Man, Bacteria, and God: An Analysis of Factors that Compromised Justinian's Conquests

Abstract

Justinian I is arguably the most renowned emperor of Late Antiquity because of his tumultuous reign that spanned a total of 38 years. He was an ambitious emperor who sought to reconquer the lost territories of the western Roman Empire after it fell in 476 to various barbarian tribes. He had a steadfast start to his reign by waging multiple wars in North Africa, Italy, and with his rival, Persia. At first, it seemed like the empire was growing, but there were many internal problems, and attrition started to set in as the armies were spread thin. This occurred in the 530s, and the problem was exacerbated by the arrival of the bubonic plague into the Mediterranean world in 541-542. The plague had disastrous effects within the capital city of Constantinople and continued to be a drain on the empire even after Justinian’s death. Additionally, starting in the 540s, Justinian – who always had an obsession with theology, especially debates with members of the Church – seemingly started to shift his attention away from his administration into more personal religious disputes. While no empire declines rapidly because of only a few factors, the factors of war, plague, and religion can be seen as the three-headed monster that Justinian could not defeat. Primary sources from the sixth century corroborate the idea that the wars and the plague visibly shook the empire. Fewer primary sources considered the possibility of religion as being a cause of Justinian’s territorial undoing, but there are mentions of his theological obsession. Primary sources were weighed carefully and cross-referenced with an extensive array of secondary sources to ensure that the information presented aligned with leading research. The consistency in the literature shows that a compelling argument can be made for these three factors.Master ArtsHistoryCollege of Online and Continuing Educatio