Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.

Nika riots

532 Byzantine revolt against Justinian I

The Nika riots, Nika revolt or Nika sedition took place against Byzantine emperor Justinian I in Constantinople over the course of a week in 532 AD. They are often regarded as the most violent riots in the city's history, with nearly half of Constantinople being burned or…

Constantinople

Capital of the Eastern Roman and Ottoman empires

Constantinople was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman empires between its consecration in 330 and 1930, when it was renamed Istanbul. Initially as New Rome, Constantinople was founded in 324 during the…

Chariot racing

Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine sport

Chariot racing was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine sports. In Greece, chariot racing played an essential role in aristocratic funeral games from a very early time. With the institution of formal races and permanent racetracks, chariot racing was…

Blues and Greens in the Byzantine Empire

The Blues and Greens were the dominant two of the four demes in the Byzantine Empire. The other two were the Whites and Reds, who cooperated with the Blues and Greens respectively. Beginning in the days of Augustus as chariot racing factions, the colour divisions gradually…

Hippodrome of Constantinople

Historic public square in Istanbul, Turkey

The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square in Istanbul, Turkey, known as Sultanahmet Square.

January 11

Day of the year

January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 354 days remain until the end of the year.