Just prior to the middle of the sixth century, the Byzantine Empire was enjoying a veritable Golden Age. Justinian I had become emperor in 527, and during his reign had rapidly re-claimed much territory for the empire. In general, the population was booming and in good spirits, there was plenty of money and great strength in the armed forces. It seemed as though the Empire would live on forever. Suddenly, in 542, there was an outbreak of bubonic plague in Byzantium that lasted about three years. It is estimated that the empire lost 40-50% of its population to the plague over the three year period, or as much as 400,000 people. The plague had a deadening effect on the Byzantine Empire, and in the years following the outbreak it slipped into a great depression. This was a key turning point in Mediterranean history; a shift from the multinational imperium of late Antiquity to a more regionalized group of nation states each with its own individual culture and language, characteristic of Medieval Europe. Is it possible that the outbreak of bubonic plague in sixth century Byzantium was the most important contributing force to this shift? Would the Empire as it was at its height have succeeded had the plague not occurred?
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