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Tides of History · January 14, 2020 · 46m
Justinian's Reconquest of the Western Mediterranean
Emperor Justinian's ambitious attempt to reconquer the former Western Roman Empire in the 6th century — the campaigns in North Africa, Italy, and Spain that nearly succeeded but ultimately overextended Byzantium.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Canon
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Wyman traces how Justinian's military victories in North Africa and Italy created an empire too large to defend, too expensive to maintain, and too stretched to survive the Plague of Justinian. Ambition without sustainable systems leads to collapse.
Highlights
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The Plague of Justinian killed 25-50% of the Mediterranean population and reshaped the political map
The first pandemic of bubonic plague struck the Mediterranean world in 541 CE, killing up to half the population of major cities and permanently weakening Byzantine capacity to hold reconquered territory.Was this useful?