View source for Justin I

== Succession ==
During the night of 8–9 July 518, Anastasius died and his ''[[silentiarius|silentarii]]'', a senior servant, summoned Justin and [[Celer (magister officiorum)|Celer]] to his deathbed. Celer was the ''[[magister officiorum]]'' (master of offices) and commander of the palace regiments of the ''[[Scholae Palatinae]]'', a force of parade-ground display troops.  By morning the event had been announced throughout the capital, Constantinople. The high officials, including [[John of Cappadocia]], the recently appointed [[patriarch of Constantinople]], were summoned to the [[Great Palace of Constantinople|Great Palace]] for the election of a new emperor. Meanwhile, the people gathered in the [[Hippodrome of Constantinople]] and awaited the proclamation of the name of the new emperor.<ref name=Evans>{{cite web|url=http://www.roman-emperors.org/justin.htm|title=Roman Emperors – DIR Justinian|website=www.roman-emperors.org|access-date=21 August 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515232101/http://www.roman-emperors.org/justin.htm|archive-date=15 May 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Idealized head of Euphemia.png|alt=Bronze head of Euphemi|thumb|Bronze head of [[Euphemia (empress)|Euphemia]] in the [[National Museum of Serbia]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Weitzmann |first=Kurt |author-link=Kurt Weitzmann |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=efLuB7QPDm8C&pg=PA32 |title=Age of Spirituality: Late Antique and Early Christian Art, Third to Seventh Century |date=1979 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-0-87099-179-0 |pages=32 |language=}}</ref>]]
Anastasius had died childless but had a host of known relatives.{{sfn|Bowersock|Grabar|1999|pp=300–01}} This extensive family included several viable candidates for the throne.<ref name=Evans /> His brother [[Paulus (consul 496)|Paulus]] had served as [[Roman consul|consul]] in 496.{{sfn|Croke|2001|p=89}} According to [[John Malalas]], the ''[[praepositus sacri cubiculi]]'' (grand chamberlain), [[Amantius (praepositus)|Amantius]], had intended to have [[Theocritus (comes domesticorum)|Theocritus]], commander of an elite guard unit, elected to the throne.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.well.com/~aquarius/guilland-eunuques.htm|title=Rodolphe Guilland, "Les Eunuques dans l'Empire Byzantin" (English)|website=www.well.com|access-date=20 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016142617/http://www.well.com/~aquarius/guilland-eunuques.htm|archive-date=16 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Theocritus and Amantius were relying on their control of a large military force and on buying the support of the other officials. Amantius was said to have given a substantial sum of money to Justin in order to buy his support. However, Justin controlled a smaller, but higher-quality group of soldiers, and used the money to buy support for himself. He was elected as the new emperor by the council and was proclaimed emperor in the Hippodrome.<ref name=Evans />

Justin's wife became empress under the name Euphemia. The name was probably chosen for reasons of respectability.<ref name=Greatrex/> The original [[Euphemia]] was a [[Christian martyrs|Christian martyr]] during the [[Diocletianic Persecution]]. She was a local saint of [[Chalcedon]] and the [[Council of Chalcedon]] (451) had taken place in a cathedral [[consecrated]] in her name.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102002|title=Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised|website=ocafs.oca.org|access-date=20 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213075617/http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102002|archive-date=13 February 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The selection of this name was an early indication that Justin and Lupicina were fervent [[Chalcedonian Christian]]s.<ref name="Greatrex" /> Some of the population of the capital was supportive because of his strong [[Chalcedonian Definition|Chalcedonian]] position on the fierce [[Christological]] debate of the time, in opposition to his predecessor's [[Miaphysite]] leanings.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}