22. This Plague Ushered in the Middle Ages
Europe was struck especially hard by the Justinian Plague, and the continent lost an estimated forty to fifty percent of its population. The pandemic followed the established trade routes. The outbreak in Constantinople, for example, is believed to have been caused by the arrival of grain ships from Egypt, with black rats and their plague-carrying fleas aboard. Ports and cities were hit particularly hard. The countryside and the parts of Europe off the established trade routes got off relatively light.
That lopsided death toll, heavy in the cities and light in the countryside, marked a transitional point for Europe. It ended what was left of the Classical Age, and ushered in the Feudal Era and the Middle Ages. The Classical Age had been marked by a significant urban culture. Justinian’s Plague – on top of Justinian’s many wars – ended that, devastating the cities and an economy built around the sustainment of urban life. Power centers shifted from cities to the countryside, and rural strongmen emerged as the founders of feudalism. One era and way of life ended, and another began.
