Tiberius II Constantine (520-582) was born in Thrace and a close friend of the future emperor Justin II. Tiberius became commander of the Excubitors imperial guard, and when Justin II acceded to emperor, Tiberius was made his chief military commander. When Justin had a mental breakdown, his wife Sophia turned to Tiberius to manage the empire, and he was later named co-emperor and adopted son by Justin in 574.

Tiberius became sole emperor after Justin died in 578, and almost immediately had to deal with a plot to overthrow him perpetrated by Justin's widow, the dowager empress Sophia. The conspiracy failed, and Tiberius turned his attention to fighting the Sassanids in the east, as well as towards military activities in the remnants of the Western Roman Empire.

By the time of his death from food poisoning in 582, the Eastern Roman Empire had become overextended, the war against the Sassanids dragging on while raids by Avars and Slav migrations drained imperial resources. He named his general Maurice as his successor, seeing him married to his daughter Constantina before passing away.