Lex Fridman · The role of violence in the Roman Empire | Anthony Kaldellis and Lex Fridman

1. 1. Riots and civil wars were a feature, not a bug, of the Roman imperial system.
2. 2. Over the thousand-year history of the Byzantine Empire, there were approximately 120 civil wars.
3. 3. 46% of Byzantine emperors in Constantinople were overthrown through violence.
4. 4. The best way for an emperor to avoid being overthrown was to govern well and keep the people happy, not to rule through terror.
5. 5. The Hippodrome of Constantinople served as a venue for a perpetual referendum on the emperor's popularity.
6. 6. In 491, after the emperor died without an heir, the people gathered in the Hippodrome to discuss with the court who should be appointed.
7. 7. Emperor Alexios III attempted to impose a 'German tax' in the 1190s but backtracked after a massive uproar in the Hippodrome.
8. 8. The Byzantine system of popular consultation through public gatherings was a form of democracy, though different from modern representative democracy.