Tiberius II Constantine
Tiberius II Constantine was the
Byzantine emperor from
574 to
582. He was a friend of
Justin II, under whom he was appointed Count of the Excubitors. He took control of the empire when Justin II went insane in
574, and, in order to increase his popularity, he immediately began spending money that Justin had reserved in his treasury. While Justin was still alive, Tiberius' general Maurice fought and defeated the
Persians in
Armenia. When Tiberius became full emperor upon Justin's death in
578, he extended his military activities into the remnants of the Western Empire, where he made peace with the
Visigoths in
Spain and defeated the
Moors in
North Africa. Meanwhile, the
Slavs began to migrate into the
Balkans in
579; unfortunately, Tiberius needed the army to defend against Persian invasions, and was unable to stop the Slavic migrations.
In 582, Tiberius fell ill, and Maurice was named his heir. Maurice became emperor when Tiberius died in August.