Nika riots

The ancient Roman and Byzantine empires had well-developed associations, known as demes,[2] which supported the different factions (or teams) under which competitors in certain sporting events took part; this was particularly true of chariot racing. There were initially four major factional teams of chariot racing, differentiated by the colour of the uniform in which they competed; the colours were also worn by their supporters. These were the Blues, the Greens, the Reds, and the Whites, although by the Byzantine era the only teams with any influence were the Blues and Greens. Emperor Justinian I was a supporter of the Blues.

The team associations had become a focus for various social and political issues for which the general Byzantine population lacked other forms of outlet.[3] They combined aspects of street gangs and political parties, taking positions on current issues, notably theological problems or claimants to the throne. They frequently tried to affect the policy of the emperors by shouting political demands between races. The imperial forces and guards in the city could not keep order without the cooperation of the circus factions which were in turn backed by the aristocratic families of the city; these included some families who believed they had a more rightful claim to the throne than Justinian.

In 531 some members of the Blues and Greens had been arrested for murder in connection with deaths that occurred during rioting after a recent chariot race.[4] Relatively limited riots were not unknown at chariot races, similar to the football hooliganism that occasionally erupts after association football matches in modern times. The murderers were to be executed, and most of them were.[5] But on January 10, 532, two of them, a Blue and a Green, escaped and were taking refuge in the sanctuary of a church surrounded by an angry mob.

Justinian was nervous: he was in the midst of negotiating with the Persians over peace in the east at the end of the Iberian War and now he faced a potential crisis in his city. Facing this, he declared that a chariot race would be held on January 13 and commuted the sentences to imprisonment. The Blues and the Greens responded by demanding that the two men be pardoned entirely.

Justinian and two of his leading officials, John the Cappadocian and Tribonian, were extremely unpopular because of the high taxes they levied,[6] the corruption of the latter two[6] and John’s cruelty against debtors.[6][7] John and Justinian had also reduced spending on the civil service and combated the corruption of the civil service.[7] The many nobles who had lost their power and fortune when removed from the smaller, less corrupt civil service joined the ranks of the Greens.[7] Justinian was also reducing the power of both teams, the Greens seeing it as further imperial oppression akin to the reforms in the civil service while the Blues felt betrayed.[7] The Roman legal code was believed to be the biggest distinguishing feature of the civilized Romans as compared to barbarians.[8] It was also religiously important as the Romans were believed to be “chosen by God”, it being a symbol of justice.[8] As such it brought legitimacy with it if an emperor successfully made significant legal reforms but if this process bogged down it showed divine anger.[8] What had taken nine years for the Theodosian code took Justinian just thirteen months.[8] Just before the Nika riots however the pace of reforms had slowed to a crawl.[8] At the same time Justinian was fighting an unsuccessful war against the Persians, while victories at Dara and Satala lended legitimacy for a short while, the defeat at Calinicum and negative strategic situation damaged the emperor’s reputation.[8] On top of that the legal reforms were unpopular with the aristocracy from the start as they made it impossible to use obscure laws and jurisprudence to avoid unfavorable verdicts, further angering the aristocracy.[8] On top of this both Justinian and his wife Theodora were of low birth, late Roman and Byzantine society was not as class driven society as the feudal dominated society of the west..[8] The Greens were a Monophysite group representing the interest of the moneyed non-landowners, Justinian being neither of those.[9] When Justinian refused to pardon the two arrested rioters there was already a deep seated resentment among the general populace as well as the aristocracy.

A map of the palace quarter, with the Hippodrome and the Hagia Sophia

On January 13, 532, a tense and angry populace arrived at the Hippodrome for the races. The Hippodrome was next to the palace complex, and thus Justinian could watch from the safety of his box in the palace and preside over the races. From the start, the crowd had been hurling insults at Justinian. By the end of the day, at race 22, the partisan chants had changed from "Blue" or "Green" to a unified Nίκα ("Nika", meaning "Win!" "Victory!" or "Conquer!"), and the crowds broke out and began to assault the palace. For the next five days, the palace was under siege. The fires that started during the tumult resulted in the destruction of much of the city, including the city's foremost church, the Hagia Sophia (which Justinian would later rebuild).

Some of the senators saw this as an opportunity to overthrow Justinian, as they were opposed to his new taxes and his lack of support for the nobility. The rioters, now armed and probably controlled by their allies in the Senate, also demanded that Justinian dismiss the prefect John the Cappadocian and the quaestor Tribonian. They then declared a new emperor, Hypatius, who was a nephew of former Emperor Anastasius I.

Justinian, in despair, considered fleeing, but his wife Theodora is said to have dissuaded him, saying, "Those who have worn the crown should never survive its loss. Never will I see the day when I am not saluted as empress."[10] She is also credited with adding, "[W]ho is born into the light of day must sooner or later die; and how could an Emperor ever allow himself to be a fugitive."[11] Although an escape route across the sea lay open for the emperor, Theodora insisted that she would stay in the city, quoting an ancient saying, "Royalty is a fine burial shroud," or perhaps, "[the royal color] Purple makes a fine winding sheet."[12]

As Justinian rallied himself, he created a plan that involved Narses, a popular eunuch, as well as the generals Belisarius and Mundus. Carrying a bag of gold given to him by Justinian, the slightly built eunuch entered the Hippodrome alone and unarmed against a murderous mob that had already killed hundreds. Narses went directly to the Blues' section, where he approached the important Blues and reminded them that Emperor Justinian supported them over the Greens. He also reminded them that Hypatius, the man they crowned, was a Green. Then, he distributed the gold. The Blue leaders spoke quietly with each other and then they spoke to their followers. Then, in the middle of Hypatius' coronation, the Blues stormed out of the Hippodrome. The Greens sat, stunned. Then, Imperial troops led by Belisarius and Mundus stormed into the Hippodrome, killing any remaining rebels indiscriminately be they Blues or Greens.[11]

About thirty thousand rioters were reportedly killed.[13] Justinian also had Hypatius executed and exiled the senators who had supported the riot. He then rebuilt Constantinople and the Hagia Sophia and was free to establish his rule.

• Hippodrome of Constantinople
• List of riots
• Hooliganism

• Diehl, Charles (1972). Theodora, Empress of Byzantium. Frederick Ungar Publishing, Inc. Popular account based on the author's extensive scholarly research.
• Weir, William. 50 Battles That Changed the World: The Conflicts That Most Influenced the Course of History. Savage, Md: Barnes and Noble Books. ISBN 0-7607-6609-6.

• Procopius, "Justinian Suppresses the Nika Revolt, 532", from the Internet Medieval Sourcebook.
• J. B. Bury, "The Nika Revolt", chapter XV part 5 from History of the Later Roman Empire (1923).
• James Grout: "The Nika Riot", part of the Encyclopædia Romana
• Samuel Vancea: "Justinian and the Nike Riots", published in Clio History Journal