Constantinople
Constantinople (Greek: Κωνσταντινούπολις; rom. Konstantinoúpolis or Kōnstantinoúpolis) is the capital and largest city of the Eastern Roman Empire (ERE). Straddling the Bosporus Strait, the boundary between Europe and Asia, Constantinople is a bicontinental city that has served as the cultural, political, economic and scientific hub of the ERE throughout much of its history. Known for its strategic location, the city was established by Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in 330 AD, who transformed the former city of Byzantium into a magnificent imperial capital.
Throughout its history, Constantinople has been known by many names and nicknames. Lygos, Byzantium, Augusta Antonina and New Rome were all names used before the city was officially named Constantinople. Foreigners have known it as Qusṭanṭinīyya (in Arabic), Miklagarðr (in Old Norse), Tsargrad (in Slavic), Taxt-e Rum and Asitane (in Persian), among others. Due to its grandeur and size, it is also known as the Queen of Cities, the City of the World's Desire, and the Great City. The citizens of the ERE refer to it simply as "The City" (Greek: ἡ Πόλις; rom. I Pólis, Hē Pólis). With a staggering metropolitan population of 25.6 million inhabitants, Constantinople is the seventh-largest city in the world, and the second-largest in Europe, behind Moscow.
The city is divided into 41 districts, each of which is administered by its own local council. The Mayor of Constantinople, also known as the Urban Prefect, is elected every four years. The current Urban Prefect, elected in 2022, is Kostas Apokapes, a member of the Christian Alliance, a big tent political party that seeks to represent a broad spectrum of the inhabitants of the city. Apart from this, the Municipal Council of Constantinople serves as the major decision-making organ for local governance, overseeing various aspects of city management, including infrastructure, public services, energy, and urban planning. The most notable districts include the Old City (which includes many of the city's historic landmarks such as the Hagia Sophia, the Great Palace of Constantinople and the Hippodrome), Pera, Rhegion, Dripia, Skoutarion, Chalcedon, among others.
Constantinople was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in 324 on the site of the city of Byzantium, which was settled in the early days of Greek colonial expansion, in around 657 BC, by colonists from the city-state of Megara. Despite its strategic location on the Bosporus, the city in its earlier years was not a major influential city-state like Athens, Corinth, and Sparta, but it enjoyed relative peace and steady growth nevertheless. Emperor Septimius Severus razed the city to the ground in 196 and rebuilt it towards the end of his reign, and naming it Augusta Antonina. Constantine the Great relocated the capital of the Roman Empire to the site of Constantinople and built it over a period of six years, finalizing construction and consecrating the city on May 11, 330.
Over the centuries, Constantinople evolved into a critical center of commerce, culture, and religion. The city's strategic placement made it a hub for trade routes connecting Europe and Asia, resulting in a flourishing economy based on textiles, spices, and luxury goods. The capital's wealth attracted merchants and traders from all over the Mediterranean and beyond. The city saw the rise of artistic, scientific, and intellectual movements, of the Age of Sail and Eastern European capitalism, was the epicenter for various philosophical, theological, and scholarly debates, and was sought after by many different would-be conquerors, such as the Arabs, the Persians, the Mongols, the Latins, and various other powers. The Theodosian Walls served as a formidable defense mechanism for Constantinople, constructed in the 5th century under the reign of Emperor Theodosius II and modernized by many different Emperors over the ages. It also oversaw various political developments, such as the rise of republicanism, city-wide riots, the restoration of the monarchy, and a plethora of civil wars.
During the Age of Miracles, also known as the Good Century, between 1816 and 1921, the city of Constantinople was greatly modernized. The restoration of various historic buildings, the laying out of new wide boulevards, the population explosion and the urbanization of new districts further and further away from the historical center, the construction of new and imposing Orthodox churches, the electrification of public utilities, and the establishment of a modern transportation network, significantly transformed the cityscape. Ambitious public works, including the construction of the Golden Horn Metro Line and the great Diplokionion Park, were key features of this transformative period, enhancing connectivity and improving the quality of life for residents. The Good Century also saw the emergence of cultural institutions such as the Constantinople Observatory and the establishment of the Great Basilissa Helena Library.
Being a bicontinental city and the political and cultural center of the ERE, Constantinople has a very large and diverse population, comprising various ethnicities, religions, and cultural backgrounds. The city's demographic landscape is characterized by a majority Greek-speaking population and ethnic Greeks, although Hellenized communities coexist alongside them. Constantinople is home to large numbers of Armenians, Slavs, Latins, Egyptians, Turks, Persians, and Jews. The dominant religion is Eastern Orthodoxy, which is headquartered in the Phanar district of the Old City, where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is located. Approximately 87% of the population is Greek, with the remaining 13% comprising various minority groups; Africans from Azania and Erythraea comprise approximately 2% of the population. More than 92% of the population are Eastern Orthodox Christians.