Anastasius I
Anastasius I was the Eastern Roman Emperor from 491 to 518 CE, ascending to the throne after marrying Ariadne, the widow of Emperor Zeno. His reign is marked by significant military and administrative achievements, including the fortification of Constantinople against invasions, particularly from the Bulgars, and the successful reconquest of territories lost to the Persians. Anastasius was proactive in asserting his authority amidst complex religious conflicts between Monophysite and Chalcedonian factions, notably exiling key religious figures to maintain stability.
He implemented reforms that improved tax assessment and introduced new copper coins to facilitate commerce, helping to bolster the empire's economy. By the end of his reign, Anastasius had amassed a substantial treasury, reflecting his effective governance. His tenure laid the groundwork for future emperors, Justin I and Justinian I, who sought to reunite the Roman Empire, showcasing Anastasius's lasting influence on the imperial legacy.
Anastasius I
Related civilizations: Christian Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire
Major role/position: Courtier, emperor
Life
At the death of the Isaurian emperor Zeno (Tarasicodissa) in 491 c.e., his widow, Ariadne, made her confidential servant (silentiarius) Anastasius (an-uh-STAY-zhee-uhs) emperor and married him.
Anastasius protected Constantinople against Bulgar raids from the Danube by rebuilding the western wall, forty miles from the city. He reconquered Theodosiopolis, Martyropolis, and Amida, taken by the Persians in 502 c.e., and forced them in 505 c.e. to accept a seven-year truce. He built the fortress Dara a few miles from Persian Nisibis.
He exiled the Isaurian court clique and asserted imperial authority in the Monophysite-Chalcedonian doctrinal conflicts. The Chalcedonians held that Jesus Christ was both divine and human; the Monophysites held he had a single divine nature. In 511 c.e., he exiled the Chalcedonian patriarch of Constantinople for rebellion, and in 515 c.e., he forced Vitalian, the commander of the barbarian troops in the conflict, into hiding.
Inspectors (vindices) watched over the fair assessment of taxes, which were collected in currency commutable only for needed army supplies locally. New copper coins, folles, stamped with their progressive base (nummus) values (5, 10, 20, 40) speeded business. In 518 c.e., the treasury had a reserve of 320,000 pounds (145,000 kilograms) of gold.
Influence
Because Ariadne, daughter of Emperor Leo I, had married Zeno in 467 c.e. to win the loyalty of the warlike Isaurian mountaineers, Anastasius received a quarter century of inside information when he became emperor. With it, he built a strong Eastern Rome, which encouraged emperors Justin I and Justinian I to reunite the Roman Empire.
Bibliography
Charanis, Peter. Church and State in the Later Roman Empire: The Religious Policy of Anastasius the First, 491-518. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1939.
Metcalf, D. M. The Origins of the Anastasian Currency Reform. Amsterdam: Hakkert, 1969.
Rosser, John H. Historical Dictionary of Byzantium. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2001.