Constantinople (Greek ????????????????? Konstantinopolis or ????????????????

Kons
tantinopoli; Latin Constantinopolis; Ottoman Turkish ?????????, Kostantiniyye?; B
ulgarian ????????; modern Turkish Istanbul) was the capital city of the RomanByz
antine (330 1204 and 1261 1453), the Latin (1204 1261), and the Ottoman (1453 1924) empi
res. It was reinaugurated in 324 AD[1] at ancient Byzantium, as the new capital
of the Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine the Great, after whom it was named, a
nd dedicated on 11 May 330.[1] In the 12th century,[2] the city was the largest
and wealthiest European city[3] and it was instrumental in the advancement of Ch
ristianity during Roman and Byzantine times. After the loss of its territory, th
e Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire was reduced to just its capital city and its
environs, eventually falling to the Ottomans in 1453. Following the Muslim conqu
est, the former bastion of Christianity in the east, Constantinople, was turned
into the Islamic capital of the Ottoman Empire, under which it prospered and flo
urished again. After the founding of the modern Republic of Turkey the successor s
tate of the Ottoman Empire the city recognized as Istanbul, from the Greek meaning
to the city (??? ??? ?????) that had been in use throughout the centuries when
it served as capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The name was formally adopted
in 1930.[4]
Constantinople was famed for its massive defenses. Although besieged on numerous
occasions by various peoples, the Byzantine city was taken only in 1204 by the
Latin army of the Fourth Crusade, recovered in 1261 by the Byzantine Emperor Mic
hael VIII Palaiologos, and in 1453 conquered by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II. A
first smaller wall was erected by Constantine I, which surrounded the city, prio
r to the construction of the Theodosian Walls, a double wall lying about 2 km (1
.2 miles) to the west of the first wall, in the 5th century by Theodosius II fro
m which the walls took their name. The city was built on seven hills as well as
on the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara and thus presented an impregnable fort
ress enclosing magnificent palaces, domes, and towers, spanning two continents.
The city was also famed for its architectural masterpieces, such as the Greek Or
thodox cathedral of Hagia Sophia which served as the seat of the Ecumenical Patr
iarchate, the sacred Imperial Palace where the Emperors lived, the Galata Tower,
the Hippodrome, and the Golden Gate, lining the arcaded avenues and squares. Co
nstantinople contained numerous artistic and literary treasures before it was sa
cked in 1204 and 1453.[5] The city was virtually depopulated when it fell to the
Ottoman Turks,[6] but recovered rapidly, and was, by the mid-1600s, once again
the world's largest city as the new capital of the Ottoman Empire.[2]