letters of the imperial title. By means of these cracks the sovereign
guided his halting hand. Having little acquaintance with the civil
administration, ignorant of the intricacies of politics, diplomacy and
theology, he would have been qujte overwhelmed by his position, had he
not had someone behind him, to help and guide him. This was his sister’s
son, Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Justinianus, known to us as Justinian.
Justinian, as well as his uncle, was born in Macedonia, in the village
of Tauresium, near Skoplje. He was a peasant of the Latin race, and by
no means a Slav as romantic traditions of a much later date affirm. To
these traditions a value has long been assigned which they do not possess.
Justinian went early to Constantinople by his uncle’s request, and
received a thoroughly Roman and Christian education in the schools
of the capital. When, through a piece of good luck, Justin became
Emperor, his nephew was about thirty-six years old; he was experienced
in politics, his character was formed and his intellect matured. He was
quite prepared for the position of coadjutor to the new Caesar, and
immediately assumed it. The good will of his uncle brought him step
by step nearer to the foot of the throne. He became in turn Count, virilhistris, patrician. He was Consul in 521, Commander-in-Chief of the
troops which garrisoned the capital (magister equitum et peditum praesentalis), nobilissimns, and finally, in 527, Justin adopted him and
associated him in the Empire itself. Under these various titles it was he who really governed in his uncle’s name, while he waited until he
should himself ascend the throne (1 August 527). Thus, during nearly
half a century, from 518 to 565 Justinian’s will guided the destinies of
the Roman Empire in the East.
Of all the prominent men who fill the pages of history, few are more difficult to depict and understand than Justinian. Throughout his reign the testimony of contemporaries is abundant and ranges from the extreme of extravagant adulation to that of senseless invective, thus furnishing the most contradictory portrait that exists of any sovereign. From the unmeasured praise of the Book of Edifices, and the often foolish gossip of the Secret History it is by no means easy to arrive at the truth. Besides, it must not be forgotten that Justinian reigned for thirty-eight years, and died at the age of eighty-three ; and that as he drew near the end of his reign, already too long, a growing slackness and lack of grip marked his last years. It is hardly fair to judge him by this period of decrepitude, when he almost seems to have outlived himself. However, this man, who left so deep an impress on the world of the sixth century, cannot lightly be passed by ; and, after all, it is possible to estimate his character.
The official portrait is to be found in the mosaic of San Vitale in Ravenna, which dates from 547, though it obviously represents him as somewhat younger than he was. It gives us a good idea of Justinian’s
