v23_0688 - JUSTINIAN II Solidus

JUSTINIAN II

(07/10/685-11/4/711)

Second reign

Justinian II, son of Constantine IV, succeeded his father in 685, at the age of sixteen. An advantageous peace with the Muslims enabled him to devote himself to the Balkan problem, which he dealt with by massively deporting Slavs to Asia Minor where he settled them, following the example of his grandfather, Constans II. In 695, he was overthrown by a palace plot, led by General Léonce. Justinian II was saved, but his nose and tongue were cut off. Mutilated, he was sent into exile in Cherson from where he escaped. He took refuge with the Tsar of the Khazars and prepared his revenge but had to flee under pressure from Tiberius III Aspimar to find refuge with Tervel, the khan of the Bulgarians. He returned victorious to Byzantium in the summer of 705 at the head of a barbarian army and savagely took revenge on Leonce and Tiberius III by having them executed. He reigned terror for six years before being murdered along with his six-year-old son Tiberius, ending the Heracliid dynasty. He is known for his religious orthodoxy and the introduction of the representation of Christ on coins.