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 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.
Occurrence
In the 7th century BC, people began to develop the land between two seas - the Black and the Mediterranean. 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 Megarians. Two cities stood opposite each other - in the European part stood the milletian Byzantium, on the south coast - the megarian Calhedon. This position of the settlement made it possible to control the Bosphorus. The lively trade between the countries of the Black and Aegean Sea, regular cargo flows, merchant ships and military expeditions provided customs duties for both of these cities, which soon became one.
Thus, the narrowest place of the Bosphorus, later called the Golden Horn Bay , became the point where the city of Constantinople is located.
Attempts to capture Byzantium
The wealthy and influential Byzantium attracted the attention of many commanders and conquerors. 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 his gates. Several months of the siege ended to no avail. Entrepreneurial and wealthy citizens preferred to pay tribute to numerous conquerors, rather than engage in bloody and numerous battles. Byzantium managed to conquer another king of Macedonia - Alexander the Great.
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 culture for the future of Constantinople. Having arisen in the eastern territories of the Roman Empire, the new religion, like a fire, swept all the provinces of ancient Rome. Christian communities accepted people of different faiths, with different levels of education and income, into their ranks. 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 coming out of their catacombs and is increasingly making itself known to the world.
Christian emperors
After the separation of a huge state formation, the eastern part of the Roman Empire began to position itself precisely as a Christian state. Emperor Constantine 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 venerated along 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 the only state religion, banning the ancient rites in the territory of the Byzantine Empire.
Temples of Constantinople
State support for the new faith had a positive effect on the life and state structure of the ancient city. The land where Constantinople was located was filled with numerous temples and symbols of the Christian faith. Temples appeared in the cities of the empire, services were held, attracting more and more adepts to their ranks. One of the first famous cathedrals that arose at this time was the temple of Sofia in Constantinople.
Church of St. Sophia
Its founder was Constantine the Great. This name was widespread in Eastern Europe. Sofia was the name of a Christian saint who lived in the 2nd century A.D. Sometimes it was called Jesus Christ for wisdom and scholarship. Following the example of Constantinople, the first Christian cathedrals with that name spread throughout all 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 temples of Constantinople were destroyed by the rebels, and St. Sophia Cathedral burned to the ground.
The revival of the temple became possible only during the reign of Emperor Justinian.
The new Christian lord desired to rebuild the cathedral. In his opinion, Hagia Sophia in Constantinople should be revered, and the temple dedicated to it must surpass in its beauty and grandeur any other construction of this kind throughout the world. To build such a masterpiece, the emperor invited the famous architects and builders of the time - Amphimius from the city of Thrall and Isidore from Miletus. One hundred assistants worked in the subordination of architects, and 10 thousand people were employed in direct construction. The services of Isidore and Amphimius were the most advanced building materials - granite, marble, precious metals. The construction lasted five years, and its result exceeded the most daring expectations.
According to the stories of contemporaries, who gathered in 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 an amazing miracle.
The weakening of Constantinople
In the 7th century, a new aggressive Islamic state , the Arab Caliphate, arose on the Arabian Peninsula . 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 lined with tribute. The Byzantine Empire lost its position in Eastern Europe and gradually fell into decay.
in 1204, the armies of the crusaders as part of the Venetian flotilla and the French infantry took Constantinople in a siege of many months. After prolonged resistance, the city fell and was sacked by the invaders. Fires destroyed many works of art and architectural monuments. At the place where the crowded and wealthy 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 it was no longer possible to restore the city to its former greatness.
Ottoman Empire
By the 15th century, the Ottoman Empire was actively expanding its borders in European territories, planting Islam, adding more and more lands to its possessions with a sword and bribe. In 1402, the Turkish sultan Bayazid already tried to take Constantinople, but was defeated by the emir of Timur. The defeat under Anker weakened the strength of the empire and extended the calm period of the existence of Constantinople for another half century.
In 1452, Sultan Mehmed 2, after careful preparation, began to seize the capital of the Byzantine 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 the 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 was erected, 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 adorn the ancient city with masterpieces of architecture and architecture.
City name metamorphoses
After the capture of the city, the Turks did not officially rename it. For the Greeks, he retained his name. On the contrary, from the lips of Turkish and Arab residents, “Istanbul”, “Istanbul”, “Istanbul” began to sound more and more - Constantinople became more and more often called. Now two versions of the origin of these names are called. The first hypothesis claims that this name is a bad tracing-paper of the Greek phrase, in translation meaning "I go to the city, I go to the city". Another theory is based on the name Islamambul, which means “city of Islam”. Both versions have a right to exist. Be that as it may, the name Constantinople is used as before, but the name Istanbul is also firmly rooted and firmly rooted. In this form, the city got 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 transferred to Ankara in 1923. And although Constantinople is now called Istanbul, for many tourists and guests, ancient Byzantium remains a great city with many monuments of architecture and art, rich, hospitable in the south, and always unforgettable.