2 June 2026

When Byzantine Emperor Justinian II was deposed in 695 AD, his enemies had his nose cut off to bar him from rule (Roman law disqualified physically mutilated men from the throne). He escaped to Crimea, forged an alliance with Bulgar armies, and retook Constantinople a decade later. He ruled wearing a gold prosthetic nose. History calls him Rhinotmetos: the Slit-Nosed.