Downloads

https://doi.org/10.62836/jissh.v3i3.0026
Li, X. (2026). The Revolt of Vitalian and Anastasius I’s Adjustment of Christian Policies. Journal of Integrated Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(3), 0026. https://doi.org/10.62836/jissh.v3i3.0026
Volume 3, Issue 3, 2026

The Revolt of Vitalian and Anastasius I’s Adjustment of Christian Policies

The Vitalian Revolt was one of the major events during the later years of Anastasius I’s reign; at one point, it threatened the empire’s rule. A key cause of this revolt was Anastasius’s Christian policy—specifically, his strict adherence to Monophysitism. This aroused discontent in the regions of the Chalcedonian faith, and as religious conflicts between East and West continued to escalate, they eventually erupted in Thrace. Coupled with Thrace’s unequal economic policies, its strategic geographical location, and the emergence of the powerful Vitalian, the revolt ultimately broke out. This uprising briefly shook the empire’s Christian policies, but after its suppression, Anastasius I returned to his original path.

Anastasius I Vitalian Christian policy

References

  1. Frend WHC. The Rise of the Monophysite Movement; Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 1972; p. 194.
  2. Haarer FK. Anastasius I: Politics and Empire in the Late Roman World; Francis Cairns (Publications) Ltd.: Cambridge, UK, 2006; pp. 135, 164.
  3. Charanis P. Church and State in the Later Roman Empire: The Religious Policy of Anastasius I, 491-518; Kentron Vyzantinon Ereunon: Thessalonika, Greece, 1974; pp. 46, 47, 81, 88, 92.
  4. Malalas, J. The Chronicle of John Malalas; Jeffreys E, Jeffreys M, Scott R, Trans.; Australian Association for Byzantine Studies: Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 1986; p. 226.
  5. Gibbon E. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; Huang Y, Huang Y, Trans.; Beijing: Commercial Press: Beijing, China, 1997; Volume 2, p. 276.
  6. Xu J. Byzantine Civilization; People’s Publishing House: Beijing, China, 2006; p. 179.
  7. Chen Z. A Comprehensive History of the Byzantine Empire; Jiangsu People’s Publishing House: Nanjing, China, 2023; p. 254.
  8. Liu Y. The Scourge of God; The Commercial Press: Beijing, China, 2018; p. 105.
  9. Jones AHM. The Later Roman Empire, 284-602: A Social, Economical and Administrative Survey; University of Oklahoma Press: OK, USA, 1964; Volume I, pp. 234–235.
  10. Theophane. The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor: Byzantine and Near Eastern History (AD284-813); Mango C, Scott R, Trans.; Clarendon Press: Oxford, UK, 1997; pp. 180, 238, 243.
  11. Chen Z. Ancient History of the Balkans; Zhonghua Book Company: Beijing, China, 2007; p. 92.
  12. Marcellinus. The Chronicle of Marcellinus; Croke B, Trans.; Australian Association for Byzantine Studies: Sydney, NSW, Australia, 1995; pp. 30–33, 38.
  13. Lector T, Diakrinomenos J. The Church Histories of Theodore Lector and John Diakrinomenos; Zabrocka A, Szopa A, Trans.; Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften: Berlin, Germany, 2021; p. 221.

Supporting Agencies

  1. Funding: This research received no external funding