Anastasius I

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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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