How did Justinian gain the throne?

Question

anonymous · Answer

By the time of the First Crusades, the Byzantine Empire had reached its peak. The Empire was nothing more than just one general using his army to overthrow the emperor and then proclaim himself as emperor. The emperors were no longer the great generals of Justinian, who had vision and drive. The emperors of Byzantium had grown fat and lazy on power. The emperors spent more time using the military to defend the empire against other Byzantine generals and threats from the Christian crusaders as well as the muslim invaders. To gain suport for their bid for the throne, Byzantine generals would make promises and give bribes for support to other byzantine generals as well as muslim tribes and then repay the bribes by giving away parts of the Byzantine empire. The corrupption was so rife that the emperors could no longer afford the up-keep of the city's defences. The main wall of the city desperately needed maintenance. Centuries of in-fighting, civil wars, corruption and bribery eventually made the empire so weak that all that was left was just the city of Constantinople.

anonymous · Answer

Inheritance. He was the nephew of Justin, the Emperor who preceded him and who Justinian had probably aided in his rise to power when the emperor before him, Anastasius, died. When Justin died, Justinian took over.