Justin II (Latin: Iustinus; Ancient Greek: Ἰουστῖνος, romanized: Ioustînos; died 5 October 578) was Eastern Roman emperor from 565 until 578. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of empress Sophia, the niece of the empress Theodora.
Justin II inherited a greatly enlarged but overextended empire, with far fewer resources at his disposal compared to Justinian I.[citation needed] He ended the payment of tributes and adopted a hardline stance against the empire's neighbors, which resulted in rekindling of war with the Sassanid Empire, and in a Lombard invasion which cost the Romans much of their territory in Italy.[2]