Note, that in this portion the in-universe author first exhibits his anti-Semitism, which will occasionally come up again later. These are not my views, please don’t take them as such. Its part of establishing the in-universe author’s worldview and to give some idea into how the modern world of the TL turned out.
Part XXVIII: The Recovery Period
When the Bulgar war ended the Imperial regime was deeply in debt, its army was in bad shape, and the Balkans were devastated. The population of Moesia shrank by over sixty-percent, and Dacia’s population shrank by over thirty percent. Both territories had also seen towns and villages destroyed, wells poisoned, farms burned, and all the other ravages that seventeen years of war brought about.
In addition the Empire was now stuck with the Croati of Dalmatia as new subjects, having annexed the territory when the Bulgars officially gave up. To say that the Croati were not fans of this idea would be an understatement, and ten thousand soldiers had to be stationed inside the new province to keep the peace at all times, with the threat of more soldiers being sent from Dacia and Macedon should the locals cause too much trouble.
Despite this rebellions would sporadically break out throughout the next century, until Christianization really took hold in the area. Zoe tried to put an old Imperial practice of forced migration into the provinces into effect, but her efforts were a failure. While the population of the Empire was rising the new families preferred to move to the richer lands of Mesopotamia, which were also safer near the Zagros Mountains (ironic as that might seem), Italy, or even Syria. A few thousand poor of Constantinople were transplanted, but not enough to overcome the large population decline.
It would not be until a weaker tribe from north of the Danube needed protection from the Pechenegs, and could not defeat the resurgent Bulgars, that the Danube provinces were properly repopulated. One source of migrants for now however were about ten thousand people who identified as Roman and who lived across the River. These Blakhs, originally just a name for Latin speakers in general but which came to specifically refer to those who lived across the Danube, migrated at the end of the war and settled in Roman Moesia. Most however remained in their established homes between the Black Sea and the Carpathian Mountains. They are also the reason that the region, now known as Bolki got its name.
Reinforcements were sent to Mesopotamia, Syria, and Africa to hold off raiders, but the Emperor himself did not put in an appearance. What has to be fundamentally understood about Justin’s character is that he wasn’t particularly inclined toward the life of a soldier. He had spent most of his adult life on campaign, and he didn’t want to see another army camp so long as he lived.
The Emperor was far more interested in religious contemplation and writing, which he now turned to over actually doing his job. You see, Justin had not expected to become Emperor in his early life, and so he had studied for a monastic calling, only turning to serving as a prince of the Imperial family when his childless uncle had made it clear he was unlikely to have children. Now freed of the burden of war he returned to that pursuit. His marriage produced no more children, though the termperment of his son made many in his court hope there would be another, alternative prince.
But as the years passed it became clear that Justin and Zoe weren’t interacting much at all, and that far from being a capable ruler he instead had left virtually every aspect of Imperial rule to her.
The Emperor’s various religious works are too lengthy to recount here, so instead I will focus on the most important of his doctrines, that of the Dogma tou Iconoatheato, or the Doctrine of Rejecting Icons. While most of you will be familiar with the idea, it does bear explaining that in the early church, indeed for the first thousand years of Christian organization pictures and other works featuring saints in prime positions in Christian life were rampant. Pictures of the Virgin Mary were carried before armies as they moved to do battle, and virtually every household had a saint to whom they prayed. Justin rejected this view whole-heartedly. He felt that each of these were idolatrous, and were a way of placing a human between the Romans and God. His Dogma is the first great case put forward for doing away with the practice, although his view would not be taken up again until a far more capable man came to the same conclusion, and undertook the destruction of the idols as a way to return Rome to God’s favor.
The second text Justin worked on was a work written in Arabic which laid out the case of Islam being considered not a heathen religion, but a fully Christian one that should be refuted, but not treated as pagan. This would be implemented in his lifetime, and resulted in a decrease in the religious taxes levied on Muslims inside the Empire. None of what Justin said in the word was particularly new, it was more a collection of arguments made by Arab scholars inside the Empire over the past half century, and would eventually completely supplant the old mindset of Muslims both inside the Empire and outside.
This is in large part because it was these thinkers who first down the Qu’ran, and put into written word their interpretation of Muhammud’s teachings. In the Arabian Peninsula, where oral tradition still formed the basis of Islamic teaching the written word would gradually eclipse memory, until only a few small sects still held on to the old customs. These sects would be completely exterminated by the second Caliphate some four hundred years hence.
We will discuss the ongoing developments of Islam at a later date however.
The final work Justin worked on was a harsh condemnation of the Jews, those who had been first given the chance of accepting the Savior, and who had rejected Him. To these people Justin spared no amount of scorn, and his condemnation would once again become state policy. Relgiious taxes on Jews were increased significantly in Justin’s rule, forcing many to either convert or depart for Gothic Spain, where religious toleration was, for now, the order of the day, on this matter at least.
The Empire’s targeting of this unwelcome group would continue for the next few centuries, until the religion was finally outlawed within the Empire completely under the Caesarii in the fourteenth century. With a few modifications their decree remains in force.
While Justin retired to a life of theological contemplation Zoe kept the state running. She managed fiscal affairs, though she was forced to debase the coinage slightly in 826, though she cleverly pretended this wasn’t the case by simply saying it was a new coin with a lower gold content, avoiding the bad optics of the first debasement of the nomismata in Imperial history. In her role as empress Zoe led processions, held court, made legal decisions, and even was present on campaign in Africa and Mesopotamia, all in the name of her reclusive husband.
After 830 she was joined by her son Leo, who was completely disinterested in the topic, preferring to drink, gamble, hunt, and visit lodgings of ill repute to the disciplined life preferred for soldiers. Despite the boy’s inclinations Zoe kept trying to shape him into a better prince, but in this she was unsuccessful.
To try and settle her son down Zoe held a bridal show in 832 for him, allowing her son to pick out a girl who would be his bride. She hand selected several whom she felt would be suitable, and Leo did pick one out, the prettiest and most…ample one if the sources are to be believed. Maria of Thessalonika however has no pictures remaining, so judging her beauty will have to wait until someone invents a time machine. The pair were married in November 832, and Maria gave birth to her first son, Constantine in September 833.
If Zoe had hoped this would make Leo mature however she was mistaken. It seems largely to have simply provided the prince with a partner whenever he didn’t feel like going out into the city and carousing.
After 835 she gave up and simply left Leo in the capital while she oversaw campaigns.
That is not to say Zoe actually led soldiers or directed strategy. That would have been unthinkable. Like Theodosius III she acted more as a mascot and figurehead for the troops, while her generals won battles.
By 836 Zoe’s armies had once again defeated the Berbers in Africa, and gotten new treaties with the Arabs. While in Mesopotamia however tragedy struck. Zoe was touring the Theme of Babylon when she fell ill, probably from an outbreak of smallpox in the region that year, and a week later she was dead. Zoe was about 60 years old, and effectively been Empress for either 17 or 30 years. Depending on how you count.
With Zoe dead Imperial business ground to a halt. Justin was finally forced to actually begin ruling the Empire once again, but he let Zoe’s officials simply continue their work without much input from himself. He didn’t pursue any new policies while back in charge, and seems to have mostly stopped even doing this minimum of work by 839. Justin’s health began failing as 839 drew to a close, and while he lingered a while there was little doubt what was happening. He died on March 9, 840. He was 65 years old, and had ruled the Empire for 20 years.
Justin was not exactly a bad emperor, the Empire suffered no disasters, and enacted no bad policies under his reign, but this was as much his wife’s work as any inclinations on his part. Most of Justin’s adult life must be considered however, as he fought the Bulgars for almost two decades before letting himself slip in irrelevance. The victory over the Bulgars was good move, but his ultimate decision to crown a Frankish Emperor rather than simply win the war himself would have major consequences down the road. In addition, his religious works were some of the most impactful in history. I laid out the three that are most relevant to our own frame of reference, but the Emperor published almost a hundred pamphlets, homilies, and short philosophical axioms that are still recited today. He also published a dozen books on various topics, several of which are required reading for any modern philosophy or theology student.
Historians may never agree whether this outweighs the negatives of Justin’s reign, but one thing is certain. He was at least better than his son Leo V, about whom the nicest thing one can say was, at least he wasn’t a psychopath as well as a hedonist.
But that will have to wait. The death of Justin signals a fundamental shift in Imperial power, which will last for the immediate future. So we’re going to dedicate the next few sections to reviewing the internal operations of the Empire, the economy, the military, and the development of geopolitics outside the Roman Empire.
