In what part of the world is Constantinople located? New Rome - Constantinople - Constantinople

Constantinople (Tsargrad) is one of the ancient capitals of the world. Constantinople is the disappeared capital of the disappeared state - the Byzantine Empire (Byzantium). Monuments of Byzantine architecture, which are located in, remind us of the former greatness of Constantinople.

Constantinople (Tsargrad)- the capital of the Roman Empire, then the Byzantine Empire - a state that arose in 395 with the collapse of the Roman Empire in its eastern part. The Byzantines themselves called themselves Romans - in Greek “Romeans”, and their state “Romean”.

Where is Constantinople? In May 1453, Turkish troops captured the capital of Byzantium. Constantinople was renamed Istanbul and became. Thus, the ancient capital of Byzantium, Constantinople, disappeared from the political map of the world, but the city did not cease to exist in reality. Appeared on the political map instead of Constantinople.

Founding of Constantinople. Constantinople (Tsargrad of medieval Russian texts) was founded by the Roman emperor Constantine I (306 - 337) in 324 - 330. on the site that arose around 660 BC. e. on the European shore of the Bosphorus Strait of the Megarian colony of Byzantium (hence the name of the state, introduced by humanists after the fall of the empire).

Transfer of the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople. The transfer of the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople, which officially took place on May 11, 330, was due to its proximity to the rich eastern provinces, favorable trade and military-strategic position, and the absence of opposition to the emperor from the Senate. Constantinople, a major economic and cultural center, did not escape massive popular uprisings (the most significant - “Nika”, 532).

The rise of Constantinople. Constantinople under Justinian I (527 - 565). Statues of Justinian in Constantinople. The heyday of Constantinople is associated with Emperor Justinian I. There were many statues dedicated to him in the capital, but they have not survived and are known only from descriptions. One of them represented the emperor on horseback in the image of Achilles (543 - 544, bronze). The statue itself and Justinian's raised right hand were facing the East as a "challenge" and warning to the Persians; in the left, the emperor held a ball with a cross - one of the attributes of the power of the basileus, a symbol of the power of Byzantium. The statue was located in the Forum Augusteon, between the gates of the Great Palace and the Church of St. Sofia.

Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. The meaning of the name of the temple. The Hagia Sophia in Constantinople - the most famous temple of Byzantium - was built by the architects Anthimius of Thrales and Isidore of Miletus on the orders of Justinian I in five years, and on December 26, 537 the temple was consecrated. “Hagia Sophia” means “holy wisdom,” which in theological terminology means “holy spirit.” The temple was not dedicated to a saint named Sophia; it is a synonym for “divine wisdom”, “the word of God”.

Architecture of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Interior decoration of the temple. Mosaics of Hagia Sophia. The architectural image of Hagia Sophia symbolically brings it closer to the image of the universe. Like the firmament, it seems to “hang” down from an invisible point located outside the world. According to the Byzantine writer Procopius of Caesarea (5th - 6th centuries), the dome of the Church of Hagia Sophia “seems... like a golden hemisphere lowered from the sky.” The interior decoration of the temple is remarkable. In 867, the apse of the Church of Hagia Sophia was decorated with the figure of a seated Mother of God with Child and two archangels. The face of the Mother of God is imbued with ancient sensuality, not Byzantine asceticism, and at the same time with spirituality. The entrance to the temple was preceded by a mosaic scene (late 11th century), in which Emperor Leo VI the Wise (866 - 912) was represented kneeling before Christ. So he fell on his face every time during the ceremony of his entry into the cathedral. The ritual nature of the scene is expressed in its very idea - to convey the connection between the emperor and God. The Emperor bowed before Christ as his earthly successor.

Interesting fact about the mosaics of Hagia Sophia. The mosaics of the Hagia Sophia are a source for studying the everyday history of the Byzantine imperial court. On a 12th century mosaic. Empress Irina looks impassive, depicted according to the fashion of the time, her face is covered with a thick layer of makeup, her eyebrows are shaved, her cheeks are heavily rouged.

Constantinople in the 7th - 11th centuries. Hippodrome in Constantinople. Bronze quadriga of the imperial box at the hippodrome. Despite the economic decline that Byzantium experienced from the end of the 7th century, the economic importance of the capital increased. Since most of the Byzantine cities became agrarian, trade and craft activities were concentrated mainly in Constantinople. Until the end of the 11th century. he dominated the country politically and economically. The Basileus decorated their capital with numerous statues in the squares, memorial triumphal arches and columns, temples and entertainment buildings. Thus, the imperial box at the hippodrome (length - 400 m, width about 120 m, accommodated up to 120 thousand spectators) was decorated with a bronze quadriga, which was later transported to Venice, where it still stands above the portal of the Cathedral of St. Brand. Arab geographer of the 11th century. Idrizi reports that at the hippodrome, in addition to the famous quadriga, there were also very vividly executed bronze statues of people, bears and lions in two rows, and there were also two obelisks. And the Europeans “looked at the imperial Game as a miracle when they saw it.”

Capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204 In 12 Art. The decline of the city's crafts and trade began, due to the penetration of Italian merchants into Constantinople, who settled in one of its districts - Galata. In April 1204, Constantinople was taken and plundered by participants in the IV Crusade (1202 - 1204). Only from the Church of Hagia Sophia, as an eyewitness of the events reports, were “sacred vessels, objects of extraordinary art and extreme rarity, silver and gold, with which the pulpits, porches and gates were lined,” were taken away. Getting excited, the crusaders, the Knights of Christ, forced naked women to dance on the main throne, an eyewitness writes, and brought mules and horses into the church to take out the loot.

Constantinople is the capital of the Latin Empire. In the same year, 1204, the city became the capital of the Latin Empire created by the crusaders (1204 - 1261), economic dominance in it passed to the Venetians.

Constantinople in 1261 - 1453 The Byzantines' perception of Islam. In July 1261, the Byzantines, supported by the Genoese, recaptured the city. Until the middle of the 14th century. Constantinople remained large shopping center, then gradually fell into disrepair, key positions in it were captured by the Venetians and Genoese.

From the end of the 14th century. The Turks tried to take possession of the capital more than once. And at the same time, the Byzantines were reserved towards Islam. Mosques and Islamic mausoleums were erected in Constantinople and under its walls. And the Byzantines themselves at first thought that Islam was a kind of Christian heresy, that it was not much different from Nestorianism and Monophysitism, ideological movements in the eastern provinces of the empire.

Capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453 Architectural monuments of the Byzantine era in Istanbul - former Constantinople. In May 1453, after a long siege, Turkish troops occupied the city. Constantinople was renamed to From Byzantine times, modern Istanbul has preserved the remains of fortress walls, fragments of imperial palaces, a hippodrome, and underground cisterns. Most of the religious buildings were adapted for mosques: the Church of Hagia Sophia today is the Hagia Sophia Mosque, the Basilica of St. John the Studite (Emir Akhor-jamisi, 5th century). Church of St. Irene (532, rebuilt in the 6th - 8th centuries), St. Sergius and Bacchus (Kyuchuk Hagia Sophia, 6th century), St. Andrew (Khoja Mustafa-jami, 7th century), St. Theodosius (Gul-jami, second half of the 9th century), Mireleyon (Budrum-jami, first half of the 10th century), St. Fedora (Kilise-jami, second half of the 11th - 14th centuries), the temple complex of Pantocrator (Zeyrek-jami, 12th century), the church of the Chora monastery (“outside the city walls”) - Kakhrie-jami (rebuilt in the 11th century, mosaics beginning of the 14th century).

With the capture of Constantinople by the Turks, its history, like the history of Byzantium, was over, the history of Istanbul and Ottoman Empire was just beginning.

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A legendary city that has changed many names, peoples and empires... The eternal rival of Rome, the cradle of Orthodox Christianity and the capital of an empire that lasted for centuries... You will not find this city on modern maps, nevertheless it lives and develops. The place where Constantinople was located is not so far from us. We will talk about the history of this city and its glorious legends in this article.

Emergence

People began to develop the lands located between two seas - the Black and Mediterranean - in the 7th century BC. As the Greek texts say, the colony of Miletus settled on the northern shore of the Bosphorus Strait. The Asian shore of the strait was inhabited by the Megarians. Two cities stood opposite each other - in the European part stood Milesian Byzantium, on the southern bank - Megarian Kalchedon. This position of the settlement made it possible to control the Bosphorus Strait. Lively trade between the countries of the Black and Aegean Seas, regular flows of cargo, merchant ships and military expeditions provided both these cities, which soon became one.

Thus, the narrowest point of the Bosphorus, later called the bay, became the point where the city of Constantinople is located.

Attempts to capture Byzantium

Rich and influential Byzantium attracted the attention of many generals and conquerors. For about 30 years during the conquests of Darius, Byzantium was under the rule of the Persian Empire. A field of relatively quiet life for hundreds of years, the troops of the king of Macedonia, Philip, approached its gates. Several months of siege ended in vain. Enterprising and wealthy townspeople preferred to pay tribute to numerous conquerors rather than engage in bloody and numerous battles. Another king of Macedonia, Alexander the Great, managed to conquer Byzantium.

After the empire of Alexander the Great was fragmented, the city came under the influence of Rome.

Christianity in Byzantium

Roman and Greek historical and cultural traditions were not the only sources of the culture of the future Constantinople. Having arisen in the eastern territories of the Roman Empire, the new religion, like a fire, engulfed all provinces Ancient Rome. Christian communities accepted people of different faiths into their ranks, with different levels education and income. But already in apostolic times, in the second century AD, numerous Christian schools and the first monuments of Christian literature appeared. Multilingual Christianity is gradually emerging from the catacombs and is making itself known to the world more and more loudly.

Christian emperors

After the division of the huge state formation, the eastern part of the Roman Empire began to position itself as a Christian state. took power in the ancient city, calling it Constantinople in his honor. The persecution of Christians was stopped, temples and places of worship of Christ began to be revered on an equal basis with pagan sanctuaries. Constantine himself was baptized on his deathbed in 337. Subsequent emperors invariably strengthened and defended the Christian faith. And Justinian in the 6th century. AD left Christianity as the only state religion, banning ancient rituals on the territory of the Byzantine Empire.

Temples of Constantinople

State support for the new faith had a positive impact on the life and government structure of the ancient city. The land where Constantinople was located was filled with numerous temples and symbols of the Christian faith. Temples arose in the cities of the empire, worship services were held, attracting more and more adherents to their ranks. One of the first famous cathedrals to emerge at this time was the Temple of Sophia in Constantinople.

Church of St. Sophia

Its founder was Constantine the Great. This name was widespread in Eastern Europe. Sophia was the name of a Christian saint who lived in the 2nd century AD. Sometimes Jesus Christ was called this for his wisdom and learning. Following the example of Constantinople, the first Christian councils with that name spread throughout the eastern lands of the empire. The son of Constantine and heir to the Byzantine throne, Emperor Constantius, rebuilt the temple, making it even more beautiful and spacious. A hundred years later, during the unjust persecution of the first Christian theologian and the philosopher John the Theologian, the churches of Constantinople were destroyed by the rebels, and the Cathedral of St. Sophia burned to the ground.

The revival of the temple became possible only under the reign of Emperor Justinian.

The new Christian ruler wanted to rebuild the cathedral. In his opinion, Hagia Sophia in Constantinople should be revered, and the temple dedicated to her should surpass in its beauty and grandeur any other building of this kind in the whole world. To build such a masterpiece, the emperor invited famous architects and builders of that time - Amphimius from the city of Thrall and Isidore from Miletus. One hundred assistants worked under the architects, and 10 thousand people were involved in direct construction. Isidore and Amphimius had at their disposal the most advanced building materials - granite, marble, precious metals. Construction lasted five years, and the result exceeded our wildest expectations.

According to the stories of contemporaries who flocked to the place where Constantinople was located, the temple reigned over the ancient city, like a ship over the waves. Christians from all over the empire came to see the amazing miracle.

Weakening of Constantinople

In the 7th century, a new aggressive force arose on the Arabian Peninsula - Under its pressure, Byzantium lost its eastern provinces, and the European regions were gradually conquered by the Phrygians, Slavs, and Bulgarians. The territory where Constantinople was located was repeatedly attacked and subject to tribute. The Byzantine Empire lost its position in Eastern Europe and gradually fell into decline.

In 1204, Crusader troops, consisting of a Venetian flotilla and French infantry, took Constantinople under a months-long siege. After prolonged resistance, the city fell and was plundered by the invaders. The fires destroyed many works of art and architectural monuments. In the place where the populous and rich Constantinople stood, there is the impoverished and plundered capital of the Roman Empire. In 1261, the Byzantines were able to recapture Constantinople from the Latins, but they were unable to return the city to its former greatness.

Ottoman Empire

By the 15th century, the Ottoman Empire was actively expanding its borders in European territories, instilling Islam, annexing more and more lands to its possessions by sword and bribery. In 1402, the Turkish Sultan Bayezid already tried to take Constantinople, but was defeated by Emir Timur. The defeat at Anker weakened the forces of the empire and extended the quiet period of Constantinople's existence for another half a century.

In 1452, Sultan Mehmed 2, after careful preparation, began to capture. Previously, he took care of capturing smaller cities, surrounded Constantinople with his allies and began a siege. On the night of May 28, 1453 the city was taken. Numerous Christian churches were turned into Muslim mosques, the faces of saints and symbols of Christianity disappeared from the walls of cathedrals, and a crescent moon flew over St. Sophia.

It ceased to exist, and Constantinople became part of the Ottoman Empire.

The reign of Suleiman the Magnificent gave Constantinople a new "Golden Age". Under him, the Suleymaniye Mosque was built, which became a symbol for Muslims, the same as St. Sophia remained for every Christian. After the death of Suleiman, the Turkish Empire throughout its existence continued to decorate the ancient city with masterpieces of architecture and architecture.

Metamorphoses of the city name

After capturing the city, the Turks did not officially rename it. For the Greeks it retained its name. On the contrary, from the lips of Turkish and Arab residents, “Istanbul”, “Stanbul”, “Istanbul” began to sound more and more often - this is how Constantinople began to be called more and more often. Now there are two versions of the origin of these names. The first hypothesis states that this name is a poor copy of a Greek phrase, translated meaning “I’m going to the city, I’m going to the city.” Another theory is based on the name Islambul, which means “city of Islam”. Both versions have the right to exist. Be that as it may, the name Constantinople is still used, but the name Istanbul also comes into use and is firmly rooted. In this form, the city appeared on the maps of many states, including Russia, but for the Greeks it was still named in honor of Emperor Constantine.

Modern Istanbul

The territory where Constantinople is located now belongs to Turkey. True, the city has already lost the title of capital: by decision of the Turkish authorities, the capital was moved to Ankara in 1923. And although Constantinople is now called Istanbul, for many tourists and guests ancient Byzantium still remains a great city with numerous monuments of architecture and art, rich, southern hospitable, and always unforgettable.

I wanted to become a creator new era her history, the founder of the “new Rome”. Old Rome did not live up to the claims of the expanded power of the rulers of the empire. It was a city of republican traditions and institutions; it contained a Senate, which, with all its forced servility, retained the memory of its former power; the population of Rome was impudent and loved to judge the actions of the government, was always ready to condemn them, they did not revere the court. Since the time of Diocletian, sovereigns have preferred other residences to Rome. Constantine only occasionally, out of necessity to maintain decency, came to the palace on the Palatine Hill, and did not stay there for long. (His dislike for Rome could have been one of the reasons for drawing up the legend that he gave Rome to Bishop Sylvester; but this legend is a fiction, and, moreover, of late origin).

History of the Byzantine Empire (documentary film)

He did not want to live in Rome, and it is not surprising that he had a desire to found a new capital, so that it would perpetuate the glory of his name and so that its population, who owed everything to the founder of the city, would pay him for his good deeds with devotion, and would adhere to those opinions in politics and religion. which the sovereign prescribes to him. Constantine first believed to establish a capital on the site where Troy stood, the mythical homeland of the Roman people (according to the legends of Aeneas); but it soon turned out that romantic ideas did not have the power to captivate him to the point of oblivion about real benefits. There was no area that, in its position, would have provided such convenience for the founding of a capital as the former Greek colony of Byzantium, standing on the strait that connects the Black Sea with the Propontis (Sea of ​​Marmara). There was a route for goods from all parts of the world, there was an excellent harbor, which in its shape was called “horn”, and in the wealth of its trade “golden”. The surroundings of the city were hills covered with vineyards, orchards and between them valleys, very fertile; this area formed a peninsula, which could easily be protected by a wall from enemy attacks; Byzantium decided the fate of many wars, its walls withstood many sieges, it was the central point from which troops could easily march to both the Danube and the Euphrates to protect the empire from the most dangerous enemies. The legend also says that the idea of ​​​​founding a new capital on the site of Byzantium was given to Constantine by inspiration from God.

The space occupied by the ancient city of Byzantium and Constantinople - under Constantine and 100 years after him, under Emperor Theodosius II

The new city, named Constantinople after its founder, was built very quickly. The ceremonial consecration of the foundation of its western wall took place on November 4, 326, and less than four years later (May 11, 330) the new residence was consecrated. Constantine wanted New Rome to be in no way inferior to the Old, so he carefully fortified it and decorated it with magnificent buildings. Two large squares were lined with colonnades on all sides and decorated with statues; one of them was named Augusta Square in honor of Augusta Elena, mother of the emperor, and the other - named after the emperor himself. In the center of the Square of Constantine stood a tall porphyry column, and on it a bronze statue of the sun god with a wreath surrounded by rays; a little later this statue was altered so that it became an image of Constantine himself. The legend connected with it fantastic beliefs. They said that the palladium of the city of Rome, secretly transported to the new capital, was buried under the marble base of the column, and part of the Life-Giving Cross was placed inside the colossal statue. The statue was broken by lightning and overturned by a storm on April 5, 1101; but most of the column has survived to this day.

The Hippodrome of Constantinople (circus), which then served the Turks for a long time to train troops, was a huge and magnificent building, about 400 steps long and 100 wide, and decorated inside with statues, obelisks and a column woven from three bronze snakes with a golden tripod that stood before in the Temple of Delphi: it was a gift from the Greeks to Apollo of Delphi after the victory at Plataea. The art of the times of Constantine, which had fallen into decay, could not create good works, therefore, to decorate the new capital, former famous artistic works were taken from everywhere. Despite all the expressions of Constantine's devotion to Christianity, the consecration of the new capital was, on his orders, carried out by one of the main priests of the Roman pagan cult (pontiffs) and the Neoplatonist Sopater with pagan rites. Constantine built temples to the goddess of Happiness (Tyche) and the Dioscuri in the city; he decreed that every year on the day of foundation there should be a solemn procession in the hippodrome; here they carried his statue, in which on the outstretched palm right hand there was an image of the patron genius of the new capital; his successors were required to kneel before this statue. It must be assumed that the statues of gods and heroes transported to Constantinople were left unaltered under Constantine; but later, when antipathy towards everything pagan intensified, they were redone: the pagan attributes of the images were replaced Christian symbols. Constantine wanted to occupy a neutral position between paganism and Christianity, therefore he built a Christian church in honor of the holy apostles in his capital. It was built of multi-colored marble, surrounded by colonnades and various outbuildings; all this together formed a magnificent whole.

Bird's eye view of Constantinople in the Byzantine era (reconstruction)

Not far from the hippodrome stood a palace, a huge building, almost as large and richly decorated as the Roman Palatine Palace, surrounded by colonnades, courtyards, and gardens. Baths, theaters, water pipes, bread stores, a beautiful house for meetings of the Senate on Augusta Square, magnificent houses of senators and other noble people who settled in the residence of the sovereign, formed several groups of luxurious buildings, between which industrialists, merchants, and ship owners attracted to the new capital with the trade benefits of its position and the benefits that the emperor gave to those moving to it. He made every effort to ensure that it became a populous city. He gave gifts and honorary positions to senators and other nobles so that they would move from Rome to Constantinople. Many were deceived by this, others, even without rewards, themselves wanted to live near the imperial court.

Soon New Rome became almost as populous as Old Rome. He had the same privileges. Members of the city government received the rank of senators, citizens of Constantinople received all the rights of citizens of the city of Rome; bread, wine and oil were distributed to the people here even more generously than in Rome; public games and other entertainments for the people were no less magnificent than those that had previously taken place in Rome. The climate was excellent, the surroundings were beautiful, and the city's position was very favorable for trade. Therefore, Constantinople, divided like Rome into 14 parts, soon became the second largest city in the universe. But he did not grow by himself, he was a greenhouse plant. The splendor here was borrowed, the works of art were taken from other cities, the population was a diverse mixture, had neither national unity, nor patriotism, nor a glorious past. Rome, abandoned by the emperor, still produced a more majestic impression than Constantinople. Its triumphal arches, temples, theatres, circuses, baths, squares decorated with statues, picturesquely located along the valleys and hills, enlivened by gardens and the murmur of fountains, the water of which flowed into the city through 19 water pipes on high arches, gave the former capital such a grandeur that was artificially the created Constantinople was far from having it. But Rome was not fit to be the capital Christian state: it remained a pagan city, and long after Constantine paganism still prevailed over Christianity in it. The Lateran Basilica, the only Roman Christian church that we know for certain was built by Constantine, could not compare in splendor with the pagan temples in Rome.

Constantinople this is the capital ancient state Byzantium, but there was also a center of Christianity and Orthodoxy.

And now this territory is occupied by Türkiye.

The capital of Turkey, Constantinople, was renamed the city Istanbul in 1930.

But since December 29, 1923 the city Istanbul (Constantinople) ceased to be the capital of Turkey, is now the capital of Turkey Ankara.

This city was the capital of the Christian Byzantine Empire; in 1453, Constantinople was captured by the Ottomans (Turks) and renamed Istanbul, which subsequently became the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The city was founded by the Greeks and they made up the bulk of its population before the capture by the Turks.

If it were not for the help of the Bolshevik government with weapons and money to Kemal, the Greeks would have liberated it after the First World War, when the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922 took place, they were no longer so far from it and now the city would have its old name. If it were not for the Bolsheviks, the tsarist government would never have supported the Turks in the war against the Orthodox Greeks and Constantinople would have remained with the Greeks.

Constantinople is now called Istanbul. The city of Constantinople was founded in 324 BC by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. The city itself went by many names. Constantinople, New Rome, Constantinople, Instanbul. Christianity and Orthodoxy are intertwined in this city. There are mosques and churches and almost everything ancient history. East and Europe. It is a pity, of course, that along with the Byzantine Empire the name of the city of Constantinople disappeared. The city is better known to the Slavs as Constantinople.





Constantinople is the largest and richest city in the Middle Ages.

In 1930, the city of Constantinople was renamed Istanbul.

Istanbul today is one of the largest cities in Turkey.

It is the main port, cultural, and commercial and industrial center of the country.

Now this city is called Istanbul.

This city was named Constantinople in 324 or 330 during the reign of Constantine the Great (306337).

It was also called New Rome - the capital of the Roman Empire (330395), later the Byzantine (East Roman), then the Latin Empire (12041261) and in 14531922 - the Ottoman Empire.





There are not many cities in the world that have had as many names as present-day Istanbul. The city received its modern name on March 28, 1930, when Ataturk’s reforms were in full swing.

The city was captured by the Ottomans back in 1453; apparently, its old name remained for quite a long time. However, Constantinople (from the Greek - city) is just one of the unofficial names, here are some more: Byzantium, Byzantida, Constantinople (i.e. the royal city, as the Slavs called it). The official name of the city, which managed to be the capital of a whole string of empires - Roman, Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman - is New Rome.

Istanbul. As far as I know, maybe they’ve already changed it again... The devil knows :)

Istanbul was called Constantinople until 1930, and until 330 it was the city of Byzantium (founded in the seventh century BC).

Istanbul largest city Turkey, population over thirteen million people, the first city in Europe.

Currently, Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey. The capital of Turkey since 1923 is Ankara.

Residents of the city of Istanbul are called: Istanbulite, Istanbulite, Istanbulites.

We can only add that it has not lost its name, only it sounds in the Turkish way: Istambu-City of Constantine. And regarding the help of the Bolsheviks, we can continue further: without their help, the Azerbaijan SSR would not have arisen, where essentially the same Turks live

Constantinople, a major cultural and economic center, has had this name since 330. At that time, the city was the capital of the Roman Empire.

The modern location of Constantinople is Istanbul, one of the largest and most developed cities in Turkey.

Constantinople is now called Istanbul, the capital of Turkey. Moreover this is the name of Constantinople received relatively recently, in 1930, during Ataturk’s reforms.

Constantinople bore its name for 1600 years, from its founding in 330.

For many centuries, Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire, the beauty and pride of the East. The Slavs called it Constantinople Constantinople.

Now this is Istanbul, and the Hagia Sophia, built by Emperor Constantine in 324, was first a mosque and now a museum.

The ancient city, located in two parts of the world, witnessing the rise and fall of several great empires, still amazes today with its beauty and grandeur. Constantinople is now considered one of the most ancient and unique cities in Europe. Over its almost three-thousand-year history, it has experienced many events, changed many rulers and several names.

Byzantium - the progenitor of the city of kings

Today, Constantinople is a unique city in which the spirit of many cultural traditions is mixed. This can be explained by the rather turbulent events that took place in its history, having briefly become acquainted with which, you can understand in which country it is now located and what the name of the ancient city is.

Greek city-state

Settlements existed on the lands of the Bosphorus Strait for a long time. The ancestor of the modern metropolis is considered to be the town of Byzantium, which appeared on the European coast at the end of the 7th century. BC e. It was founded by Greek settlers from the Dorian city of Megar, led by Byzantine. He may have been the son of the ruler of Megara Nisa.

The city, located at the intersection of major trade routes, quickly grew and developed. In the VI century. BC e. it included the town of Chalcedon, founded by the Greeks on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus a little earlier than the Dorian settlement.

Thanks to its favorable strategic location, Byzantium found itself at the center of numerous military clashes. At the beginning of the 6th century the Persians managed to conquer it. After winning the Battle of Plataea, the Greeks liberate the city. It is adjacent to the Athenian Union of States. During the Peloponian Wars, the Athenians and Spartans tried several times to capture this strategic point. The city became completely independent in the middle of the 4th century BC. e.

Eastern Roman Province

The expansion of the Roman Empire could not help but affect the strategically important city on the Bosporus. In 74 BC. e. Byzantium became part of the Roman empire.

Under Roman protection, the city quietly existed, grew and developed until the end of the 2nd century. n. e. In 193, another confrontation between contenders for the Roman imperial throne began. Residents of Byzantium supported the enemy of Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus - Gaius Pescennius Niger Justus. Troops loyal to the emperor besieged the city for three years. In 196 it was completely destroyed. Residents soon returned and restored the settlement, but it was possible to revive its former greatness only after a century and a half under a different name.

Capital of two empires

The city on the Bosphorus reached its greatest prosperity and influence by alternately becoming the center of two empires: the great Christian Byzantium and the brilliant Islamic Porte.

New Rome: foundation of the city of Constantine

The founding of the city of Constantinople is associated with the name of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, who became the sole ruler after twenty years civil war. The date of its foundation is also precisely known. Due to the constant danger of external invasion, Roman emperors practically never visited the capital. Constantine thought about moving the capital from Rome closer to the eastern borders of the empire. The following were considered as the basis for the new capital:

• ancient Troy;
• Serdika (modern Sofia);
• Byzantium.

The choice fell on the city, located at the intersection of land and sea trade routes. By 330, the small provincial town had become the new capital of the great empire, receiving the official name New Rome. It was surrounded by powerful walls and, behind which there are luxurious palaces, majestic churches, hippodromes, forums, and wide streets.

among the people new city Even during the life of the founder, they began to call him by his name - Constantinople. In official chronicles, they decided to rename the city only after a hundred years.

Constantinople becomes the most unique city in Europe of the Middle Ages. It organically combined Western (Latin) and Eastern (Greek) cultures; pagan beliefs and new christian religion. Unlike most ancient cities, the center of the city on the Bosphorus is not a forum or an acropolis, but a Christian temple. The main attractions of the city that have survived to this day are: the hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, Troyan's Arch (Golden Gate).

Since its founding The eastern capital of the Roman Empire becomes a museum city. Monuments and works of art from past eras are beginning to be brought to the city from all over the vast state, some of which could be seen in numerous squares, hippodromes and forums. Along with material monuments of ancient cultures, Emperor Constantine and his mother Helen search for and bring Christian relics to the new capital.

Thanks to the active influx of population, the city is rapidly growing and expanding. Already under Emperor Theodosius, new city walls were erected, preserved on the modern map of the city.

The heyday of Constantinople

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, its eastern part received the name Byzantine Empire (Byzantium). It should be noted that the self-name of the new state was the Roman Empire, and the inhabitants called themselves Romans. During its existence, Constantinople experienced several periods of active development.

Byzantium and Constantinople reached their peak at the beginning of the 6th century during the reign of Emperor Justinian I. He established Christianity as the only state religion. Active temple and secular construction is underway under him. monumental colonnades appear on the central streets. A special place among the architectural monuments of this time is occupied by the Church of Hagia Sophia, which for a long time was the largest Christian sanctuary in the world.

The city experienced its next period of growth during the reign of emperors from the Macedonian dynasty in the 9th-11th centuries. ekah. They pursued a fairly successful and far-sighted foreign and domestic policy.

A significant part of the Byzantine army were mercenaries from Old Russian and Scandinavian lands. Scandinavian and Russian mercenaries in Miklagard (the Scandinavian name for Constantinople) were highly valued. Some chronicles mention that they were used as the emperor's personal guard.

The flourishing of Greek-speaking culture is associated with the following events:

• carrying out reforms at the oldest European university, founded in 425;
• development fine arts, represented by iconography and frescoes;
• an increase in the number of literary works, represented by the lives of saints and numerous chronicles.

But active missionary activity in the Slavic lands, where the capital of the Byzantine Empire was called Constantinople (“city of kings”), was of key importance. Special significance for the Slavic peoples was the work of Cyril and Methodius, the creators of the Slavic alphabets. A significant event not only in the history of Byzantium, but also the whole world, occurred in 1054. Tensions between the heads of the Roman and Constantinople spiritual authorities led to a split in the Christian Church into Catholic and Orthodox, the center of which was Constantinople.

Decline in the city's development on the Bosphorus in the middle of the 11th century is associated with the invasion of the Seljuk Turks and a significant reduction in the territory of the empire.

The last period of development of the city called Constantinople occurs during the reign of the Komnenos dynasty. At this time, temple construction was actively underway. But the main role in trade is no longer played by the local population, but by European traders from Genoa and Venice.

The final fall of the Byzantine capital

The richest city in Europe, the capital of the Orthodox Byzantine Empire, was weakened by raids and represented a very tempting target for the Crusader knights and the Catholic Church. In the spring of 1204, Constantinople was surrounded by the combined forces of many European countries. It was stormed on April 13. Contemporaries noted that, hiding behind the name of Christ, the crusaders plundered the city and mocked its inhabitants. The overwhelming number of significant church relics in the countries of modern Europe were exported from Constantinople in the 13th century. A new state, the Latin Empire, appeared on the world map.

For sixty years, the city on the Bosphorus remained the capital of the Latin Empire. In 1261, the representative of the last Byzantine ruling dynasty, Michael VIII Palaiologos, regained the throne. Byzantium on the world map will exist until 1453. By this time, only a few buildings and the ancient hippodrome reminded of the former greatness of Constantinople. By cunning and force, overcoming the resistance of the city’s defenders, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II took the once impregnable fortress. This was the end of the history of the great Constantinople, but the life of the beautiful Instanbul began.

Istanbul: history and modernity

Having become the capital of the Ottoman Empire, the ancient city received new life. The Ottoman conquerors did not destroy Christian churches, rebuilding them into mosques. The expansion and strengthening of the Ottoman state allowed Istanbul to become one of the main Islamic religious centers. Many Muslim relics were transferred to it.

The reign of Sultan Suleiman the Great becomes a time of new prosperity for the city. Mosques, palaces, and schools are being actively built. Trade is developing both with European countries and with Asian countries.

It should be noted that the official religion of the Ottoman Turks was Islam, but half of the population of Istanbul were Christians. This situation existed until the beginning of the 20th century.

The participation of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War on the side of Germany significantly influenced the life of Istanbul. The defeat of the German coalition led to the following consequences for the city on the Bosphorus:

• occupation by Entente troops;
• loss of capital status;
• forced eviction of representatives of the Christian community.

Despite this, Istanbul remains one of the most beautiful metropolises in Europe, receiving millions of tourists from all over the world every year. To find out and understand what kind of country Byzantium is now, you need to walk along the streets of the old city, look into the noisy oriental bazaar, climb the fortress walls and see the waters of the Golden Horn Bay, visit ancient water storage facilities, and admire the grandeur of Istanbul mosques.