#Intro In 540 CE, Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian
I had great ambition of regaining Western Roman territories.
His goal was to restore the Eastern Roman empire to what it was before the Roman empire
dissolved.
However, just a year later Emperor Justinian I would struggle to keep his empire afloat.
The question now is, what happened?
#Spread of the Plague The plague of Justinian originated from China
or India, and would make its way to North Africa via land and sea trading.
The main carrier of the plague were black rats or fleas.
The black rats would often find themselves in grain crates or ships heading for African
Mediterranean cities such as Pelusium, Egypt.
From there it would be a short trip before the rats reach Constantinople, capital of
the Eastern Roman Empire.
The rats would spread using military supply lines or other trading routes.
Before long people were dropping dead on the streets.
#Yersinia Pestis The cause of the Plague of Justinian was Yersinia
Pestis, the same bacteria that later cause the black death.
Those infected with Y Pestis suffered from chronic pain, fever, headache, chills, abdominal
pain and swollen lymph nodes.
Other side effects include delusions, nightmares and commas.
The plague could also kill you within 24 hours of infecting you.
Safe to say, it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
Those infected by the plague had three options; home remedies, treatment from medical practitioner
and hospital quarantine.
Those who sought home remedies relied on things such as cold-water baths, “blessed” powders,
“magical” rings and amulets and various drugs.
None of those remedies would actually help in treating the plague.
Those who sought medical practitioner were treated by medical professionals sent from
Alexandria.
These practitioners were the leading physician at the time but it’s unclear if they were
able to treat the plague.
Besides, you had to live in an area with quick access to these practitioners and be rich
enough to get treatment.
Lastly, if the two options before failed to treat you, you can head to a hospital to be
quarantine.
If you die, you die and if you live, you’re praise with “good fortune, strong underlying
health and an uncompromised immune system.
#Aftermath By the end of the plague, 25-50 million people
have died or roughly 13-25% of the global population.
In constantinople, nearly 40% of the people died.
No one was safe from the plague, even Emperor Justinian I had it at one point as well.
A lot of farmers and soldiers died during the plague, weakening the Eastern Roman Empire.
Emperor Justinian I had to enlist the help of soldiers to clean up the bodies on the
streets of Constantinople.
Mass graves were dug for the deceased.
Emperor Justinian I, dissatisfied with the lack of progress and the deteriorating state
of his empire, decided to raise taxes.
He would also continue to tax those who died, forcing the relatives or neighbours to compensate
for them.
Needless to say, this made those already suffering suffer even more.
#Conclusion The Plague of Justinian a major event that
isn’t brought up as much as it should be.
It serves as a preview to what the bubonic plague can do.
It showed how without proper prevention and treatment, the lives of millions can be lost
within a year.
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