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Justin II

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Justin II
Solidus of Justin II marked:
d·n· iustinus p·p· aug·
Roman Emperor of the East
Reign14 November 565 –
5 October 578
PredecessorJustinian I
SuccessorTiberius II
BornConstantinople
(now Istanbul, Turkey)
Died5 October 578
Constantinople
SpouseSophia
IssueJustus
Arabia
Tiberius II (adoptive)
Regnal name
Imperator Caesar Flavius Iustinus Augustus
DynastyJustinian
FatherDulcidio (or Dulcissimus)
MotherVigilantia
ReligionChalcedonian Christianity

Justin II (Latin: Iustinus; Greek: Ἰουστῖνος Ioustînos; died 5 October 578) was Eastern Roman emperor from 565 until 578. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of Sophia, the niece of the Empress Theodora, and was therefore a member of the Justinian dynasty.

Justin II inherited a greatly enlarged but overextended empire, with far less resources at his disposal compared to Justinian I. Despite this, he strived to match his formidable uncle's reputation by abandoning the payment of tributes to the Empire's neighbors. This miscalculated move resulted in rekindling of war with the Sassanid Empire, and in a Lombard invasion which cost the Romans much of their territory in Italy.