Justinian Plague

The part of the middle ages that is most interesting to me is the Justinian plague. The Justinian plague was the first epidemic of infectious disease that struck the Byzantine empire. It is called the Justinian plague after the ruler of Byzantine at the time of the plague, Justinian I. Most people believe that the cause of the pandemic was an outbreak of the bubonic plague. The plague spread so quickly and easily that central and south Asia, North Africa, Arabia, Europe, Denmark and Ireland were also affected at the same time.

It is believed that the plague originated in either Ethiopia or Egypt. Byzantines were fed by vast shipments of grain that were brought in by Egypt and Ethiopia. The shipments of grain were most likely the source of the contagion. The source may have been the grain because the public granaries at the time had a big rat and flea population. All trading stopped, and the city's food supply became exhausted.

There is no way to know exactly, but around 25 million people died from this plague. About 5,000 people were dying daily from the plague. At it's peak, the Justinian plague was killing 10,000 people a day. Overall about 40% of the population was affected and died.

The death toll was so extensive that bodies began to be buried in cemeteries outside the city. Then people began to throw the dead bodies into the ocean because of the lack of room in burial grounds. Bodies were also beginning to be thrown into the large trenches surrounding the city walls. Soon the corpses were overflowing from the trenches.

At the peak of the plague, the
corpses stretched across the harbor of the Golden Horn to the towers of Syae. The roofs of towers also had to be temporarily removed so that bodies could be piled inside. When the wind blew the stench of decaying, diseased bodies filled the city.

Justinian was inflicted with plague as well. He didn't die from the disease, however he was left with a speech problem.



Guy, John. Medieval Life. London: Ticktock Media Limited, 2001.

Hallam, Henry. The Middle Ages:History of Europe. New York: Colonial press, 1900.