Justinian strategos

Abstract

Whereas Procopius’ often repeated assertion that the reign of Justin I was but a mere prelude to the age of his great successor Justinian has been refuted with good reason, one should not ignore the degree to which Justinian actually participated in state affairs. Stemming from a military background as an elite soldier of the imperial guard, Justinian certainly took the military tasks delegated to him more seriously than hitherto assumed. Having been promoted very quickly to the rank of a court general (magister militum praesentalis), he kept that seminal position also after his installation as Caesar, granted by Justin in 525, which paved the final road to the throne. As the sole court general Justinian held practically the supreme command of the Roman army (after the emperor himself). In this position, the future emperor played a key role in military operations against Byzantium’s long-term enemy, the Persians. Moreover, because of his rank and experience he was able to implement a large-scale reform programme for the army, which was intended to prepare the Byzantine military for the aggressive and expansionist policies of his own reign.