I love ousted emperors who managed to come back with a vengeance (okay, maybe the latter went a bit too far...)
No emperor from the classical period ever managed to pull off what they did.
I mean, you gotta respect Justinian the Slit-Nosed sailing back to Constantinople and his advisors advising him not to reign in terror, but to forgive, and Justinian II going "Fuck that. I'm gonna be way worse!"
He was unfortunately immune to the power of magic and friendship.
I believe it never happened in the classical period because they were always dead, Christianity made that a nono.
A lot of emperors saved themselves thanks to Christianity, but killing and emperor was still kind of common (MauricePhocasConstansIILeontiusTiberiusIII,JustinianIIhimself,LeoIVConstantineVILeoVMichaelIIRomanosIINikephorosII...)
Didn’t Theophanes write something like Justinian said during a storm “if I show mercy to any one of my enemies may God drown me right here!”
I don’t know of any resources on Zeno though Thersites the historian has done videos on both men. Constance Head write a book on Justinian II which I have.
This sub love for Zeno always amuses me
Justinian II was such a strange guy. He had convictions to be a good ruler in a better time, but I truly think getting deposed and mutilated legitimately drove him insane
And I just fucking love Zeno. Got too many enemies? Play them against one another