Justin II,
November 15, 565 to October 5, 578 AD

Flavius Ivstinvs Augustus(c. 520 - 5 October 578) was Eastern Roman emperor from 565 to 578. He was the nephew of Justinian I, and husband of Sophia, the niece of the late empress Theodora, and member of the Justinian Dynasty. His reign is marked by war with Persia and the loss of the greater part of Italy. In the first few days of his reign Justin paid his uncle's debts, administered justice in person, and proclaimed universal religious toleration. Proud of character, and faced with an empty treasury, he discontinued Justinian's practice of buying off potential enemies. Immediately after his accession, Justin halted the payment of subsidies to the Avars, ending a truce that had existed since 558. After the Avars and the neighboring tribe of the Lombards had combined to destroy the Gepids, from whom Justin had obtained the Danube fortress of Sirmium, Avar pressure caused the Lombards to migrate West, and in 568 they invaded Italy under their king Alboin. They quickly overran the Po valley, and within a few years they had made themselves masters of nearly the entire country. The Avars themselves crossed the Danube in 573 or 574, when the empire's attention was distracted by troubles on the Persian frontier. They were only placated by the payment of a subsidy of 60,000 silver pieces by Justin's successor Tiberius. The North and East frontiers were the main focus of Justin's attention. In 572 his refusal to pay tribute to the Persians in combination with overtures to the Turks led to a war with the Sassanid Empire. After two disastrous campaigns, in which the Persians overran Syria and captured the strategically important fortress of Dara, Justin reportedly lost his mind. The temporary fits of insanity into which he fell warned him to name a colleague. Passing over his own relatives, he raised, on the advice of Sophia, the general Tiberius to be Caesar in December 574 and withdrew into retirement. In 574, Sophia paid 45,000 solidi to Chosroes in return for a year's truce. Sophia and Tiberius ruled together as joint regents for four years, while Justin sank into growing insanity. When he died in 578 Tiberius succeeded him as Tiberius II Constantine.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_II

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Justin II 577 to 578 AD Mint: Theuopolis AE decanummium Obvs: Justin and Sophia seated on double throne, both nimbate. They hold globe surmounted by cross between them, and each holds cruciform scepter. Revs: Large I surmounted by cross. ANNO to left, X III to r. ζHЄЧP' below 19mm, 3.8g. SOLD Sear 383