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In 541-549 AD an outbreak had reached most of europe including the roman empire and spread throughout its capital Constantinople. It was carried to the city by infected rats on grain ships arriving from Egypt. It was the first recorded epidemic which killed 30-50 million people or in other words half of the worlds entire population.
The plagues namesake comes from Emperor Justinian I who ruled over the Eastern Roman Empire through the 540’s and had famously contracted the deadly virus and survived while many around him had passed. This widespread disease had wrecked havoc on his communities and had caused a serious economic downturn and collapse.
