Population of the Byzantine Empire
The population of the Byzantine Empire encompassed all ethnic and tribal groups living there, such as Byzantine Greeks, Khazars, Armenians, Slavs, Goths, Arabs, Illyrians, Thracians and other groups. It fluctuated throughout the state's millennial history. The reign of the Emperor Justinian I in the mid-sixth century was the high point of the empire's expansion;[1] however, the arrival of plague in 541 and its subsequent recurrences caused a severe depletion of the population.[2] After the reign of Emperor Heraclius and the loss of the empire's overseas territories, Byzantium was limited to the Balkans and Anatolia. When the empire began to recover after a series of conflicts in the 8th century and its territories stabilized, its population began to recover. By the end of the 8th century the population of the empire was around 7,000,000, a figure that climbed to over 12,000,000 people by 1025.[3] The numbers began falling steadily to 9,000,000 people at 1204 and even lower to 5,000,000 people at 1282 with the arrival of the Turks.[4]
| Byzantine culture |
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Population estimates
| Year | Population (estimated) | Notes | Area (km2; estimated) | Population density (per km2; estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | 17,000,000[5] | Roman East | 1,900,000 | 8.95 |
| 311 | 17,000,000[5] | Roman East | 2,100,000 | 8.1 |
| 457 | 16,000,000[5] | Roman East | 2,350,000 | 6.81 |
| 518 | 19,000,000[6] | 2,300,000 | 8.26 | |
| 540 | 26,000,000[7] | 3,200,000 | 8.13 | |
| 565 | 19,000,000[7] | 3,400,000 | 5.59 | |
| 600 | 17,000,000[7] | 2,900,000 | 5.86 | |
| 641 | 10,500,000[6] | 1,500,000 | 7 | |
| 668 | 10,000,000[6] | 1,300,000 | 7.69 | |
| 775 | 7,000,000[6] | 880,000 | 7.95 | |
| 842 | 8,000,000[6] | 1,000,000 | 8 | |
| 959 | 9,000,000[6] | 1,100,000 | 8.18 | |
| 1025 | 12,000,000[3] | Basil II's death | 1,675,000 | 7.16 |
| 1097 | 5,000,000[4] | First Crusade | 555,000 | 9.09 |
| 1143 | 10,000,000[4] | John II's death | 950,000 | 10.53 |
| 1204 | 9,000,000[4] | Fourth Crusade | 210,000 | 42.86 |
| 1282 | 5,000,000[8] | 550,000 | 9.09 | |
| 1312 | 2,000,000[8] | 460,000 | 4.35 | |
| 1320 | 2,000,000[6] | 420,000 | 4.76 |
References
- James 2010, p. 3
- Treadgold 1997, p. 196
- Treadgold 1997, p. 570.
- Treadgold 1997, p. 700.
- Treadgold 1997, p. 137.
- Treadgold 2001, p. 236.
- Treadgold 1997, p. 278.
- Treadgold 1997, p. 841.
Bibliography
- James, Liz, ed. (2010). A Companion to Byzantium. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-4051-2654-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Treadgold, Warren T. (1997). A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2630-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Treadgold, Warren T. (2001). A Concise History of Byzantium. Basingstoke: Palgrave. ISBN 0-333-71829-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Further reading
- Laiou, Angeliki E., ed. (2002). The Economic History of Byzantium from the Seventh through the Fifteenth Century. Washington DC: Dumbarton Oaks. ISBN 0-88402-288-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Mcevedy, Colin; Jones, Richard (1978). Atlas of World Population History. United Kingdom: Penguin Books Ltd. and Allen Lane.
- Page, Gill (2008). Being Byzantine: Greek Identity Before the Ottomans, 1200-1420 (1 ed.). United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521871815. OCLC 302061918.
External links
- Howard Wiseman (2002–2011). "18 Centuries of Roman Empire".