Originating in Egypt, the Plague of Justinian swept through both the Byzantine and Persian empires in the mid-sixth century, killing an estimated one-quarter of the population across the affected regions. In Constantinople alone it raged for four months, with deaths reaching approximately 10,000 per day and some 300,000 people perishing in the city. The plague struck Justinian himself, triggering a succession crisis, and so devastated the empire's manpower and resources that his territorial reconquests proved impossible to sustain.
What each episode says
Episode 8 (4 mentions)
Starting in Egypt, the bubonic plague swept through both the Persian and Byzantine empires. In Constantinople alone it raged for four months at 10,000 deaths per day, with corpses piled in an unused fortress until they reached the ceiling. Two-fifths of the city's population died — some 300,000 people — and most devastatingly, Justinian himself was struck, triggering a succession crisis.
“and often plague, having to wander further and further away to gather food, increasingly”
“followed on the heels of the plague. In the end, two-fifths of the population died, some 300,000”
“salvage Italy, but all the petty jealousies continued to plague him, making any final victory”
Episode 9 (4 mentions)
Mentioned as a devastating backdrop that decimated the Byzantine and Persian empires while barely affecting the more nomadic Moors, enabling the Moorish invasion of Africa. Brownworth returns to it at the episode's close, estimating it killed one-fourth of the population and made Justinian's reconquests ultimately impossible to hold.
“Even worse, the Persians, having recovered from the plague in 544, launched an invasion”
“the plague, and was increasingly forced to rely on the dubious precedent of protection”
“The bubonic plague had seen to that, killing off one-fourth of the population in its disastrous”
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