Violent clashes between opposing fan camps occur almost weekly in domestic soccer stadiums. In the Hippodrome, the site of chariot races in Constantinople in late antiquity, there were also two feuding factions (the Blue and the Green), some of which fought each other in open street battles. During the reign of Justinian (527-565 AD), the most serious circus riots of late antiquity occurred in January 532 AD, during the course of which, according to the eyewitness Procopius of Caesarea, almost 30,000 people died. But what triggered this riot, which was to go down in the history books as the Nika revolt?
It was preceded by the unsuccessful execution of some supporters of the green and blue fans. Justinian rejected the subsequent pleas to him to pardon the delinquents. This attitude, combined with drastic punitive measures against both circus parties, ultimately led to the actually hostile factions uniting against the emperor.
The situation escalated at the circus games on January 13: the Blue and Green supporters united once again to demand the release of the prisoners, but the Emperor, who was present, did not respond. After the end of the games, the rioters, who had given each other the slogan "Nika" (ancient Greek for "victory") to identify themselves, marched to the praetorium of the city prefect and set it on fire. Nevertheless, the races began as planned the following day. Now parts of the hippodrome itself were also set on fire. At the same time, Justinian sent imperial troops from the imperial palace to the crowd, which, unimpressed, demanded the removal of the local officials. Unlike before, Justinian complied with this demand for the time being - but he was unable to put an end to the unrest. As a result, Belisar, the magister militum and thus the emperor's highest general, took action against the rebels with his soldiers. But even this could not bring the situation under control; on the contrary, further arsons in the city were the result. The predecessor building of Hagia Sophia, the main church, also went up in flames.
While Justinian was still in the imperial palace, the crowd went to Hypatios, a nephew of the former emperor Anastasios, and proclaimed him counter-emperor with the participation of several senators. According to Procopius, this was done against his will, but this can be called into question, as the late antique historian seems to have tried to exonerate Hypatius. When Justinian heard of Hypatius' acclamation, he is even said to have considered fleeing Constantinople. Justinian's acceptance as ruler seems to have reached its nadir at this point, which is why both the military and the palace guard could not be persuaded to intervene in the conflict. Justinian now placed all his hopes in his loyal generals Belisar and Mundos, who marched to the hippodrome with their remaining soldiers. In the meantime, Hypatios had arrived there and sat down on the imperial seat to be celebrated by the people present. Meanwhile, Belisar and Mundos attacked the hippodrome from two sides and massacred the stadium visitors. In the resulting panic, Hypatios was captured and brought to the emperor together with his brother Pompeios. Justinian ordered both to be closely guarded, but the very next day the soldiers murdered both brothers and threw their bodies into the sea. Despite initial harshness towards those who had supported Hypatios' usurpation, Justinian soon showed leniency and, for example, returned the previously confiscated property to the relatives of the murdered men.
The consequences of the Nica revolt were extensive: chariot races in the hippodrome were temporarily suspended and the emperor's senatorial opposition continued to lose influence. Nevertheless, the revolt did not exactly contribute to Justinian's popularity among the population and large parts of the Senate. Those who were loyal to the emperor undoubtedly benefited from the revolt, especially his wife Theodora and his general Belisar, who remained in Justinian's favor despite his recent defeat at the hands of the Sassanid Empire.
Kevin Teimer
Image credit: Chariot racing in the Circus Maximus, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariot_racing
