dec 4, 529 - Plague of Justinian 541-544
Description:
The Justinian plague first originated in Asia, but is most known for the affect it had on the Byzantine empire. It is named after the Emperor of the Byzantine empire, Justinian I, Who actually contracted the disease but ended up surviving. It is scientifically known as the strain of plague Yersinia Pestis. The Justinian plague is the first historically known instance of this disease.
Extreme environmental events were the cause of the Justinian plague. It is said that there is a connection to rodents because of what medical science late found to be the carriers of the plague.
The disease caused Crop failure among the people in Mediterranean Europe and caused massive movement of people. This plague wiped out 1/4th of the population of mediterranean Europe, 10000 people a day were dying in the Byzantine capitol of Constantinople alone. The amount of deaths caused an overflow of corpses and made it impossible for people to bury all of the casualties. These factors played a significant role in the dismantlement of the Byzantine empire.
The last occurrence was 750 AD. A total of 25 Million people died in 250 years
Symptoms:
The symptoms of the Justinian Plague are Similar to all instances of Yersinia Pestis. Significant symptoms included swollen growths on lymph-nodes called "Buboes", High Fever, Vomiting blood, Hallucinating, and death.
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