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 Nika riots started when two convicted murderers, one from each faction, survived their executions after "the scaffolding and wood broke on them." When Justinian refused to pardon them, both sides unified under the chant "Nika" — "Victory!" — and started burning the city.
The riot lasted a week. The crowd declared a new emperor, Hypatius, and set fire to much of Constantinople, including the original Hagia Sophia. Justinian was ready to flee until Empress Theodora reportedly told him, "Those who have worn the crown should never survive its loss." She added that "purple makes a fine winding sheet."
Justinian sent the eunuch Narses into the Hippodrome with a bag of gold to bribe the Blue faction leaders. When the Blues split off, generals Belisarius and Mundus stormed in with troops. According to the historian Procopius, around 30,000 people were killed. Justinian had Hypatius executed, confiscated senators' properties, and rebuilt the Hagia Sophia, which still stands today.
