Green 1 Finger Lakes Community College The Plagues Negative Impact on The Byzantine Empire Final Research Paper Jeremy Green Early Western Civilization HIS100 Heman Sweet December 2021 Green 2 It is widely recognized by many scholars and historians that the plague had devastating effects on the Roman Empire and perhaps may have been the cause of the empires downfall. One could argue that the world’s smallest organism collided with the world’s most powerful empire at the time. The Plague also known as the Black Death or Bubonic Plague wreaked havoc across Europe. The short and long-term impacts on the Empire or more specifically the Byzantine Empire have been studied for centuries. This paper will explore the negative impacts The Plague had on the Byzantine Empire as well Europe as a whole. One cannot write about the Byzantine Empire without writing about Justinian I. Justinian I (r. 527-565) is often best known for his Corpus Juris Civilis (Backman, 2020 p. 269) which served as a code of civil law. A legislation that addressed every aspect of civic life. From taxation to criminal law in Byzantium (Bachman, 2020 p. 269). The Byzantine Empire thrived under Justinian I, with Constantinople being the mecca of commerce and the center for economic trade. Economic growth and stability, multitudes of churches, theaters and palaces were built. What Justinian I was not prepared for was a bacterium that at the time could not be understood. A bacterium that ultimately led to the deaths of an estimated fifty million people (Backman p. 384). The Plague of Justinian (541 CE) or what some scholars describe as the beginning of a wave of plagues not only killed more than half of Constantinople’s population it brought about Green 3 many social changes. Entire villages were wiped out while others were left standing, which drove many citizens mad. Leading many to question why some people were affected and others we’re not. Mass hysteria ensued and would reemerge each time a new wave of the Plague hit. Large numbers who suffered from hysteria often also suffered from post-traumatic disorder. Many generations suffered from the devasting long-lasting effects the Plague had. It was hard for many people to forget. According to many scholars traditional social order collapsed and one could often not find a sane person on any street (Strange, 2021 p. 80). The Plague of Justinian was very similar to the Plague and is often said to be the precursor to the Plague. The Plague of Justinian is often referred to as the first Plague in a series of three. First starting on the outer banks of the Empire then arriving in Constantinople around 542 CE. It became known as the Justinian Plague as the first outbreak occurred during Justinian I reign (Horgan, 2014 p. 1). Some historians believe climate change also impacted the transmission of The Plague. Decreasing temperatures causing poor crop harvests led people to have to migrate and with them migrating the infected rats followed thus causing the disease to be spread further throughout Europe (Horgan, 2014 p. 2). A 2009 article published by Cambridge University entitled Plague and The End of Antiquity The Pandemic of 541-750 edited by Lester Little, described the time during the Justinian Plague as a time were entire town populations were wiped out ( Little, 2009 p.7). For Green 4 some people their day was spent carry bodies and all others did all day was dig graves. Bodies were covered in buboes-swelling in the armpits, neck and back. There were not enough graves or tombstones. Bodies were buried one on top of another or just put in graves together. Yet, one question still haunts historians, archeologists and biologists today-was The Plague the sole cause of the fall of the Empire (Little)? Justinian’s Flea: Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe (2007) written by William Rosen explores how a “demon” was released on an released on an unsuspected world (Rosen, 2007). Rosen explains through his extensive study of the Plague how it was transported by rats from the Mediterranean to Constantinople and westward through the Empire. In Justinian’s Flea, Rosen indirectly describes the massive historical impacts the Plague had. Even though The Plague killed vast amounts of people, Justinian himself caught it yet survived. Rosen (2007), wrote how the Plague contributed the collapse of the Roman Empire and how it nearly killed Justinian himself. The Plagued thinned the population and Justinian I found it nearly impossible to replace his army. The Ottomans who eventually took over the Empire were not immune to the Plague but some historians suggest that it affected them less as they were described as being nomadic (Ayalon, 2014 p. 50) “Being constantly on the move, the Ottoman forces were less susceptible to plague and suffered fewer casualties than the Byzantines (Ayalon, 2014 p. 50).” While Constantinople was thriving there was a great divide among the rich and the poor Green 5 as many outside Constantinople relied on subsistence farming (Backman, p. 274). Grain was a product of subsistence farming. Bread and wine products of grain were consumed regularly by people of the Empire. William Rosen (2007) referenced how rats fed on grain and rats carried fleas with the bacteria that caused the Plague. These rats were then carried on grain boats and carts into Constantinople. War and trade expedited the spread of The Plague throughout the Byzantine Empire. In Justinian’s Flea: Plague, Empire and the Birth of Europe (2007), Rosen describes how the first wave of the Plague decreased the population invariably and how it took generations for it to recover. Rosen also discussed how due to mass casualties the weakened Byzantine army could barely sustain itself against Islamic invasions. Yet, what conclusively caused the Empire to fall was not foreign invasion according to Rosen but an invader that could barely be seen by the naked eye…a flea (Rosen, 2007). Part III of Rosen’s book entitled Bacterium (p. 167-226) gives the reader an understanding the life cycle of the flea leads readers to understand how Rosen was able to mix the biological, medical, theological and political ideologies of late antiquity. Rosen (2007) goes on to explain how due to medical ignorance the Plague was able to take the lives of so many. Yet, one has to consider the times. People did not understand microorganisms or bacteria and those that did or suggested the cause of the disease was something not related to God were labeled heretics. Many believed the causes of diseases were acts of God for punishments of wrongdoings. To combat the Plague many anecdotes were tried. Green 6 Every prayer known as well as folk medicine were tried to no effect (Backman, 2020 p. 386). Practioners of medicine during this time could not cure the disease. The consequences due to medical ignorance related to the times had a direct relationship to the high mortality rate seen with the Plague. Rosen’s (2007) last part of his book describes the Pandemic. In Justinian’s attempts to replace his soldiers that were ravaged by The Plague farmers were recruited. This left farms vacant. Which meant less grains were being produced, thus resulting in a decreased rat population and less transmission of the disease. Not only was the population hit hard by the Plague but they were hit hard by war and famine. Trying to combat a disease that was wiping out all of his people while at the same time trying to ward off foreign invaders proved to be an exhaustive effort for Justinian I. The Byzantine Empire’s economy underwent extreme inflation. Those that survived were able to charge large amounts for their goods because it was dangerous and often difficult to produce goods. Workers could demand higher wages for their labors while goods were scarce (Backman, p. 387). However, some of those that survived suddenly found themselves rich. They were the only heirs to land, furniture, farming equipment. Landlords were a class that were particularly hit hard during and after the plague. While some who were once poor found themselves rich, Europe was immensely poor at this time and it did not last long. It look Europe months if not years to completely recover from the effects of The Plague (Thompson, p. 567). Another aspect to examine of the effect the Plague had on the Byzantine Empire is the Green 7 social and political systems. During the time of Justinian I much of everyday life involved the Church. As explained earlier, during this time people were immensely scared of this disease. In fact, they did not know it was a disease or understand what a disease was. The Plague affected all aspects of life. The Church was facing challenges as well. It was losing its stronghold on the people of the Empire. As people were losing their loved ones they began to lose their faith. The Church needed to keep their people unified while at the same time convincing them not to lose their faith (Gardan, 2020). For many centuries, many historians and scientists could only hypothesize that it truly was The Plague that ravaged Constantinople, almost killed Justinian and caused so much suffering and devastation (Sessa, 2020). Many historians and scientists could only speculate that it was The Plague that caused the massive amount of death that occurred during this time. Thanks to modern technology paleontologists, archeologists and microbiologists were able to isolate ancient DNA from fossilized tooth fragments and confirm it was Y.pestis the bacteria that caused The Plague that circulated around the Byzantine Empire and the Western Roman Empire at this time (Sessa, 2020). The effects of The Plague were long lasting. People were scared. They did not know where or what was causing so many to die a horrible death. They struggled to understanding what was happening. Many began to blame Jews as the source of The Plague (Backman, p. 285). Green 8 Jews were massacred by Christian’s and yet the disease persevered. Parents abandoned their children. People hated one another. Animals were dying as well, which ceased farming and was notably had a long-lasting effecting as farming was slow to restart (Backman, p. 386). Backman (2020) wrote “ No epidemic ever reached the hopeless severity of the first wave, but fear of the plague haunted the Greater West for many generations (p. 387).” Descendants remembered the Plague in the wake of its devastation. In as almost as quickly as it appeared the Plague disappeared only to return over the centuries in clusters leaving in its path the same destruction as it had time and time again. What can be surmised is that the Plague played a major role in the downfall in the Byzantine Empire but that war and famine also played major roles. Internal instability due to weakened irreplaceable army and external invasion coupled with an incurable disease made for the gradual decline of the Byzantine Empire to which it was unable to recover. Green 9 Works Cited Ayalon, Yaron. “The Black Death and the Rise of the Ottomans (Chapter 1) - Natural Disasters in the Ottoman Empire.” Cambridge Core, Cambridge University Press, 5 Dec. 2014, https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/natural-disasters-in-the-ottoman-empire/black- death-and-the-rise-of-the-ottomans/D83E412C0BB3C092E79683722AFFFC33. Backman, Clifford R. Cultures of the West: A History. Oxford University Press, 2020. Gardan, Gabriel-Viorel. "'The Justinianic Plague': The Effects of a Pandemic in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages." Romanian Journal of Artistic Creativity, vol. 8, no. 4, winter 2020, pp. 3+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A646800578/AONE?u=nysl_oweb&sid=bookmark- AONE&xid=697e6ee8. Accessed 10 Nov. 20 Horgan, John. “Justinian's Plague (541-542 CE).” World History Encyclopedia, World History Encyclopedia, 26 Dec. 2014, https://www.worldhistory.org/article/782/justinians-plague- 541-542-ce/. Little, Lester K. Plague and the End of Antiquity: The Pandemic of 541-750. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2009. Green 10 Rosen, William. Justinian's Flea: Plague, Empire and the Birth of Europe. Jonathan Cape, 2007. Sessa, Kristina. “The Justinianic Plague.” Origins, 12 June 2020, https://origins.osu.edu/connecting-history/covid-justinianic-plague-lessons. Stange, Natasha. “Politics of Plague: Ancient Epidemics and Their Impact on Society.” Scholarship @ Claremont, https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cclura_2021/4/. Thompson, James Westfall. “The Aftermath of the Black Death and the Aftermath of the Great War.” American Journal of Sociology, vol. 26, no. 5, 1921, pp. 565–572., https://doi.org/10.1086/213206.
