1. Like the Black Death, Justinian’s Plague Reshaped the World
Justinian’s Plague hit Europe hard. The continent lost 40% to 50% of its population. However, the pandemic followed the established trade routes, so ports and cities were hit the hardest. The countryside and the parts of Europe off the established trade routes got off relatively lightly. That lopsided death toll, heavy in the cities and relatively 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. The Classical Age had been marked by a significant urban culture. Justinian’s Plague – on top of Justinian’s many wars – put paid to that, as it devastated the cities and an economy built around sustaining urban life. The center of power shifted from urban centers to the countryside, and rural strong men emerged as the founders of feudalism. One era and way of life ended, and another one began.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
Cantor, Norman F. – In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World it Made (2001)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC – How Plague Spreads
Crawford, Dorothy – Deadly Companions: How Microbes Shaped Our History (2018)
Encyclopedia Britannica – Black Death
History Collection – Mad Myths in History That Just Won’t Go Away
Listverse – 10 Scary Facts About the Justinian Plague
McNeil, William H. – Plagues and People (1976)
Medievalists Net – Yersinia Pestis and the Plague of Justinian 541-543 AD: A Genomic Analysis
World History Encyclopedia – Justinian’s Plague (541-542 CE)
