The Plague That Nearly Toppled an Empire

追加: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]Did you know a deadly plague once threatened to end an empire?

[00:00:03]Around the year 541, [music] the Plague of Justinian struck Constantinople, spreading rapidly through the Byzantine Empire.

[00:00:11]Caused by the same bacterium as the later Black Death, it killed millions, wiping out up to 40% of the city's population. Ships and trade routes carried the disease far and wide, crippling economies and armies.

[00:00:24]The devastation weakened the empire, leaving it vulnerable to invasions and chaos.

[00:00:30]This early pandemic reshaped the course of European and world history in ways still felt today.