Tiberius II Constantine

Tiberius II Constantine
Tremissis of Emperor Tiberius II Constantine
Emperor of the Byzantine Empire
Reign	574–582
Predecessor	Justin II
Successor	Maurice
Born	520
Died	14 August 582 (aged 62)
Spouse	Ino Anastasia
Issue	Unknown Issue Constantina Charito
Dynasty	Justinian Dynasty

Tiberius II Constantine (Latin: Flavius Tiberius Constantinus Augustus) (520 – 14 August 582) was Eastern Roman Emperor from 574 to 582.

Born in Thrace in the mid-sixth century, Tiberius was appointed to the post of Notarius where sometime after 552 he was introduced by the Patriarch Eutychius to the future emperor Justin II with whom he became firm friends. Under Justin’s patronage, Tiberius was promoted to the position of Comes excubitorum, which he held from approximately 565 through to 574. He was present during Justin’s Imperial accession on 14 November 565 and also attended the Emperor’s inauguration as Consul on 1 January 566.

Justin ceased making payments to the Avars implemented by his predecessor Justinian. In 569, he appointed Tiberius to the post of Magister utriusque militiae with instructions to deal with the Avars and their demands. After a series of negotiations, Tiberius agreed to allow the Avars to settle on Roman territory in the Balkans in exchange for male hostages taken from various Avar chiefs. Justin, however, rejected this agreement, insisting on taking hostages from the family of the Avar Khan himself. This condition was rejected by the Avars, so Tiberius mobilized for war. In 570 he defeated an Avar army in Thrace and returned to Constantinople. While attempting to follow up this victory, however, in late 570 or early 571 Tiberius was defeated in a subsequent battle where he narrowly escaped death as the army was fleeing the battlefield. Agreeing to a truce, Tiberius provided an escort to the Avar envoys to discuss the terms of a treaty with Justin. On their return, the Avar envoys were attacked and robbed by local tribesmen, prompting them to appeal to Tiberius for help. He tracked down the group responsible and returned the stolen goods.