Nika Riots

Conflict involving the Blues and Greens at the Hippodrome developed into a wider uprising against unpopular officials and taxation. Rioters proclaimed Hypatius emperor and controlled much of Constantinople.

Justinian considered flight, but the government regained control. Troops led by Belisarius and Mundus entered the Hippodrome and killed thousands of rebels.

Count Belisarius uses the uprising to show the interaction between court politics, urban factions and the military force sustaining Justinian's rule.