Immediately after the death of the old emperor silenciary sent a message to Master of Officials Köhler and Justin, chief of the palace guard. Both arrived together with the guards subordinate to them, Koehler called on his subordinates scholars, and Justin excuvites, after which the official announcement of the emperor's death was made. The next morning, the demos gathered at the Hippodrome, holding an acclamation demanding a new emperor. At this time, senior officials and Patriarch John II gathered in the palace for negotiations, but could not reach an agreement. As the negotiations dragged on, the demes at the Hippodrome proclaimed one of the officers of the Excuvites, a certain John, who later became the bishop of Heraclea, emperor, and raised him on his shield. However, the Veneti did not support this and a clash between factions began, in which several people died. The Scholararii then proclaimed one of their officers emperor, which caused further clashes. An attempt was also made to elect Justinian, but he refused.

Perhaps the conspiracy had a religious basis. At the very least, Marcellinus Comite refers to the conspirators as "Manichaeans", which was common practice regarding opponents of the Council of Chalcedon at the time. In the 6th century Syriac chronicle of Zechariah of Mytilene, as well as other Syrian sources, Amantius is declared a martyr for the freedom of his faith.

The unclear circumstances of the conspiracy and conflicting descriptions in the sources have made this conspiracy the subject of numerous studies.

General characteristics of the board

Procopius, characterizing Justin, writes that he did nothing good and nothing bad to the country, remaining on the throne peasant man. The Secret History states that he did not even know the alphabet and resorted to trickery to sign decrees - the courtiers cut out a stencil from a tablet, and Justin simply traced the letters. In fact, Justin was not at all involved in governing the country, leaving power to the quaestor Proclus, who ruled at his own discretion. With such a weak emperor, it was not difficult for Justinian to begin to lay his hands on the future inheritance during his uncle’s lifetime.

Domestic policy

Return of the exiles and assassination of Vitalian

Having gained support for his election and successfully suppressed the conspiracy of Amantius, the new government, whose main force was Justinian, decided to bring back those who had been unjustly exiled in the previous reign. Among the most famous exiles, the chronicles name the patrician Apion, the senators Diogenianus and Philoxenus and others. All of them were returned to the capital to their previous positions and then promoted. Apion was appointed praetorian prefect of the East, Diogenianus led the troops in the east, and Philoxenus (lat. Flavius ​​Theodorus Philoxenus Soterichus Philoxenus ) in 525 became consul of the West.

However, the greatest impact was the return of Vitalian, an influential military leader who, as a committee of the federates, had almost overthrown Anastasius and with whom Justin had recently fought. Despite the fact that Vitalian's troops were defeated, he still remained the main force in the Balkans. Since Vitalian's differences with the previous government were outwardly religious in nature, and the new dynasty supported Orthodoxy, Vitalian and Justin met and swore allegiance to each other. Evagrius directly says that when returning Vitalian, Justin feared his strength and suspected his desire to seize the throne. Vitalian agreed to take the post of head of the so-called permanent troops(lat. in praesenti), and in 520 he became consul. This led to the expected consequences, and the Balkans were reassured, however, being a much more experienced politician than the elderly Justin and young Justinian, Vitalian posed a constant danger to them.

After Vitalian's death, Justinian took his post as commander of the permanent troops.

Founding of a new dynasty

With the accession of Justin, a new dynasty appeared in Byzantium, traditionally called by the name of its second representative. As shown above, at the time of his election, Justin was able to receive the support of the highest aristocracy and the Veneti party that sympathized with them. The reasons for this were expectations of strengthening their influence under a weak emperor, as well as common religious views. In the first years of the new reign, these hopes could be considered justified. John Malala reports unrest provoked by the Veneti in 519 in all major cities of the empire. Significant was the unrest in Antioch in Syria, which forced the cancellation of the local Olympic Games in the early 520s. The unrest began to subside only in 523 after drastic measures were taken.

Relationship with racetrack parties

Religious politics

State of affairs at the beginning of the reign

The accession of Justin meant a new era in the religious policy of the empire. The two previous emperors, Zeno and Anastasius, adhered to the Monophysite trend. After Zeno issued his Henotikon in 482, intended to be a compromise between the warring parties, relations between Constantinople and Rome were interrupted until a turn to strict Orthodoxy took place in 518. Relations with the Pope were restored and the Acacian schism was ended, and defenders of Orthodoxy returned from exile. All this became a signal for the beginning of the Orthodox reaction throughout the empire. Separatist tendencies began to emerge in Egypt, Antioch and Syria. Persecution began against bishops who defended Monophysitism. The number of exiled and fled bishops reached 54. Monks were expelled in the thousands, among whom were many devoted to Monophysitism.

Nestorianism, which maintained a large following in Syria and Mesopotamia after its condemnation at the Council of Ephesus, also continued to be a problem. After the destruction of the school at Edessa by Emperor Zeno in 489, Nestorian teachers and students were taken under the protection of the Persians, who allowed the founding of a new school at Nisibis, which became the center of extensive proselytizing activity.

No less dangerous were the powerful Arian Ostrogothic kingdom and the still existing paganism, which was finally defeated on the territory of the empire only under Justinian, who closed the philosophical school in Athens only in 529.

First reaction to the new policy

Foreign policy

In foreign policy Justin continued to fight Persia for Lazica, but without special success. He refused to adopt the son of the Persian king, fearing the diplomatic complications this would entail.

Justin maintained relations with the young Ostrogothic kingdom of Theodoric: so, in 519 AD. Eutharic, Theodoric's son-in-law, was appointed consul. To strengthen relations, the emperor subsequently adopted Eutaric. After this, in 522 AD. Boethius Symmachus was appointed consul. At the end of 326 AD. Justin received the Ostrogothic embassy related to the succession crisis after the death of Theodoric the Great. Being a supporter of imperial laws, Theodoric himself, after the death of his son, recommended that the leaders of the Germans appoint his ten-year-old grandson, Atalaric, as king, and until he came of age, appoint his mother Amalasuntha as regent under him. According to German laws, power should have gone to Theodatus, the nephew of Theodoric. Since Justin died in the spring of 527 AD, the fate of the embassy was no longer decided by him, but by Justinian, who saw in what was happening a chance to intervene in the affairs of the Ostrogothic kingdom.

Justin and Justinian

On April 1, 527, he appointed his nephew, Justinian, as co-ruler, who succeeded him after the death of Justin on August 1, 527.

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Notes

Literature

• A. A. Vasiliev. Justin the First. An introduction to the Epoch of Justinian the Great. - Harvard University Press, 1950. - 439 p.
• Justin I // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

Sources

• Procopius of Caesarea. War with the Persians. War against vandals. Secret history. - St. Petersburg. : Aletheia, 1998. - ISBN 5-89329-109-3.
• Evagrius Scholasticus. Church history in 6 books. / Transl., intro. art., comm. and appl. I. V. Krivushina. Rep. ed. E. S. Krivushina. - 1st ed. in 3 volumes - St. Petersburg. : Aletheia, 1999-2003.

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After a very unusual “spike” in temperature, which occurred after returning home from the “floors,” nothing special happened to me for several days. I felt great, except for the fact that thoughts about a girl with violet eyes constantly agitated my nervous brain, clinging to every, even absurd thought, how and where I could find her again... Returning to Mental many times , I tried to find Wei’s world, which we had seen earlier, but it seemed that it was now lost forever - everything was in vain... The girl disappeared, and I had no idea where to look for her...
A week has passed. The first frost has already hit the yard. Going out into the street, the cold air was still unusually breathtaking, and the bright blinding winter sun made my eyes water. Timidly dusting the bare branches of the trees with fluffy flakes, the first snow fell. And in the mornings, cheerful Grandfather Frost walked playfully, glistening with frozen blue puddles, painting the windows with fancy patterns. Winter was slowly starting...
I was sitting at home, leaning against the warm stove (at that time our house was still heated by stoves) and calmly enjoying reading another “new product,” when suddenly I felt the usual tingling in my chest, in the same place where the purple crystal was located. I raised my head - huge, slanting violet eyes were seriously looking straight at me... She stood calmly in the middle of the room, just as amazingly fragile and unusual, and held out a wonderful red flower to me in her tiny palm. My first panicky thought was to quickly close the door, so that God forbid, no one comes in!..
“No need, no one can see me except you anyway,” the girl said calmly.
Her thoughts sounded very unusual in my brain, as if someone was not quite correctly translating someone else’s speech. But, nevertheless, I understood her perfectly.
– You were looking for me - why? – Veya asked, looking carefully into my eyes.
Her gaze was also very unusual - as if, along with her gaze, she simultaneously conveyed images that I had never seen, and the meaning of which, unfortunately, I did not yet understand.
- Is that so? – the “star” baby asked, smiling.
Something “flashed” in my head... and a breathtaking vision of a completely alien, but incredibly beautiful world opened up... Apparently the one in which she once lived. This world was somewhat similar to the one we had already seen (which she created for herself on the “floors”), and yet, somehow it was a little different, as if there I was looking at a painted picture, and now I suddenly saw this picture in reality. ..
Above the emerald green, very “juicy” earth, illuminating everything around with an unusual bluish light, a stunningly beautiful and bright, violet-blue sun rose merrily... It was an alien, apparently alien, morning... All the greenery growing wildly here, from of the sun's rays falling on her, sparkled with golden-violet diamonds of the “local” morning dew, and, happily washing herself with them, prepared for the coming new wonderful day... Everything around was fragrant with incredibly rich colors, too bright for ours, accustomed to everything “earthly” , eye. In the distance, almost “dense”, soft pink curly clouds, like beautiful pink pillows, swirled across the sky covered with a golden haze. Suddenly, on the opposite side, the sky flashed brightly golden.... I turned around and froze in surprise - on the other side, an incredibly huge, golden-pink, second sun rose royally!.. It was much larger than the first, and it seemed to be larger than itself planets... But its rays, unlike the first, for some reason shone incomparably softer and more affectionately, reminiscent of a warm “fluffy” hug... It seemed that this huge, kind luminary was already tired of everyday worries, but still, out of habit, gave this incredibly beautiful planet received its last warmth and, already “getting ready to retire,” gladly gave way to the young, “biting” sun, which was just beginning its celestial journey and was shining brightly and cheerfully, not afraid to splash its young heat, generously flooding everything around with light.
Looking around in surprise, I suddenly noticed a bizarre phenomenon - the plants had a second shadow... And for some reason it contrasted very sharply with the illuminated part - as if the chiaroscuro was painted with bright, flashy colors, sharply opposite to each other. In the shadow part, the air shimmered with bright miniature stars, flashing at the slightest movement. It was crazy beautiful... and incredibly interesting. The awakened magical world sounded with thousands of unfamiliar voices, as if joyfully announcing its happy awakening to the entire universe. I very strongly, almost in reality, felt how incredibly clean the air was here! It was fragrant, filled with surprisingly pleasant, unfamiliar smells, which were somehow subtly reminiscent of the smells of roses, if there were a thousand different varieties of them here at the same time. Everywhere, as far as the eye could see, the same bright red, huge “poppies” were red... And only then did I remember that Veya had brought me the same flower! I extended my hand to her - the flower smoothly flowed from her fragile palm onto my palm, and suddenly, something strongly “clicked” in my chest... I was surprised to see how an amazing crystal... It pulsated and changed all the time, as if showing what else it could be. I froze in shock, completely hypnotized by the spectacle that opened, and could not take my eyes off the ever-new beauty that was opening up...
“Well,” Veya said contentedly, “now you can watch it whenever you want!”
– Why is this crystal on my chest if you put it on my forehead? – I finally decided to ask the question that had been tormenting me for several days.
The girl was very surprised, and after thinking a little, she answered:
“I don’t know why you’re asking, you know the answer.” But, if you want to hear it from me, please: I just gave it to you through your brain, but you need to open it where its real place should be.
- How was I supposed to know? – I was surprised.
Violet eyes studied me very carefully for several seconds, and then an unexpected answer came:
– I thought so – you’re still sleeping... But I can’t wake you up – others will wake you up. And it won't be now.
- And when? And who will these others be?..
– Your friends... But you don’t know them now.
- How will I know that they are friends, and that it is they? – I asked, puzzled.
“You’ll remember,” Veya smiled.
- Will I remember?! How can I remember something that doesn’t exist yet?..” I stared at her, dumbfounded.
- It exists, just not here.
She had a very warm smile that made her incredibly beautiful. It seemed as if the May sun had peeked out from behind a cloud and illuminated everything around.
– Are you all alone here on Earth? – I couldn’t believe it.
- Of course not. There are many of us, just different. And we've lived here for a very long time, if that's what you wanted to ask.
-What are you doing here? And why did you come here? – I couldn’t stop.

Justinus

After the death of Anastasius, the situation regarding the successor looked much worse than twenty-seven years earlier, in 491, when Zeno died. And although in both cases there was no direct heir, after Zeno at least there remained a widow, Ariadne, for whom public opinion unanimously recognized the right to choose a candidate worthy of the crown. It was the empress, on whom no pressure was exerted, who was then chosen by Anastasia, and her choice was accepted without any objection. But now the emperor died childless, and for several years now he had been a widower.

True, Anastasia had quite a few relatives. on his political legacy Three nephews could apply - all of them were in the prime of life and already held high positions in the army and administration. However, for various reasons, none of them was considered as a serious contender for the purple robe by both the people and the dignitaries, and, moreover, none of the relatives, as far as we know, even put forward their candidacy.

On July 10, 518, and according to some sources already on July 9, at least immediately after the death of Anastasius, crowds of residents of the capital gathered at the hippodrome. Demands from the stands grew louder and louder for the Senate to elect a worthy ruler as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the dignitaries and Patriarch John, all in black, were conferring in the large hall of the palace. All those present understood perfectly well that they had to act quickly, since in the event of any delay by the ruler, military units and even some groups from the people could be imposed on them - first of all, the same circus parties. And despite this, they could not make a decision for several hours, quarreling, but not finding any way out of the situation.

Meanwhile, the crowds gathered at the hippodrome gradually became overwhelmed with excitement. Things were heading towards riots. Shouts were already beginning to be heard from the crowd calling for them to elect the emperor themselves, right here. The warriors of two guard detachments hostile to each other showed especially strong impatience and activity. On the one hand, these were the so-called escuvitors, in other words, the palace guards created several decades ago by Emperor Leo I. On the other, the scholars ( scholares), that is, the warriors of a detachment called scholae, which, at least since the time of Constantine the Great, represented the emperor's mounted personal guard, which over time turned from a combat detachment into a company of honor guard.

The Escuvitors were the first to raise one of their commanders named John to their shield as the future emperor. But the scholars, naturally, were against him, and they were also supported by supporters of the “Blues” - apparently, John was rooting for the “Greens”. Riots broke out, stones were thrown, several people were killed. The scholars also nominated their candidate - it was the commander of the troops, Patricius. This infuriated the Escuitors so much that the unfortunate contender for the scarlet nearly lost his life. It's literally in last moment was saved by the scholarian officer Justinian, who was the nephew of the escuitor commander Justin, and therefore did not arouse personal enmity among the soldiers of this detachment.

And then something completely unexpected happened: Justinian himself was almost proclaimed emperor! And indeed, his candidacy was quite acceptable for both warring factions: after all, in his service he was in a detachment of scholars, and by family ties he was connected with the escuvitors. His youth also spoke in favor of Justinian - he was then just over thirty years old. He, however, resolutely and categorically rejected all calls to take the crown upon himself.

And every time one or another of the above candidates was nominated at the hippodrome, delegations of his supporters immediately began pounding on the Ivory Gate that blocked the passage to the palace. The delegates demanded that they be given imperial regalia and purple robes for the new ruler. But each time the palace service refused them. This palace service consisted of the so-called cubiculars ( cubicularii) - the emperor's sleeping bags, people from his closest personal circle, who were mainly eunuchs.

Their chief, the preposit of the imperial bedchamber Amantius, decided for himself in advance to whom he would give the purple. He saw one of the highest-ranking officers, Theocritus, as his future master. And one of the reasons for such support of Theocritus by Amantius and all his entourage was that he, like the entire court of Anastasius, favored the Monophysites.

In order to carry out his plan, Amantius handed over a large sum to the commander of the escuitors, Justin, who was supposed to bribe the soldiers, to whose will both the dignitaries and the crowds of people gathered at the hippodrome had to obey. Therefore, Amantius and his subordinates calmly waited until delegates began pounding on the gates, demanding the release of the scarlet robe for Theocritus.

Meanwhile, Justin, having received the money, played the game very skillfully - and only for the sake of his own benefit. Through his people, he insidiously manipulated the mood of the crowd gathered at the hippodrome and incited it to nominate a variety of candidates. This was supposed to put serious mental pressure on the dignitaries and senators sitting in the palace, making them horrified by the prospect of unrest, bloodshed and the struggle that could unfold between several contenders. Tired and infuriated by the appearance of more and more new names and reports of unrest, as well as the inability to come to general decision, the high-ranking gentlemen will finally have to give in and agree to what the hippodrome demands.

That's what happened in the end. At some point, loud voices were heard chanting Justin's name. It was the escuitors who spoke out for the choice of their commander - this time decisively and in full force. This turn of events took Amantius and his eunuchs by surprise, and the gates of Ivory were opened. The dignitaries were unable to offer any resistance. They gave their consent, although probably without enthusiasm, since Justin should not have been to their liking for many reasons: his family was from the very bottom of society, he did not receive any education, and his officer rank was not so high. Only the scholars still tried to protest, but no one else supported them at the hippodrome, the people were already tired of waiting under the scorching summer sun, and the clergy, who enjoyed enormous influence in the capital, immediately supported this candidacy, since Justin was known as an exemplary orthodox.

The coronation ceremony took place on the same day in the imperial box of the hippodrome, in front of many thousands of spectators. Patriarch John placed the crown on the head of the new ruler.

Who was this ruler of the empire, ascended to the throne, but in truth, only thanks to a random coincidence of circumstances and pocketed other people's money?

In the year that Justin was clothed with the purple robe, he turned either 66 or 68 years old. He was born somewhere near what is now Serbian Niš, in a poor rural house. It was rumored that in his youth he tended cattle. It is possible that his ancestors were from the Thracians or from some Illyrian tribe, but this practically no longer mattered, since these lands, both linguistically and culturally, had long been completely Romanized. It can be assumed that Justin's native language was Latin, although, of course, he must also have spoken Greek. He did not receive any education and did not even know how to sign, so he signed his name on documents using a special device, very similar to a personal seal. This was the first illiterate emperor.

As a young man, during the reign of Leo I, Justin, along with two friends, arrived in the capital from his village to enlist in the army. In those days, this was practically the only way to escape a life of poverty in the border territories, which were constantly ravaged by various invaders. Apparently, the young people were impressed by their article, since all three of them were accepted into the guard, into the detachment of escuitors, although they had not only patrons, but even acquaintances in the capital. We can say that the story of this trio is an ancient, or rather Byzantine, prototype of the story about the brave d'Artagnan and his friends.

Justin started as a simple soldier and advanced gradually, step by step stubbornly climbing up the career ladder military career. The story of a poor village boy, finally clothed in imperial purple, an incredible and almost fabulous story, was, as an example of all others, presented in a cycle of pictures on the walls of one of the huge public baths of the capital. The painting was done on the initiative of Marin, who became famous for his actions during the reign of Anastasius, praetorian prefect, and, in all likelihood, at his own expense. Some might consider this idea toadying, others - a subtle mockery. In any case, this retouched biography of the new ruler did not help Marin himself, although at the very beginning of his reign he once again received the post of prefect, but very soon he was removed from it and deprived of any power and influence.

In the service of Anastasius, Justin first distinguished himself in battles with the Isaurians, and then with the Persians. Most likely, back in 515 he became a comite of the escuitors and already in this position took part in battles with the rebel Vitalian.

By the time Justin came to power, he had been married for many years to a simple woman named Lupikina. She came from some barbarian tribe, and Justin bought her from her master, to whom she was a slave and concubine. Having become emperor, he did not reject his wife, although later many, even having received a much more modest promotion, gladly abandoned the companions of the first steps in their career, declaring that such “half” no longer met the high requirements imposed by the husband’s new official and social position .

And this fact characterizes Justin very positively. Having become emperor, he remained faithful to the woman who shared both success and adversity with him. Immediately after his coronation, he gave her the title of Augusta. True, Lupikina had to change her name to the more euphonious Greek Euphemia. But the change of name did not change her, she remained herself - a simple, sensible and honest woman. She stayed away from politics, which she did not understand, and in matters of religion she adhered to Orthodoxy.

They had no children, but Justin had many nephews - the children of his two sisters. One of them was married to a certain Savvaty and had from him a son, Peter Savvaty, and a daughter, Vigilantia. The second sister gave birth to her husband, whose name has not reached us, several children, one of them was Herman, who became famous in his time as a commander.

But the most wonderful future awaited Peter Savvaty - and all thanks to Justin. Immediately, as soon as his career took off, he called his nephew from the village, assigned him to a detachment of scholars, and then adopted him. Upon adoption, the young man received a new name, derived from the name of his adoptive father, and began to be called Justinian. Under this name he went down in history.

Justin's great merit was that, although he himself did not go to school, he valued education very highly and made sure that all his nephews received it.

In essence, the new emperor owed his throne to Amantius - and his first political act was to deal with the man whom he had deceived. The accusation was immediately made that Amantius had participated in a conspiracy against the emperor and had insulted Patriarch John. At the same time, demands were made by the mob to throw the vile snake out of the palace. Believers also called for the same during services in the Church of Hagia Sophia.

Of course, it cannot be completely ruled out that the dignitary, who had until now been in full control of the palace, was offended and enraged to the core by Justin’s vile act, and allowed himself some frivolous words and actions. However, it is known that he was hated by the orthodox even before that. In any case, events developed simply at lightning speed. Back in July (in any case, no later than August), Amantius and his contender for the crown, Theocritus, were thrown into prison, convicted and beheaded.

At the same time, much more important events were taking place: the court’s policy towards the church was changing, and this had very serious consequences in the field of relations with the West.

Already in the first week after the coronation, exclamations were heard among the believers gathered in the cathedral, calling on the patriarch to officially recognize the definitions of the Council of Chalcedon. The next day they were supplemented by demands to include the names of former Orthodox patriarchs in the prayers. And already on July 20, the bishops hastily gathered for a synod, which took into account all the wishes of the emperor and asked him to return from exile everyone who was expelled for their religious beliefs during the time of Anastasius.

Events also took a similar turn in the coming months in several large cities of the East, and above all in Tire and Jerusalem. Some Monophysite bishops had to leave their flock. For example, the Antiochian primate Sevier went to Egypt, which still remained an unshakable stronghold of the Monophysites.

Thanks to these changes, it was possible to come to an agreement with the rebel Vitalian, who was located somewhere beyond the Danube and still had serious military forces, although for several recent years he did not pose an immediate threat to the capital. Being an ardent orthodox, he considered that he could well come to an agreement with the emperor, who was an adherent of the same views. Vitalian arrived in Constantinople, where he was warmly welcomed and showered with honorary titles - he received the post of commander, the title of comite and, finally, the consulate for 520. He was also given the right of free entry into the palace. In the capital, Vitalian launched active activities aimed at rapprochement with Rome.

Justin himself and his nephew Justinian acted in the same direction. On August 1, the Emperor notified Pope Hormizd of his election in an official letter, and immediately after that Gratus, the head of one of the imperial offices, was sent to Rome and Ravenna. He had to not only make every effort to restore the church union, but also negotiate with the Ostrogoth king Theodoric.

Thus, Italy, after a long break, again found itself in the sphere of direct interests of Constantinople. And this became a significant harbinger that determined the course of events in the very near future.

The old Justin was the emperor, but in fact from the very beginning his much younger nephew and adopted son, Justinian, ruled. This was the unanimous opinion of contemporaries, and this, undoubtedly, largely corresponded to reality.

As they argued, it was none other than Justinian who ensured that already in the first days of the new reign, the head of the palace service, Amantius, and his candidate for the throne, Theocritus, were executed, and it was he who ordered the death of Vitalian in July 520. He, although during the time of Anastasius he rebelled, allegedly due to disagreements on the basis of religion, under the new reign he actively supported Justin, served in the high positions granted to him by the emperor, and just that year was consul. It is possible that this was precisely the reason for his death. Perhaps he had become too dangerous a rival for the ambitious Justinian? The murder was committed completely unexpectedly in one of the palace halls: a cry was heard that Vitalian was a dangerous conspirator, and he himself and several people from his entourage were immediately killed.

These brutal reprisals against those who either actually opposed the government or were undeservedly declared its political opponents attracted everyone's attention, but much more important was the turn that was taking place in the field of religious politics - and this was also largely the work of Justinian. And he could make this turn only if he had the support of not only the emperor himself, but also wide circles of society.

Of course, on his side were the orthodox, and especially those in the capital, who benefited most from the change in the attitude of the authorities towards the Monophysites. But Justinian also managed to win over to his side the large circus party of the Blues. He chose the Blues, apparently for the simple reason that Emperor Anastasius supported the party of their opponents, the Greens. And now Justinian lavished a wide variety of favors on the “Blues”: first of all, he appointed them to high positions, showered them with money and pretended not to notice the abuses, crimes and riots they committed.

Let us add that the most ardent adherents of the parties were easy to distinguish both at the races and on the city streets - by their characteristic hairstyles and clothes. Their heads were clean-shaven in front, but at the back they had long hair that fell down their backs. They usually also wore long mustaches and beards. The “Blues” dressed expensively (they could afford it!), but very strangely: the cuffs fit tightly around the wrists, and the sleeves themselves fluttered in wide folds. Because of this, they were visible from afar in the stands, especially when they waved their arms, supporting their drivers. So these sleeves are colored, of course! - were something like the flags that fans use these days. They preferred trousers of the type that were in use among the Huns, and they selected suitable cloaks and shoes to go with them.

This short-sighted policy of impunity towards insolent pseudo-fans was bound to someday lead to dangerous consequences, and the first signals appeared already during the reign of Justin. But for now it brought some benefit to Justinian, especially since at first all public attention was focused on religious problems.

On March 25, 519, the legates of Pope Hormizd arrived in Constantinople. The emperor and high dignitaries came out to meet them right up to the tenth mile stone and escorted them into the city in a solemn procession. A few days later, Patriarch John, although not very willingly, wrote a letter to the pope in which he clearly stated that Rome had always been the unwavering guardian of Orthodoxy.

Immediately, from the tablets with lists of names commemorated during the liturgy (the so-called diptychs), not only the names of the five patriarchs who preceded John were removed, but also the names of two emperors - Zeno and Anastasius. This meant their symbolic excommunication as monophysite heretics. Only then did the papal legates agree to recognize their unity with the Patriarch of Constantinople and the bishops present.

Thus ended the schism, called Acacian, which lasted from 482 - that is, from the moment Zeno announced the document called “Enotikon”. The triumph of Rome was complete, but only in the official sphere, and in it lay the causes of even more serious conflicts that were destined to flare up in the future.

However, already outside the capital the situation looked completely different. In Thessalonica, the local bishop led a real popular uprising against the legates returning to Rome. During the riots, the owner of the house where the papal envoys were staying was killed, and one of them was seriously wounded. But here the emperor turned out to be powerless: he could not even depose the bishop, on whose side his flock unanimously sided.

In Syria, Monophysite bishops removed from their posts took refuge in desert oases, where crowds of believers flocked to them, as if they were being persecuted by the authorities. And Egypt, where Bishop Sevier of Antioch found himself, was such a powerful fortress of Monophysitism that the emperor did not even try to interfere in the church affairs of this province.

As a result, the ostentatious shuffling before Rome only worsened the internal situation in the empire, adding embers to the already smoldering religious separatism of some provinces. Over time, the authorities had to pursue more and more harsh religious policies. In many places, Monophysite monasteries were destroyed, monks were dispersed, and sometimes even killed. They dealt no less harshly with other heretics. Their clergy were replaced with Orthodox ones, their flocks were forcibly converted to the “correct” faith, and the Manichaeans were even punished with death.

And of course, the remnants of pagan cults that still persisted in some corners of the empire were eradicated even more violently. So, just in 520, the games called Olympic and still regularly held in this city were banned in Antioch, although the real ones that were held in Greek Olympia had not been held for more than one hundred and twenty years - since 393, since the time of Theodosius the Great .

What symbolic dates! The destruction of the ancient games, dedicated mainly to athletics, was a natural consequence of the reign of Christianity with its contempt for everything that was connected with the body. The body was considered sinful in its essence, and the desire for its perfection, admiring its beauty, not to mention its nudity, was outrageous and unacceptable for Christians. However, at the same time, they were quite tolerant of such spectacles as chariot racing - after all, there was no need to demonstrate the body in its immodest nudity. Speaking modern language, professional sport has triumphed over mass sport, or, in any case, at least theoretically accessible to everyone - such as athletics is.

The visible culmination of the celebration of the restoration of close ties with Rome was the visit of Pope John I to the capital on the banks of the Bosphorus. He arrived in Constantinople in the fall of 525, and left it only a few months later - after Easter next year, which this time fell on April 19.

For the first time in history, the high priest of Old Rome visited New Rome! This fact was adequately appreciated by Justin and his court, and the emperor openly demonstrated this with an act of admiration: greeting the pope, he fell to his knees - just as the courtiers fell before him.

During all the ceremonies that took place, they carefully ensured that the pope walked in front of the Patriarch of Constantinople, who was then Epiphanius. And the main Easter service in the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia was performed by John I - and in Latin! During these Easter celebrations, the pope placed a crown on Justin's head. But this was not a re-coronation at all, but rather a kind of symbolic gesture - the same as the patriarch usually performed during various church ceremonies.

And despite this, the pope’s visit was only his imaginary triumph, since he did not come to Constantinople of his own free will - with a mission that he was never able to fulfill, and subsequently paid severely for it. The Ostrogoth king Theodoric the Great forced the Roman bishop to go to Constantinople.

Relations between Theodoric on the one hand and Justin and Justinian on the other, that is, between Ravenna and Constantinople, at first developed simply excellent. This is evidenced by the fact that the emperor symbolically adopted Eitarich, who was the husband of Amalasunta, Theodoric’s daughter, and was considered his heir, since Theodoric did not have his own male children. In 519, Justin and Eitarich even served as consuls together.

Subsequently, however, for various reasons, relations deteriorated, and one of them was events in Africa, in the state of the Vandals.

In 523, King Thrasamund, who was married to Theodoric's sister Amalafrida, died there. The throne after him passed to Gilderic, the grandson of Valentinian III. His mother Eudokia was the daughter of the emperor: back in 455, she was taken to Carthage by Genseric, who captured Rome. Therefore, Gilderic could then be considered the most legitimate heir to the great dynasty of Roman emperors, at least in the female line. Compared to him, Justin and his predecessors were mere upstarts.

More importantly, having been brought up to respect the old culture, Guilderic (who was already approaching seventy when he took the throne) felt closely connected to the empire and considered Emperor Justin to be a symbol of the unity of all peoples, which is why it is believed that he placed his image on their coins. Guilderic also stopped the persecution of Orthodox Christians. And relations between Carthage and Constantinople became almost friendly, but with Ravenna they began to become more and more hostile.

The reason for the deterioration of relations was the fate of Queen Amalafrida, sister of Theodoric and wife of Trazamund. After his death, the widow, not feeling safe at Hilderic's court, fled to a border tribe of barbarians, but was captured and died in prison. Theodoric was convinced that his sister had been killed (now it is difficult to understand how justified his suspicions were), and he considered Guilderic himself and the people allegedly sent by the emperor to be guilty of this.

But the main reason for the increase in mutual hostility between the Ostrogoths and the emperor, apparently, was differences in religious politics. Justin issued laws that increasingly infringed upon heretics, including the Arians, whose teachings were adhered to by the Ostrogoths, and then Theodoric, in turn, also began to treat the Orthodox Christians living on his territory more harshly. But before that, he was guided by the principles of religious tolerance, and in his state the Romans and Goths - the “correct” Christians and Arians - actually had equal rights! In the highest government positions there were many representatives of the ancient Roman aristocracy, such as Boethius or the father and son of Cassiodoras.

The change in the king's attitude towards the Romans was most clearly demonstrated by the tragic fall of Boethius - he not only belonged to the highest spheres of the aristocracy, but was also part of the intellectual elite. With his numerous works, he seemed to build a bridge between the Latin culture of the West and the inexhaustible wealth of Greek thought, which was already beginning to be forgotten here. Boethius translated into Latin and commented on the works of Aristotle, and he himself wrote treatises on teaching various skills and arts, such as music and arithmetic. His works played a vital role in medieval Europe.

But the greatest fame was brought to Boethius by his very personal work, The Consolation of Philosophy. This dialogue in verse and prose between the author and Philosophy was written by Boethius in prison, awaiting his death sentence - Boethius was thrown into prison by Theodoric on charges of treason and executed in 524.

And just shortly after this, the aging Theodoric, who became increasingly suspicious and cruel, sent Pope John I to Constantinople in the hope that he would be able to soften the emperor’s anti-Arian policy. But he did not achieve the expected result - Justin, although he bowed to the ground before the pope, did not make any significant concessions. Theodoric suspected that the two had secretly conspired behind his back, and as soon as the pope returned from Constantinople, he was thrown into prison, where the old man died.

Very little time later, on August 30, 526, death reached Theodoric. He was buried in Ravenna. The throne after him passed to Atalarich, the son of Eitarikh, who had already died by that time. On behalf of the young boy, Amalasunta actually ruled the country.

The twenties were gloomy in the empire as well. Although the armed conflict at that time occurred only in the east, on the border with Persia, these were only the first echoes of the impending storm, which was to break out in full force under Justinian. In the meantime, the population was much more painfully aware of the robberies and clashes of circus parties, which led to complete anarchy. In 523, during the serious illness of Justinian, who supported the Blues, the prefect of the capital tried to stop the outrages they were committing, but paid for it with exile when Justinian recovered.

In Antioch, the “Blues” were tamed by the Comitant of the East Ephraim, he was luckier - they did not reach him with punishment. However, soon such a misfortune befell the city that it made one forget about everything else.

On May 29, 526, a terrible earthquake buried tens, and maybe hundreds of thousands of townspeople under the ruins. The Patriarch of Antioch died, and in his place the people chose Ephraim. He immediately organized successful work to save people and help those who lost their livelihood, and then to restore the destroyed city.

Many natural disasters occurred during these years. An earthquake also occurred in Corinth. Flood caused enormous damage to Syrian Edessa. In Palestine, due to many years of drought, a terrible famine began. It must be admitted that the imperial administration was always in a hurry to provide assistance.

Apparently, at the very beginning of 527, Justin's wife, Euphemia, died. The emperor himself, who was already over seventy, was plagued by illness. He wanted to protect the state from the upheavals into which the struggle for the throne could plunge it - after all, for many years Justin himself was both their witness and their culprit. Therefore, during his lifetime, Justin appointed himself an heir and crowned him. Of course, Justinian became his successor. The coronation took place on April 1, 527 - from that moment on, the empire formally had two equal rulers. However, this situation did not last long.

Justin died just four months later, on August 1. The immediate cause of death was an old wound that opened in the leg, which most likely caused gangrene.

After two middle-aged, simple and not very significant people, much younger people, strong personalities with a bright personality, appeared on the throne of the empire. This was one of the most famous married couples in history (and not only in the history of Byzantium) - Justinian and Theodora.

Steen was an Illyrian peasant by origin. Under Emperor Leo, in order to get rid of poverty, he and his two brothers reached Constantinople on foot and entered military service. Procopius writes that upon arrival in the city the brothers had nothing but goat coats and biscuits grabbed from the house, but here they were immediately lucky: since they had an excellent physique, they were selected to join the court guard.

Subsequently, under Anastasia, Justin participated in the Isaurian War. Then he gradually achieved great power and was placed in charge of the court guard. Justin received imperial power beyond all expectations, because there were many noble and rich people who were related to the deceased Anastasius and had more rights to appropriate such great power to themselves. Amantius, the overseer of the imperial repose, was a very strong man at that time. As an eunuch, he himself, by law, could not rule, but he wanted to put the crown of autocratic power on Theocritus, a man devoted to him. For this purpose, he called Justin, gave him a large amount of money and ordered it to be distributed to people who were especially suitable for such a task and could clothe Theocritus in purple. But Justin, either because he bribed the people with this money, or because he gained the favor of the so-called bed servants with it - they tell about this in different ways - acquired royal power for himself and after that took the lives of both Amantius and Theocritus with some other people.

Justin summoned Vitalian, who lived in Thrace, to Constantinople, who had once attempted to deprive Anastasius of supreme power, because he feared his strength and his belligerence, about which rumors spread everywhere. To inspire confidence in him, Justin declared him commander of part of the army and then promoted him to consul. In the rank of consul, Vitalian came to the palace and was treacherously killed at the palace door. Unlike the previous emperors, Zeno and Anastasius, Justin professed strict Orthodoxy. He ordered the removal of about fifty Syrian Monophysite bishops and initiated persecution of adherents of all heretical trends. Justin even wanted to seize and cut off the tongue of the Antiochian primate Severus for blaspheming the Council of Chalcedon.

According to Procopius, Justin was alien to all learning and did not even know the alphabet, which had never happened among the Romans before. And while it was customary for the emperor to put his own hand on the documents containing his decrees, he was not able either to issue decrees or to be involved in what was being done. A certain Proclus, who happened to be with him in the position of quaestor, did everything himself at his own discretion. But in order to have evidence of the emperor’s handwritten signature, those to whom this matter was entrusted came up with the following. Having cut on a small smooth board the outline of four letters, meaning “read” in Latin, and dipping a pen in the colored ink with which emperors usually write, they handed it to Justin. Then, placing the said tablet on the document and taking the emperor's hand, they traced the outline of these four letters with a pen so that it passed along all the slots in the wood.

Justin lived with a woman named Luppikina. A slave and barbarian, she was bought by him in the past and was his concubine. And so, together with Justin, in her declining years, she achieved imperial power. This woman did not have any merits; she remained ignorant of state affairs. She did not appear in the palace under her own name (it was too funny), but began to be called Euphemia.

Justin himself was unable to make his subjects either good or bad, for he was extremely weak in mind and truly like a pack donkey, capable only of following the one who pulls his bridle, and every now and then shaking his ears. He was distinguished by his simplicity, did not know how to speak well, and was generally very masculine. In old age, having weakened in mind, he became a laughing stock for his subjects, and everyone treated him with complete disdain, since he did not understand what was happening. His nephew, Justinian, while still young, began to manage all state affairs and was the source of many misfortunes for the Romans.