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I've been listening to the 'History of Byzantium' podcast by Robin Pierson recently and his conclusions on the reign of Emperor Justinian got me to wondering. What if the Plague of Justinian never happened and didn't wipe out millions in the Eastern Roman Empire?
Would Justinian have been able to make good on the war in Italy with the increased tax revenue around? Would he have needed to be so worried about the Persians in the East? With a more populous and stable empire would Justin have had such trouble with the Persians and Avars? Or would the problems left by Justinian have been so insurmountable that the decline from 565 was inevitable?