The city of Constantinople has a long and lasting legacy. Emperor Constantine the Great, ruler of the Roman Empire, founded the city known as New Rome in 324 AD in the region of Byzantium. In 330 AD, he decided to move the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to this newly established city, renaming it Constantinople. Located on the eastern edge of Europe, Constantinople would become the center of the Eastern Empire. The year 330 AD, the year of this shift, is recognized as a pivotal time of change and progress for the Roman Empire.

The decision to move the capital of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople was considered strategic. The city’s location on the Bosporus Straits facilitated easier trade routes and provided better defense against invasions. The trade routes attracted merchants from all over and provided the city with enormous amounts of resources and wealth. This move also allowed the Empire to expand its influence eastward, leading to the establishment of the Eastern Empire. Constantinople served as the grand center of the Empire for over a millennium until its collapse to the Ottoman Empire in 1453.

Interesting Facts:

• Constantinople was the largest and wealthiest city in the Eastern Empire from the 4th to the 13th centuries. 
• During its peak, the city was awarded many prestigious titles, including “The Queen of Cities,” “The Great City,” and simply “The City.”
• Constantinople was renamed Istanbul in 1930 by the Republic of Turkey. 
• Significant portions of the walls surrounding ancient Constantinople still stand today.