It’s January of 532 CE in Constantinople. Earlier today, you were at the Hippodrome. You were cheering for your favorite chariot-racing team, the Greens. Your favorite driver beat the best drivers from the rival team, the Blues.
Nearly everyone in Constantinople likes a team. People even take sides on politics and religion based on their team.
Not long ago, some Blue and Green fans were found guilty of murder. Now both groups are mad at Emperor Justinian. People were already upset about taxes. They’ve even started to riot! They’ve set the city on fire and are attacking the palace. The emperor wants to leave the city. But his wife, Empress Theodora, convinces him to stay. She says, “For one who has been an emperor it is unendurable to be a fugitive.” Later, people will say she saved the throne of the Byzantine Empire.
