Imperial Censuses (Premysloides Dynasty)

Imperial Censuses of Romanos Reign
Imperial Census of 1250 was first realm census ordered by Emperor Romanos V during early weeks and months of his reign. Emperor wanted to know situation of his realm, population, wealth, property, land area, trade connection and social situation. Constantine Chadenos as Imperial Consul and top bureaucrat of Empire was ordered to execute Imperial Census. Census started at late 1249 and ended during early months of 1250, but most of his course occurred during January to March 1250.

Imperial Census was important for restoration of imperial administrative and ongoing internal province reforms. Below is brief summarization of Imperial Censuses of 1250, 1270, 1290 and 1310.

Notes:
 * Hp. - Hyperpyrons = 1 Hp = 50 USD
 * European/Asian/Islands population - population living in three distinct territories of Empire.
 * Romans/Latins, Greeks, Other - population culture.
 * Religion Others
 * Catholics, Nestorians, Judaists, Shias, Tengris, Taoists, Buddhists, Animists, various Pagan cults, heretics
 * Culture Others
 * Arabs, Beduins, Berbers, Caucasians, Jews, Persians, Russians, Turks
 * Peasants/Merchants/Slaves/Citizens - whole population.
 * Aristocracy - only heads of aristocratic families, not count whole families.
 * Income per capita - (every eac class average income) * (every each class population) / (imperial population)
 * National income - all income, include property, lands value etc. (not directly related with GDP)

Imperial Census of 1250
First Imperial Census ordered by Constantine Chadenos with Emperor Romanos V approval. Main goal was to found out how many people live in Empire, which class they are, how much money and property they own, how many troops can be recruited and to simplification of new administrative and imperial reforms, like forming civilian and military governorates.

Imperial Census of 1250 confirmed that Roman Empire at early Romanos reign was low income agrarian society with very few trade centers (Arta, Thessaloniky, Smyrna), while most of important urban centers were destroyed or ruined (Constantinople, Athens, Adrianople...). In spite of agrarian economy, Roman Empire had high urbanization rate. About 9-10% of people lived in cities and had citizen status.

Compare to other countries, Empire had low-to-mid population density with few strong population centers (Thessaloniky with 150,000 citizens, etc.)

Imperial Census of 1270
While religious uniformity did not change much, population and Empire expanded. There was massive changes in social structure of imperial population, especially among merchants, citizens and aristocracy. While number of aristocrats decreased by about 50%, number of merchants more than doubled and number of citizens tripled.

These changes in population, with massive increase of mining output and imperial income, reflected success of Imperial economical and political reforms. Imperial mining, under control of local merchants and Imperial Trade Company, Massive increasement of mining was result of numerous technological developments and economical changes (early forms of steam engine, improved blast furnaces, large production workshops with massive demand on resources...).

During this era, Roman Empire experiencing "Commercial Revolution", massive increase of maritime trade, increase of population density and agriculture, artisan and early industry production. Agrarian economy is still largest part of economy, but portion decreasing in favor of trade and artisanry. Also, with reconstruction of cities like Constantinople, Athens and expansion of Thessaloniky, Smyrna and others, urbanization rate increased to 18-20%.

Most of silver production was assigned to imperial soldiers payments, while gold increased value of Hyperpyrons and copper was for small value coinage.

Changes occured even among population culture. Many self-identified as "Romans" or "New Romans". Culture formed by Emperor Romanos. Most of these people speak by "Simplified Latin", using early and late Roman names (Constantine, Julian, Augustus, Tiberius, Cicero, Cornelius, Marcus etc.), visiting amphiteathers, hippodromes and gladiator arenas.

Imperial Census of 1290
Imperial Census of 1290 reflected very few changes. Most of indicators increased, or decreased as was expected and nothing extraordinary happend, except rapid expansion of iron and coal mining.

Imperial Census of 1310
Last Imperial Census occured during life of Emperor Romanos V.

Imperial Census of 1310 presented massive social, economical and territorial expansion of Empire, based on Constantinople Conference of 1292. Because expansion happend in 1292 and Imperial Census in 1310, there were also 18 years of complex and intense local and regional development of these expanded territories.

Population increased by 40-50%, imperial territories doubled, but urbanization rate decreased to 11% and population density also decreased. Number of rulling aristocrats increased by 8,5x, national income nearly tripled and per capita income doubled. Non-Greek/Non-Roman population tripled.

Between 1250 and 1310 Censuses, average income of population increased by more than 4.4x, population more than trippled, territorial control trippled, national income increased 14x, silver production increased 72.5x, coal production 13x, iron production about 43x and gold production by 39.4x.

Imperial Census of 1330
First census after death of God Emperor Romanos V and first census of reign of Andronikos II. Territorial and populational expansion, increase of merchant population. Massive expansion of coal and iron production. National income for first time passed over line 1 billion Hyperpyrons. Increase of living rate and income.

Imperial Census of 1345
Contrary to previous censuses, this one was not, for unknown reason, initiated 20 years after previous, but only 15 years. Very slight increase of national income, massive population expansion and increase of Roman-identifying population.

Imperial Census of 1366 (Secret Census)
Census ordered by Emperor Arcadius "the Restorer", 21 years after last census and 10 years after end of "Dark Age". Until 1366, imperial administration was crippled and unable to complete imperial census, most of areas were in uprisings or unrests and imperial armed forces mobilized enormous forces to restore order and stability in plundered Empire. This census did not survey for culture, religion and age and no one found data for aristocracy.

Population decreased by 40%, mostly in European region. Island population lost only about 10%. Territory decreased to late reign of Romanos V. Income per capita and national income, as well as all industrial and mining output sharply decreased. Silver production decreased by 88%, coal production by 69%, iron production by 81% and gold production by 83%.

Imperial Census of 1380
From Imperial Census of 1380, normal frequency of Censuses restored. Mining output reached 1290 level. Massive territorial expansion to depopulated areas and border expansion. National income and personal income increased. Aside of this, there are three interesting datas: Culture, Religion and Slaves.

In culture, large number of population declared themselfs as Romans/Latins or Greeks and renounced other cultures. In religion, number of worshippers of "Imperial Cult" (syncretic Orthodox Christianity and Roman Paganism) reached extreme numbers, such high that it was declared as new subject in religion template.

In case of slave, while from "Acts against Slavery", "Manifesto against Slavery" and through various economic reforms, slave trade and slavery declined for many decades, after "Dark Age", slavery resurged for next two hundred years, however, never reached pre-Dark Age levels. Modern scholars explaining this phenomenon as result of free and capable workforce after "Dark Age".

Review of Imperial Censuses (15th Century)
During 15th Century, Imperial censuses tables were changed because of new political, political and social changes. Aristocracy and patrician income were deleted from tables, while tables were expanded by grain production and grain production per capita, because of massive expansion to fertile lands of Ukraine and Belarus. Another expansions were oil production, because imperial economy and infrastructure efforts started focus on building tar highways and collecting oil supplies for later periods and after Tiberius the Conqueror campaign against Egypt, table was expanded by African population row.

Imperial Census of 1400
Censuse of 1400 mostly reflected large territorial expansion by imperial unification and war campaign against Russian territories. Population of peasants increased, but because most of them were former serfs from Ukraine and Russia, or poor landholders, average income decreased. Also Orthodox population expanded. Coal production expanded because of Eastern Ukraine coal deposits and building new mining facilities.

Grain production in this time reached 17 billion lb, or 603 lb per capita, and quarter of it was exported.

Imperial Census of 1425
Population expansion continued, but two things were different - large number of Russian wealthier peasants used land reform acts ("Laws on Manual Workforce in Agriculture" and "Laws on Landlord Legal Position" of 1386 and 1392) and used their savings to move from Ukraine to "Fertile Cerscent" and colonize former territories of Abbasid Caliphate. This nearly doubled imperial population in Asia.

Second thing, by 1410, Imperial Government approved Imperial Senate proposal for "Border Adjustement Provisions". This special act obliged government and local governors to adjust borders and leave unusable territories (infertile lands, lack of resources, bandit infested lands, ruined areas) and decrease official territories of Empire to really used and usable territories. Because of that, in 1425 and 1450, Imperial territories shrank by about 423,000 km2.

In economical and social sphere, changes occured among merchants, as with "Regulation Act on Self-Employment" and "Legal and Judical Act on Self-Employment" expanded merchants by citizens who are not regular merchants (not owning significant capital, retail shops or stalls), but they are undertaking private economic activities (ex.: hiring of carpenter, private doctors, translators, accountants...). This expanded merchant population, but as most of them had lower than former merchants income, average income decreased.