Wednesday, January 23, 2013

History shorts: The Nika Riots (532 A.D.)


Constantinople tired of Emperor Justinian’s tax policies. At the chariot races, fans of various teams grew unruly and rioted. Some politicians decided to use the mob rioting as a pretext to overthrow the emperor. Justinian freaked and fled to the docks. As he prepared to go into exile, his wife Theodora convinced him to face the mob. Justinian grew a backbone and viciously put down the revolt. 30,000 died in the rioting and Justinian’s vengeance. Afterward, Justinian rebuilt the city and constructed the Hagia Sophia. He also created the Justinian Code and reunited the Eastern and Western Roman Empires for a time.

No comments: