This day in history: Justinian I became the sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire on this day (August 1) in 527. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized renovatio imperii, or "restoration of the Empire". A big impediment to this restoration was the plague that bore his name (The Plague of Justinian or Justinianic Plague). Professor Henry E. Sigerist, in his book "Civilization and Disease" argues that the Justinian Plague put an end to the Roman Empire both in the east and the west: "Thus the 6th century marks a turning-point in the history of the Mediterranean world, and the great plague of Justinian appears as a demarcation line between the two periods...The old world broke down, and on its ruins a new civilization began slowly to rise."
The population of the world at the time was, by many estimates, was about 200 million people. It is also estimated that the Justinian Plague may have killed up to 100 million (up to 10000 people per day). Imagine a modern pestilence killing over 3 billion people. That folks is a real PANDEMIC!
Justinian's response to this plague was nothing if not deplorable. Byzantine scholar Procopius of Caesarea wrote at the time: "When pestilence swept through the whole known world and notably the Roman Empire, wiping out most of the farming community and of necessity leaving a trail of desolation in its wake, Justinian showed no mercy towards the ruined freeholders. Even then, he did not refrain from demanding the annual tax, not only the amount at which he assessed each individual, but also the amount for which his deceased neighbors were liable."
With the massive deaths, tax revenues declined and Justinian was unable to fund projects and wars he had his heart set on.
The Plague of Justinian is the first and the best known outbreak of the first plague pandemic, which continued to recur until the middle of the 8th century. It was one of the deadliest pandemics in history, with a death toll equivalent up to 60% of Europe's population at the time of the first outbreak. This plague and the Black Death which started in 1347 remain the deadliest pandemics in history.
Wikipedia ranks Covid-19 as number 8 with a percentage worldwide death toll of only 0.05%–0.1% even with the politically inflated numbers.
As for Justinian, his rule was marked with triumph and tragedy. He was a man who dreamed big and had the skill and will to make his dreams a reality. He built grand buildings, created the law as we know it, and was the last Roman Emperor to rule over Rome. The reign of Justinian was the final reign of a Roman Emperor.
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