Anastasius I

Anastasius I (ănəstā`shəs, –zhəs), c.430–518, Roman emperor of the East (491–518); successor of Zeno, whose widow he married. He broke the power that the Isaurians had enjoyed since Leo I, made peace with Persia, maintained friendly relations with Theodoric the Great, and made Clovis I an ally. He built a wall to protect Constantinople against the Slavs and Bulgars. His reign saw the revision of tax collection and the abolition of gladiatorial contests. His Monophysite inclinations stirred religious unrest throughout the empire. Anastasius was succeeded by Justin I.

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Anastasius I

(born 430?, Dyrrhachium, Epirus Vetus—died July 9, 518, Constantinople) Byzantine emperor (491–518). Originally a bodyguard to Zeno, he succeeded Zeno as emperor and married his widow. Anastasius reformed the monetary and taxation systems and expelled rebel tribes from Constantinople, building a wall to protect the capital against raiders. He recognized Theodoric's rule in Italy (497) but later sent a fleet to ravage the Italian coast. War with Persia (502–5) ended when he agreed to pay tribute to the Persian king. Anastasius accepted the Monophysite doctrine, a stand that caused unrest in Byzantium but fostered peace with Egypt and Syria.