![grand ages rome army of estati grand ages rome army of estati](https://alchetron.com/cdn/grand-ages-rome-ca73484e-a6c8-4db5-9e4d-2baa9934b5e-resize-750.jpeg)
The palace was under siege as most of the city, including the church called the Hagia Sophia (Church of Holy Wisdom), was destroyed.Ī prisoner in his own palace, Justinian decided to board a ship and sail away from Constantinople, stepping down as emperor, but saving his life. Justinian fled to the palace as the Nika Riot spilled out into the streets. Next, the fans stormed Justinian's luxury box, which was connected to his palace grounds. Rather than cheering for their teams, fans of both the Greens and Blues shouted Nika, meaning win or conquer. During the race, fans got out of control, and started to shout insults at the emperor.
#GRAND AGES ROME ARMY OF ESTATI FREE#
Justinian, noticing how unhappy people were with him, decided to free these two people and hold a chariot race on January 13, 532. During Justinian's reign, the Blues and Greens were the dominant teams.Īfter a particular riot, a fan of the Blues and a fan of the Greens were arrested. After a race, riots would, at times, break out in the stands and overflow into streets, as the fans got into arguments. The Byzantine chariot teams were named after colors: The Blues, Reds, Greens, and Whites. Like our modern sports, the Byzantines had teams they supported. The Byzantines, like the old Romans in the West, enjoyed chariot races at the hippodrome, a large oval stadium designed for races. Not one to take a back seat to her husband, Theodora proposed laws that protected the rights of women in the empire. "Who was this woman, who had such control over the decisions of her husband?" They thought to themselves. Even more unpopular was Empress Theodora, Justinian's wife, because she was originally a circus performer and came from the lower class of Romans. The Roman citizens were angry with Justinian about the high taxes for the war effort, and he was becoming unpopular. The war effort to take back the western part of the empire forced Justinian to raise taxes on the people of the Byzantine Empire. Belisarius was the commander who led these armies in an attempt to win back the old Western Roman Empire.
![grand ages rome army of estati grand ages rome army of estati](https://www.kalypsomedia.com/media/image/a2/b6/5b/GA-Rome-military-6.jpg)
On these two maps, you can see the conquests of the Byzantine armies during the reign of Emperor Justinian. Byzantine art featured beautiful mosaics of Christian themes. As you read in a previous chapter, Emperor Constantine ended the persecution of Christians, and Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire. Christianity had a major influence on the Byzantine Empire. Learning and trade thrived in the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire was influenced by the Hellenistic culture created by the conquests of Alexander the Great. The emperors and empresses wore beautiful silk and purple-dyed clothing, with expensive slippers. People spoke Greek and wore Greek-styled clothing. Notice the iron chain, called a boom, across the Golden Horn, it prevented enemy ships from sailing into that area.Īlthough the people of the Byzantine Empire considered themselves Roman, the East was influenced by Greek culture, rather than the Latin of the West.
![grand ages rome army of estati grand ages rome army of estati](http://www.thebalfourinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011-09-15_00006.jpg)
The city of Constantinople, built on a peninsula surrounded by three bodies of water: the Bosphorus, Sea of Marmara, and the Golden Horn.