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 has existed 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.
Rise
The people began to develop the lands located between the two seas - the Black and the Mediterranean in the 7th century BC. As the Greek texts say, the colony of Miletus settled on the northern shore of the Bosphorus. The Asian coast of the strait was inhabited by the Megarians. Two cities stood opposite each other - in the European part stood the Milesian Byzantium, on the southern coast - the Megarian Calchedon. This position of the settlement made it possible to control the Bosphorus Strait. Lively trade between the Black and Aegean countries, regularcargo flows, merchant ships and military expeditions provided customs duties for both these cities, which soon became one.
So, the narrowest place of the Bosporus, later called the Golden Horn Bay, became the point where the city of Constantinople is located.
Attempts to capture Byzantium
Rich and influential Byzantium attracted the attention of many commanders and conquerors. For about 30 years during the conquests of Darius, Byzantium was under the rule of the Persian Empire. A field of relatively calm life for hundreds of years, the troops of the king of Macedonia - Philip approached its gates. Several months of siege ended in vain. Entrepreneurial and we althy citizens 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 fell under the influence of Rome.
Christianity in Byzantium
Roman and Greek historical and cultural traditions were not the only sources of culture for the future of Constantinople. Having arisen in the eastern territories of the Roman Empire, the new religion, like a fire, engulfed all the provinces of Ancient Rome. Christian communities accepted into their ranks people of different faiths, with different levels of education and income. But already in apostolic times, in the second century of our era, numerousChristian schools and the first monuments of Christian literature. Multilingual Christianity is gradually emerging from the catacombs and making itself known to the world louder and louder.
Christian Emperors
After the division of a huge state formation, the eastern part of the Roman Empire began to position itself as a Christian state. Emperor Constantine assumed power in the ancient city, naming it Constantinople, in his honor. The persecution of Christians was stopped, temples and places of worship of Christ began to be revered on a par 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 VI century. AD left Christianity as the only state religion, banning ancient rites 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 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, divine services were held, attracting more and more adherents to their ranks. One of the first famous cathedrals that arose at this time was the temple of Sophia in Constantinople.
St. Sophia Church
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 so called Jesus Christ for wisdom andscholarship. Following the example of Constantinople, the first Christian cathedrals with that name spread throughout the eastern lands of the empire. The son of Constantine and the heir to the Byzantine throne, Emperor Constantius, rebuilt the temple, making it even more beautiful and spacious. One hundred years later, during the unjust persecution of the first Christian theologian and 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 during the reign of Emperor Justinian.
The new Christian Bishop desired to rebuild the cathedral. In his opinion, Hagia Sophia in Constantinople should be revered, and the temple dedicated to her should surpass with 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 in the subordination of the architects, and 10 thousand people were employed in the direct construction. Isidore and Amphimius had at their disposal the most perfect building materials - granite, marble, precious metals. The construction lasted five years, and the result exceeded the wildest expectations.
According to the stories of contemporaries who came 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.
WeakeningConstantinople
In the 7th century, a new aggressive Islamic state emerged on the Arabian Peninsula - the Arab Caliphate. Under his 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 subjected to tribute. The Byzantine Empire was losing its positions in Eastern Europe and was gradually falling into decay.
in 1204, the crusader troops as part of the Venetian flotilla and the French infantry took Constantinople in a months-long siege. After a long 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 failed to restore the city to its former glory.
Ottoman Empire
By the 15th century, the Ottoman Empire was actively expanding its borders in European territories, spreading Islam, annexing more and more lands to its possessions by sword and bribery. In 1402, the Turkish Sultan Bayazid already tried to take Constantinople, but was defeated by Emir Timur. The defeat at Anker weakened the strength of the empire and extended the quiet period of the existence of Constantinople for another half a century.
In 1452, Sultan Mehmed 2, after careful preparation, began to capture the capitalByzantine Empire. Previously, he took care of the capture of 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 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.
The Byzantine Empire 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 is being built, which becomes 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 name of the city
After the capture of the city, the Turks did not officially rename it. For the Greeks, it retained its name. On the contrary, “Istanbul”, “Istanbul”, “Istanbul” began to sound more and more often from the lips of Turkish and Arab residents - this is how Constantinople began to be called more and more often. Now two versions of the origin of these names are called. The first hypothesis claims that this name is a bad copy of the Greek phrase, which means "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 inthe name of Istanbul also enters into everyday life and is firmly rooted. In this form, the city got on the maps of many states, including Russia, but for the Greeks it was still named after Emperor Constantine.
Modern Istanbul
The territory where Constantinople is located now belongs to Turkey. True, the city has already lost the title of the 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 visitors, ancient Byzantium still remains a great city with numerous monuments of architecture and art, rich, hospitable in a southern way, and always unforgettable.
