8 Times Emperor Zeno was a Survivor
Eastern Roman emperor Zeno (r. 474-475/ 476-491), the Eastern Roman emperor in whose reign saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire, is what you can call a “survivor”. Apart from being the emperor of the east who saw the fall of the west in 476, Zeno had a reign full of domestic revolts in which one even ousted him from power from 475-476. Nevertheless, Zeno managed to survive all these local rebellions against his rule and die in 491 at least still in power.
The Challenges of Zeno’s Reign
Zeno now as emperor was generally unpopular due to his Isaurian origins in which most people of the Eastern empire saw as “barbarian” which is one of the main reasons to why he faced so much opposition including major revolts wherein one as mentioned earlier even succeeded in overthrowing him. Zeno now inherited a highly unstable Eastern Roman Empire in economic crisis and plagued with revolts and religious dissension.
Despite his unpopularity, Zeno though managed to survive all these plots against him through his political will, cunning nature, ruthlessness, and ability to play his enemies against each other. In the events covered in his life and reign, we see how he managed to survive these plots and thus become known as a “survivor”. It is mostly thanks to Zeno’s abilities and cunning to why Eastern Rome managed to survive and not collapse like the Western Roman Empire and therefore enter a golden age.
Stabilization and Legacy
At the end he overcame all this and thus is credited for further stabilizing the empire and thus paving the way for the Byzantine golden age that would take place in the reign of his successors. Therefore, if we think of the reign of Justinian I the Great in the 6th century as the golden age of Byzantium or rather the Eastern Roman Empire, we have Zeno to thank for paving the way in order for this said golden age to happen. Below is a summary of the key figures and dates associated with this period of Roman history.
| Emperor | Reign Dates | Historical Context |
|---|---|---|
| Zeno | 474-475/ 476-491 | Survivor of revolts; saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire. |
| Anastasius I | 491-518 | Successor who benefited from the stabilization under Zeno. |
| Justinian I the Great | 527-565 | Emperor during the Byzantine golden age in the 6th century. |
The Cunning of a Survivor
Zeno managed to survive all these plots against him through his political will and ability to play his enemies against each other. It is thanks to Zeno who stabilized the empire, leading to the Byzantine golden age in the 6th century. This article focuses on how he overcame a highly unstable Eastern Roman Empire in economic crisis and plagued with revolts to ensure the empire's survival.
