As a result of the empress theodora's advice during the nika riots, emperor justinian:
a)fled to safety.
b)paid a ransom for his life.
c)stayed and maintained power.
d)turned power over to the people.

The correct answer is C. As a result of the Empress Theodora's advice during the Nika Riots, Emperor Justinian stayed and maintained power.

Explanation:

The Nika riots was a revolt in 532 in Constantinople, after Emperor Justinian I came to power in 527.

The social situation was very volatile with the population divided into two factions, the green and the blue faction, political proto-parties that followed different branches of Christian theology. The blue faction was made up mostly of the aristocratic class and followed the Chalcedonian Christianity, while the green, was made up of the class of workers, artisans and merchants and followed the Monophysite branch. They often clashed in strong riots.

Upon coming to power Justinian waged several wars to reclaim Roman lands in Europe lost centuries earlier in Ostrogothic and Vandal invasions. To raise money to finance these wars the Minister of Finance, John of Cappadocia, introduced up to 26 new taxes that affected, mainly the upper class. This caused the anger towards the royal couple formed by Justinian and Theodora to grow due to the high taxes and the harsh responses of the emperor to the clashes between blues and greens.

Followers of the green faction felt rejected by the royal couple while those of the blue faction, usually the favorites of Justinian and Theodora, believed they had lost imperial favor. All these events led to a rebellion at the racecourse in the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire where followers of both factions began calling Nika, as a challenge their rulers. Soon a crowd took to the streets of the city burning buildings in their path, including the church where the emperor and empress had married and even proclaiming Hipati.

Justinian and his officers were preparing to flee when his wife, Theodora, now a saint for the Orthodox Church, opposed and harangued them to crush the revolt. Justinian, encouraged by the courage of his wife, ordered his trusted generals, Belisarius and Mundus, to attack the insurgents, entering with their troops the racecourse where they massacred about 30,000 people.