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justin ii 87
the general, might attract support. In 566 the latter was recalled from his
Danubian command and despatched to Alexandria, where he was murdered,
and in the same year two prominent senators, Addaeus, a former city
prefect, and Aetherius, curator of the palace of Antiochus, were executed
for alleged conspiracy. Imprecisions and distortions in the evidence make
it impossible to prove that there really were moves to topple Justin II,
perhaps in favour of his cousin, and it is significant that the closest connections
of Addaeus and Aetherius are with known supporters of Justin II
– namely, the quaestor Anastasius and the patriarch John; thus they might
have been removed as over-mighty kingmakers. 2
Whatever the reason, Justin was quick to consolidate his hold on power.
His son-in-law, Baduarius, replaced him as curopalatus, the post’s importance
now enhanced by Justin’s own career. Elaborate celebration of Justinian’s
funeral allowed Justin to demonstrate his closeness to his uncle, perhaps
providing scope for stories of a deathbed declaration in his favour, while
in other respects he emphasized the significance of the change in ruler. On
first entering the Hippodrome he won instant popularity by repaying out
of his own pocket compulsory loans to Justinian; the redeemed contracts
were joyfully burnt in a powerful display of imperial generosity. The ecclesiastical
turmoil of Justinian’s last months was also countered by an edict
that permitted most exiled bishops to return to their sees. Reception of
foreign embassies gave scope for further demonstration of the new forceful
emperor: Avars on a routine mission to receive gifts from Justinian were
dismissed empty-handed, after enduring a harangue on the grandeur of the
Roman empire, and Persian envoys soon experienced a similar tough stance
in negotiations about frontier disputes. Justin, actively encouraging perceptions
of a renewed empire under younger and more dynamic control,
assumed the consulship on 1 January 566 as the culmination of his inaugural
image-building: the consulship had been in abeyance for twenty-five
years, but the sequence of costly ceremonies allowed Justin to present
himself to the people of his capital city with a lavish display that bought
popularity and rewarded his supporters. These different initiatives are
recorded in Corippus’ contemporary panegyric. 3
2. Internal affairs
This initial generosity was reinforced by an edict in 566 which remitted tax
arrears, though not exactions in kind or revenues from certain categories
of military land. But despite this, and comparable behaviour by Sophia who
in 567/8, according to Theophanes, won praise for taking debt pledges
from bankers and returning them to the borrowers, Justin was to achieve a
2 Evagr. HE v.3; Life of Eutychius 76–7. 3 Discussion in Cameron, Corippus.
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