On January 11, 532, the Motor Arena in Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, became the scene of a massive civil revolt known as the Nika Revolt. The Nika Revolt was a civic revolt that broke out in Constantinople in 532 AD, named after the shouting of the slogan "Nika" (victory) by the citizens during the revolt. This turmoil is also known as the Nika Rebellion.
Against the backdrop of the ruins of the Grand Pridrome Arena, the site of the Nika riots, the Grand Prix Arena of Constantinople became a symbol of the struggle between the Blues and the Greens. Named after the color of the sea, the Blue Party represents the spirit of adventure, and its members include seamen, burghers, great nobles, and senators, who believe in orthodoxy and support the emperor's centralization. The Greens, on the other hand, were named after the colors of the spring fields, and their members were mainly peasants, and the upper class was made up of wealthy eastern merchants who advocated local autonomy and were loyal to the almost heretical Unitarian sect. In addition, there are the Red and White parties, but these two parties are attached to the Blue and Green parties respectively.
Ruins of the Hippodrome of Constantinople In early 532, a conflict broke out in the city of Constantinople between the Blues and the Greens. The Blues were arrogant about the accession of Justinian I to the throne and terrorized the inhabitants, especially the Greens. On a race day (generally thought to be 11 January in the Julian calendar), the Greens accused Justinian I of favoring the Blues, leading to a fierce brawl between the two parties in the motor racing arena.
Empress Theodora, wife of Justinian I, calmly presided over the Nika rebellion in 532 and suppressed it, and on January 13, the mayor ordered the arrest of the most violent people in the arena and sentenced several to death. However, when two death row inmates were hanged, their ropes broke three times, prompting a crowd to demand forgiveness. At this time, the Blues and Greens united and poured into the avenue, chanting "Nika! "The demonstrators surrounded the palace and demanded the removal of the Administrator and the Chief of Chamberlain, and in particular for the removal of John of Cappadocia from his post because of a series of decrees in favor of the Blue Party aristocracy.
Map of ConstantinopleOn January 14, demonstrators burned down several buildings in the city, including the Senate, Hagia Sophia, St. Irina's Church, the Baths of Alexandria, Theodosius' Market, and the entire luxury residential complex. A quarter of Constantinople was wiped out in the fire. After three days of siege of the palace, Justinian I decided to address the people at 11 a.m. on January 17, but the people shouted insults and threw stones at the emperor and empress. In the midst of the chaos, Justinian I hurriedly fled into the secret tunnels of the royal palace.
The famous Roman general Belisarius (the old man in the painting) of the time of Justinian I was followed by the populace who elected Ipadios, the nephew of Emperor Anastasis, as emperor. Ippadios was pushed onto a fortification and put on a gold collar as a crown. In the midst of the chaos, Justinian's wife, Theodora, expressed her unwavering determination to flee, her words expressing respect for imperial power and rejection of defeat. During this time, the chief eunuch Narces left the palace to buy the support of the Blue Party leaders, and the famous general Belisarius led his troops to carry out a bloody ** on the people in the arena.
Pink is the Eastern Roman Empire at the time of Justinian's accession to the throne; Green was the final part of the territory recovered during the Justinian period, about 350,000 people were killed in the racing arena and the Nika riots ended. In the reckoning, Justinian took revenge on the dissidents, and the nobles who supported the revolt or hesitated were executed, and Ippadios and his family were executed. The revolt not only changed the tradition of citizen participation in politics in Rome, but also affected sports activities, and even the traditional sport of motor racing was gradually abolished. The Nika Revolt became an extremely influential event in the history of the Eastern Roman Empire, with far-reaching political and social implications.
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