Justin I
Justin I was the Byzantine emperor from 518 to 527, an illiterate Macedonian peasant who had risen through the ranks of the palace guard to become its commander before being elevated to the purple at the age of approximately sixty-eight. He proved a capable enough ruler, aided enormously by his politically gifted nephew Justinian, who rapidly became the de facto power behind the throne and was designated co-emperor shortly before Justin died. Justin's reign marked a sharp reversal of Anastasius's Monophysite-leaning religious policy: a committed Chalcedonian, he restored communion with Rome in 519, ending the Acacian Schism that had divided the eastern and western churches since 484. Justin died in 527 of a leg wound that had never properly healed, having secured the succession of his nephew Justinian.
- Lived: 450 CE – 527 CE
- Nationality: byzantine
- Roles: emperor, head_of_state, military_leader
