It’s January of 532 CE in Constantinople. Earlier today, you were at the Hippodrome, cheering on your favorite chariot-racing team, the Greens. Your favorite driver beat the best drivers from the rival team, the Blues.
Nearly everyone in Constantinople supports a team. People even take sides on political and religious issues based on their team.
Recently, some Blue and Green supporters were found guilty of murder. Now both groups are angry at Emperor Justinian. People were already mad about the high taxes he imposed. They’ve started to riot! They’ve set the city on fire and are attacking the palace. The emperor is thinking of leaving the city and running away. But his wife, the Empress Theodora, convinces him to stay, saying, “For one who has been an emperor it is unendurable to be a fugitive.” Some people later say that Theodora saved the throne of the Byzantine Empire.
