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Chapter 47: The Oecumenical Survey of the Empire
The next brilliant emperor of the Rhomans was Basil II(1). Basil II had to face some major rebellions of Anatolian magnates, whch he manages to supress.
Basil II. Would have secured an alliance with the Kievan Rus – the nearly East Slavic realm along the Dnieper stretching as far north as the city of Homgardr/Novgorod. Originally with a Viking elite, under Vladimir of Kiev, these “Varangians” would have become assimilated to a large degree to the local East Slavic population.
As a lasting effect of the alliance with the Rus was the establishment of the Varangian Guard. This unit would play a similar role as the Praetorian guard of the pre-migration era Roman Empire. However, unlike the Praetorians, the Varangians would be foreign recruits, originating from northern Europe, mainly from the Rus, but also from Geaten, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, using the physical strength of the northerners, as well as their uninterest in Rhomaic politics.
The year 992 AD, using the Rhomaic calendar Annus Mundi 6500 was a very round one. This would be a perfect occasion for Basil II to conduct a general survey of the Empire “for many new districts were regained to the Empire by my predecessors, and we need to know more about these lands”
The Oecumenical Survey of the Empire conducted in 992 is considered one of the best sources for early medieval demographic history of the Empire. This survey would be conducted by Rhomaic bureaucrats and officials, travelling to every village, and asking the priests, the village chiefs or elders, local nobles or mayors to give them information about the village. Thus, this early census would not be counted on an individual scale, but rather would give us approximate figures. Early modern era nationalists would often cite ethnic data as a basis for their claims, but the overall report would contain the following categories:
· Diocese
· Nomos (District)
· Name of Locality
· Predominant language
· Religious Jurisdiction
· Total Population:
o Children
§ Boys
§ Girls
o Adults
§ Men
§ Women
o Elderly
§ Men
§ Women
· Number of priests
· Nobles and prominent noble families
· Economic activity (divided into columns : farmers, miners, artisans, merchants, scholars).
As for the results by Diocese, here we go:
a. Constantinople: 785 000 people, out of whom the gross majority are Greek
b. Thrace: 1 850 000 people. While mostly Greek, a sizeable tenth are Slavs and around 5% Vlachs
c. Macedonia: 1 710 000 people. Greeks form just over a half (57%), with a large Vlach (28%) minority, and considerable Slavic(8%) and Arnautian(7%, Albanian) populations as well.
d. Bithynia: 1 800 000 people. Mostly Greek (91%), with a considerable Galatian minority
e. Asiana: 2 200 000 people. Nine out of ten people are Greeks, and the rest are mostly Slavs.
f. Anatolikon: 1 100 000 people. Two thirds are Greeks, and the diocese houses a considerable Isaurian (21%) and Galatian (11%) presence.
g. Pontus: 1 700 000 people. Six out of ten are Greeks, a quarter of the population are Armenians, and roughly 14% are Iberians,that is Caucasian speaking Lazes.
h. Epirus: 2 340 000 people. Three-quarters are Greeks, the rest being Arnautes, Vlachs and Slavs.
i. Dacia: 1 150 000 people. Around two thirds are Slavs, the rest being Vlachs.
j. Paristrion: 740 000 people. Just over a half (52%) are Slavs, then there are Vlachs (22%) Tourks (16%), Greeks (7%) and Jews (3%)
k. Taurica: 350 000 people. A multicultural area of Greeks (64%), Varangians (16%), Tourks (10%), Armenians (7%) and Jews (3%)
l. Antioch: 300 000 people, mainly Greeks.
m. Cilicia and Cyprus: 2 200 000 people, mainly Greeks (71%), followed by Armenians and Syriacs
n. Osroene: 600 000 people, dominated by Syriacs
o. Syria: 2 785 000 people, dominated by Syriacs (78%) with a significant Greek presence (19%)
p. Phoenicia: 1 000 000 people, almost all of them Syriacs
q. Aram: 750 000 people: 85% Syriacs and 13% Arabs
r. Palestine: 2 230 000 people, populated by a mix of mainly Jews, Arabs and Syriacs
s. Alexandria: 395 000 people: 45% Greeks and 40% Copts, with the rest being mainly Jews and Armenians
t. Creta et Cyrenaica: 1 120 000: primarily Greek (71%) ,with significant Lybian (12%), Arab (11%) and Coptic (7%) communities
u. Italia: 2 800 000 people, mainly Italians (61%) and Greeks (37%)
v. Venetia 550 000 people, almost all of them Latins
w. Dalmatia: 450 000 people, mainly Latins (79%) but also Slavs (21%)
All in all, the empire would have had some 30 905 000 people:
1. Greeks: 15 185 000 (49%)
2. Syriacs: 5 362 500 (17%)
3. Latins: 2 607 500 (8%)
4. Slavs: 1 867 500 (6%)
5. Vlachs: 1 325 000 (4%)
6. Armenians: 992 500 (3%)
7. Arabs: 925 000 (3%)
8. Jews: 685 000 (2%)
9. Arnautes: 392 500 (1%)
10. Copts: 380 000 (1%)
11. Galatians: 290 000(1%)
12. Isaurians: 267 500 (1%)
13. Iberians: 230 000 (1%)
14. Tourks: 155 000 (1%)
15. Lybes: 135 000 (0%)
16. Varangians: 75 000 (0%)
17. Kurds: 35 000 (0%)
But let us get back to Basil´s policies. In foreign policy, he would seek to “consolidate” the northern borders of the realm. Dalmatia was no longer to be a naval exclave: it was to be connected by land to the bulk of Rhomaic possessions. This would mean the conquest of Dioclea and Pagania: effectively incorporating all the Balkan Slavic realms with the exception of Croatia.
Croatia would rather accept Rhomaic suzerainty and become a tributary state, than fight a bloody war with the Rhomaic Empire. The “integrated” areas of the western Balkans, together with previously held Dalmatian coastal towns would be organized as the Diocese of Dalmatia (2).
On the western front, Basil campaign in Sicily, regaining also the western half of the island from Tafirca and further campaign in southern Italy result in the consolidation of a large part of the local domains. Calabria, Basilicata and Apulia are all connected, with the Duchy of Benevento still controlling the Campanian hinterlands.
With the reign of Basil II., the Rhomaic Empire was high on the saddle. Its territorial extent is now very similar to that of the Eastern Roman Empire, with the exception of Palmyra and Egypt, the latter being a Rhomaic tributary. Moreover, the Rhomaic Empire would control the Perateia or Taurican coast (3), Sicily, Campania, Basilicata, Apulia, coastal Dalmatia, Serbia, and Venice. The Eastern Mediterranean, the Aegean and Marble Seas would effectively be a Rhomaic Mare Nostrum: the Black and Adriatic seas would be dominated by Rhomaic fleet as well.
(1) Historically, he had annexed Bulgaria to the Empire. Here, we will still have him as a grand conqueror, but well give him other tasks.
(2) This Diocese of Dalmatia would cover the OTL territories of Dalmatia, Herzegovina, Montengro, Rashka and Kosovo and Metohija, and would cover Rhomaic-held parts of the eponymous early Roman province.
(3) Southern Crimea
Basil II. Would have secured an alliance with the Kievan Rus – the nearly East Slavic realm along the Dnieper stretching as far north as the city of Homgardr/Novgorod. Originally with a Viking elite, under Vladimir of Kiev, these “Varangians” would have become assimilated to a large degree to the local East Slavic population.
As a lasting effect of the alliance with the Rus was the establishment of the Varangian Guard. This unit would play a similar role as the Praetorian guard of the pre-migration era Roman Empire. However, unlike the Praetorians, the Varangians would be foreign recruits, originating from northern Europe, mainly from the Rus, but also from Geaten, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, using the physical strength of the northerners, as well as their uninterest in Rhomaic politics.
The year 992 AD, using the Rhomaic calendar Annus Mundi 6500 was a very round one. This would be a perfect occasion for Basil II to conduct a general survey of the Empire “for many new districts were regained to the Empire by my predecessors, and we need to know more about these lands”
The Oecumenical Survey of the Empire conducted in 992 is considered one of the best sources for early medieval demographic history of the Empire. This survey would be conducted by Rhomaic bureaucrats and officials, travelling to every village, and asking the priests, the village chiefs or elders, local nobles or mayors to give them information about the village. Thus, this early census would not be counted on an individual scale, but rather would give us approximate figures. Early modern era nationalists would often cite ethnic data as a basis for their claims, but the overall report would contain the following categories:
· Diocese
· Nomos (District)
· Name of Locality
· Predominant language
· Religious Jurisdiction
· Total Population:
o Children
§ Boys
§ Girls
o Adults
§ Men
§ Women
o Elderly
§ Men
§ Women
· Number of priests
· Nobles and prominent noble families
· Economic activity (divided into columns : farmers, miners, artisans, merchants, scholars).
As for the results by Diocese, here we go:
a. Constantinople: 785 000 people, out of whom the gross majority are Greek
b. Thrace: 1 850 000 people. While mostly Greek, a sizeable tenth are Slavs and around 5% Vlachs
c. Macedonia: 1 710 000 people. Greeks form just over a half (57%), with a large Vlach (28%) minority, and considerable Slavic(8%) and Arnautian(7%, Albanian) populations as well.
d. Bithynia: 1 800 000 people. Mostly Greek (91%), with a considerable Galatian minority
e. Asiana: 2 200 000 people. Nine out of ten people are Greeks, and the rest are mostly Slavs.
f. Anatolikon: 1 100 000 people. Two thirds are Greeks, and the diocese houses a considerable Isaurian (21%) and Galatian (11%) presence.
g. Pontus: 1 700 000 people. Six out of ten are Greeks, a quarter of the population are Armenians, and roughly 14% are Iberians,that is Caucasian speaking Lazes.
h. Epirus: 2 340 000 people. Three-quarters are Greeks, the rest being Arnautes, Vlachs and Slavs.
i. Dacia: 1 150 000 people. Around two thirds are Slavs, the rest being Vlachs.
j. Paristrion: 740 000 people. Just over a half (52%) are Slavs, then there are Vlachs (22%) Tourks (16%), Greeks (7%) and Jews (3%)
k. Taurica: 350 000 people. A multicultural area of Greeks (64%), Varangians (16%), Tourks (10%), Armenians (7%) and Jews (3%)
l. Antioch: 300 000 people, mainly Greeks.
m. Cilicia and Cyprus: 2 200 000 people, mainly Greeks (71%), followed by Armenians and Syriacs
n. Osroene: 600 000 people, dominated by Syriacs
o. Syria: 2 785 000 people, dominated by Syriacs (78%) with a significant Greek presence (19%)
p. Phoenicia: 1 000 000 people, almost all of them Syriacs
q. Aram: 750 000 people: 85% Syriacs and 13% Arabs
r. Palestine: 2 230 000 people, populated by a mix of mainly Jews, Arabs and Syriacs
s. Alexandria: 395 000 people: 45% Greeks and 40% Copts, with the rest being mainly Jews and Armenians
t. Creta et Cyrenaica: 1 120 000: primarily Greek (71%) ,with significant Lybian (12%), Arab (11%) and Coptic (7%) communities
u. Italia: 2 800 000 people, mainly Italians (61%) and Greeks (37%)
v. Venetia 550 000 people, almost all of them Latins
w. Dalmatia: 450 000 people, mainly Latins (79%) but also Slavs (21%)
All in all, the empire would have had some 30 905 000 people:
1. Greeks: 15 185 000 (49%)
2. Syriacs: 5 362 500 (17%)
3. Latins: 2 607 500 (8%)
4. Slavs: 1 867 500 (6%)
5. Vlachs: 1 325 000 (4%)
6. Armenians: 992 500 (3%)
7. Arabs: 925 000 (3%)
8. Jews: 685 000 (2%)
9. Arnautes: 392 500 (1%)
10. Copts: 380 000 (1%)
11. Galatians: 290 000(1%)
12. Isaurians: 267 500 (1%)
13. Iberians: 230 000 (1%)
14. Tourks: 155 000 (1%)
15. Lybes: 135 000 (0%)
16. Varangians: 75 000 (0%)
17. Kurds: 35 000 (0%)
But let us get back to Basil´s policies. In foreign policy, he would seek to “consolidate” the northern borders of the realm. Dalmatia was no longer to be a naval exclave: it was to be connected by land to the bulk of Rhomaic possessions. This would mean the conquest of Dioclea and Pagania: effectively incorporating all the Balkan Slavic realms with the exception of Croatia.
Croatia would rather accept Rhomaic suzerainty and become a tributary state, than fight a bloody war with the Rhomaic Empire. The “integrated” areas of the western Balkans, together with previously held Dalmatian coastal towns would be organized as the Diocese of Dalmatia (2).
On the western front, Basil campaign in Sicily, regaining also the western half of the island from Tafirca and further campaign in southern Italy result in the consolidation of a large part of the local domains. Calabria, Basilicata and Apulia are all connected, with the Duchy of Benevento still controlling the Campanian hinterlands.
With the reign of Basil II., the Rhomaic Empire was high on the saddle. Its territorial extent is now very similar to that of the Eastern Roman Empire, with the exception of Palmyra and Egypt, the latter being a Rhomaic tributary. Moreover, the Rhomaic Empire would control the Perateia or Taurican coast (3), Sicily, Campania, Basilicata, Apulia, coastal Dalmatia, Serbia, and Venice. The Eastern Mediterranean, the Aegean and Marble Seas would effectively be a Rhomaic Mare Nostrum: the Black and Adriatic seas would be dominated by Rhomaic fleet as well.
(1) Historically, he had annexed Bulgaria to the Empire. Here, we will still have him as a grand conqueror, but well give him other tasks.
(2) This Diocese of Dalmatia would cover the OTL territories of Dalmatia, Herzegovina, Montengro, Rashka and Kosovo and Metohija, and would cover Rhomaic-held parts of the eponymous early Roman province.
(3) Southern Crimea
- Tomislav Addai
- Word Count: 1.2k