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Justinian II was made co-emperor by his father Constantine IV in 681. In 685, at the age of sixteen, he became the sole emperor upon the death of his father. His father’s victories had stabilized the unrest in the eastern provinces of the empire at the time of his death. After a invasion of Armenia, Justinian was able to increase the annual tribute from the Umayyad Caliphs and had entered into joint possession of Armenia, Iberia (Georgia), and Cyprus. His agreement to displace some 12,000 Maronite Christians from Lebanon, however, gave the Arabs a command over Asia Minor.
Taking advantage of the peace in the East, Justinian recovered the possession of the Balkans from the Slavic tribes. With a major campaign in 688-689, he defeated the Bulgars and took [[Thessalonica]], the empire’s second most important city in Europe. Justinian then returned to the offensive in the East, but after initial successes, the Arabs conquered Armenia by 695.
Within the empire, Justinian attempted to suppress the [[Heresy|heretic]] Manichaeans and other non-Orthodox traditions. These actions, however, increased religious tensions. In 692, Justinian convened the [[Quinisext Council]] in Constantinople to ratify 102 disciplinary [[canon]]s from the [[Fifth Ecumenical Council|Fifth]] and [[Sixth Ecumenical Council]]s that had not been acted upon before the earlier councils were adjourned. As Pope Sergius I of Rome refused to sign the canons, as “lacking authority,” Justinian ordered him arrested. The arrest was not carried out, as the emperor’s military forces in [[Ravenna (Italy)|Ravenna]] supported Sergius and compromised Justinian’s relations with the West.
Discontent with Justinian’s rule arose as he and his supporters Stephanus and Theodotus extorted the populous to gratify his extravagant tastes and mania for expensive buildings. Under the leadership of Leontius, who assumed the throne, they rebelled in 695 and captured Justinian. After cutting off Justinian’s nose, whence his surname, he was exiled to Cherson in the Crimea. After a reign of three years, [[Leontius]] was dethroned and replaced by [[Tiberius]] Apsimarus.
