In 532 AD, a chariot racing riot nearly toppled the Byzantine Empire (opens in new tab)

On January 13, 532 AD, fans of Constantinople's chariot racing factions — the Blues and the Greens — stopped fighting each other and turned on Emperor Justinian I. The started when two convicted murderers, one from each faction, survived their executions after "the scaffolding and wood broke on them." — Read the rest The post appeared first on .