| Tiberius | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of the Romans | |
.jpg) | |
| Byzantine co-emperor | |
| Reign | 706–711 |
| Coronation | 706 |
| Predecessor | Justinian II |
| Successor | Philippicus |
| Born | 705 Khazaria |
| Died | 711 (Aged 6) St. Mary's Church in Blachernae,ConstantinopleEastern Roman Empire (nowIstanbul,Turkey) |
| Dynasty | Heraclian |
| Father | Justinian II |
| Mother | Theodora of Khazaria |
Tiberius (Greek:Τιβέριος,romanized: Tibérios; 705–711), sometimes enumerated asTiberius IV,[1] was the son of EmperorJustinian II andTheodora of Khazaria. He served as co-emperor of theByzantine Empire with his father Justinian II, from 706 to 711. Both were killed in 711, whenBardanes led a rebellion which marched onConstantinople. After Tiberius' death, two different individuals impersonated him, with one, named Bashir, going on to be hosted byHisham ibn Abd al-Malik, theUmayyadcaliph, before his lie was discovered and he wascrucified.
In 705,Justinian II, who had previously beenemperor of theByzantine Empire from 685 to 695, but had been usurped byLeontius, used a vast army ofKhazars,Bulgars, andSlavs to retake the throne fromTiberius III, who had in turn overthrown Leontius.[2] While Justinian led troops into the Empire, he left his wife,Theodora of Khazaria, behind inPhanagoria, the capital of formerOld Great Bulgaria, but at the time a principal city of theKhazar Empire. While there, she gave birth to Tiberius. Once Justinian had consolidated his hold on the throne, he sent for his wife and his newly born son.[3][4] When they arrived in Constantinople in 706, Theodora and Tiberius were crownedaugusta andaugustus.[1][4][5] In 710, whenPope Constantine visited Constantinople, he was welcomed by theByzantine Senate and the young co-emperor Tiberius, before Constantine went on to meet Justinian II.[5][6]
In 711, theTheme of Cherson rebelled against Justinian II, led by an exiled general by the name ofBardanes. The rebels resisted a counter-attack, before the forces sent to attack the rebels themselves joined the rebellion.[7] The rebels marched on the capital, Constantinople, and proclaimed Bardanes as Emperor Philippicus.[8] During this time, Justinian II had been traveling toArmenia, and thus did not arrive in Constantinople in time to defend it, but only after it had fallen.[9] He was arrested, and then executed outside the city in November 711. His head was kept by Bardanes as a trophy. Upon hearing the news of his death,Anastasia, Justinian's mother, took Tiberius, at this time six years old, toSt. Mary's Church in Blachernae, for sanctuary. He was pursued by men sent by Bardanes, who dragged him from the altar and murdered him outside of the church.[10]
Two separate individuals later arose claiming to be Tiberius: one in 717/718 during theSiege of Constantinople by the Arabs; and another in 737.[11] The second impostor, a man by the name of Bashir, plotted with a blind man named Theophantus. They arranged that Theophantus would go toSulayman ibn Hisham, an Arab general, and son of theUmayyad caliphHisham ibn Abd al-Malik, and inform him that he knew the location of Tiberius, who was actually Bashir himself. Sulayman believed Theophantus and instructed him to bring Bashir to him, which Theophantus agreed to do in exchange for money. Theophantus then delivered Bashir to Sulayman, whereupon Bashir denied being Tiberius profusely, so as to make Sulayman certain that he really was Tiberius. After many promises of safety and reward were given, he "confessed" that he was Tiberius. Sulayman immediately wrote to his father, Hisham, who instructed him to dress the false Tiberius in royal clothes and to have him pass through all major cities in procession. Bashir then went first toEdessa, and then the other major cities. After this, he went to Hisham, who received him with honor. Bashir stayed with Hisham, sending ambassadors to Constantinople to proclaim that Tiberius was still alive, and allied with the Umayyad. This news frightened the Byzantines, especially EmperorLeo III. However, Bashir's deception was eventually revealed, and he wascrucified in Edessa.[12]
Tiberius can be found oncoins issued during the second reign of Justinian II (705–711). During Justinian II's first reign (686–695), the first coins to bear a depiction ofJesus Christ on theobverse were minted. During his second reign, Tiberius was featured on thereverse of the coins, alongside Justinian II. On the reverse, Tiberius and Justinian II both wear crowns,loros, andchlamys, and holdcross potents in their hands. The legend of the reverse reads: "Domini Nostri Iustinianus et Tiberius Perpetui Augusti", meaning "Our Lords Justinian and Tiberius, the Eternal Emperors".[13]