Anastasius I Dicorus

Anastasius I Dicorus came to the Eastern Roman throne in 491 after a career in civil service, selected by Ariadne following the death of her husband Zeno. Born around 431, he spent his reign reforming the empire's government, finances, economy, and bureaucracy — unglamorous work that produced a stable administration, a reinvigorated monetary system, and a budget surplus large enough to fund the ambitions of successors like Justinian I. His personal faith as a Monophysite Christian put him at odds with a fracturing empire increasingly split along religious fault lines. When he died on 9 July 51…