John Malalas

John Malalas (Ancient Greek: Ἰωάννης Μαλάλας, Iōánnēs Malálas; c. 491 – 578) was a Byzantine chronicler from Antioch in Asia Minor. Quotes In that year of the 10th indiction [AD 531], a pretext for rioting occurred in Byzantion caused by some avenging demons when Eudaimon was city prefect and was holding in custody trouble makers from both factions. When he had examined various persons, he found seven of them guilty of murder and sentenced four of them to be beheaded and three to be impaled. After they had been paraded through the whole city and had crossed to the other side, some of them were hanged. But two of them, one a Blue and the other a Green, fell as the scaffold broke. The people who were standing round saw what had happened and acclaimed the emperor. When the monks near St. Konon's had heard this and came out, they found two of those who had been hanged lying on the ground still alive. Taking them down by the sea and putting them in a boat, they sent them to St Laurence's to a place of sanctuary. On learning of this, the city prefect sent a military force and kept guard over them where they were. Three days later the chariot-races known as those of the Ides were held. They are known as the Ides because the Roman emperor entertains at banquets in his palace all those who are being promoted in the service, bestowing on each the office of primicerius. While the chariot-racing was being held on 13th January, both factions began to call upon the emperor to show mercy. They continued chanting until the 22nd race and they were not granted an answer. Then the devil prompted evil counsels in them and they chanted to one another, "Long live the merciful Blues and Greens!" After the races the crowds went off united, having given themselves a watch-word with the word, "Conquer" [Nika], so as not to be infiltrated by soldiers or excubitores. And so they charged on. Towards evening they went to the city prefect's praetorium, demanding an answer about the fugitives at St Laurence. Not receiving an answer, they set fire to the praetorium. This fire destroyed the praetorium, the Chalke Gate of the palace as far as the Scholae, the Great Church and the public colonnade. The people continued to charge on their disorderly way. At daybreak the emperor ordered the races to be held and after the customary flag had been hoisted the faction members now set fire to the tiers of the hippodrome. Part of the public colonnade as far as the Zeuxippon was burnt. Constantiolus and Basilides went out with a force at the emperor's command, intending to silence the rioting mob which by then was Moundos, chanting against John, nicknamed the Cappadocian, the quaestor Tribonian and the city prefect Eudaimon. The senators who had been sent out heard this chanting from them and reported it to the emperor. Immediately John, Tribonian and Eudaimon were dismissed. Belisarios went out with a troop of Goths; there was fighting and many of the faction members were cut down. The mob was incensed and started fires in other places and began killing indiscriminately.On the 18th of the same month the emperor went up to the hippodrome carrying the Holy Gospels. in too and he made a proclamation to them On learning of this the crowds came people chanted for him as emperor, but others rioted, chanting for on oath. Many of the Hypatios. The people took Hypatios and led him off to the place known as the Forum of Constantine. Setting him on high on the steps and bringing regalia and a golden collar out from the palace, they put these on his head. Then they took him and led him off to the hippodrome, intending to take him up into the imperial kathisma, for the crowd was eager to throw imperial robes for him out from the palace. Hypatios had learnt that the emperor had left and, seating himself in the kathisma, he boldly came out in rebellion. When Moundos, Constantiolus, Belisarios, other senators and an armed force had come up through the kathisma from behind, Narses, the cubicularius and spatharios, slipped out without being noticed and beguiled some of the Blue faction by distributing money. Some of the mob started a disturbance and chanted for Justinian as emperor for the city. The mob was divided and set upon one another. The magistri militum entered the hippodrome with a force and began to cut down the crowds from both entrances, some with arrows, others with swords. Belisarios went off unnoticed, seized hold of Hypatios and Pompeius and brought them to the emperor Justinian. They fell down at the emperor's feet, saying in their defence, "Lord, it was a great effort for us to assemble the enemies of your majesty in the hippodrome". The emperor answered them, "You have done well. But if they were obeying your authority, why did you not do this before the whole city was burnt?" At an order from the emperor the spatharii arrested Hypatios and Pompeius and put them in prison. Those slaughtered in the hippodrome amounted to 35,000, more or less. On the next day Hypatios and Pompeius were put to death and their bodies were thrown into the sea. The emperor announced his victory and the rebels' destruction to all the cities and he undertook to rebuild the places that had been burnt. He built a granary and reservoirs near the palace so as to have supplies in times of crisis. Chronographia, bk. 18, sec. 71 (tr. E. Jeffreys, M. Jeffreys and R. Scott, 1986) External links Category:Chroniclers