CONSTANTINOPLE

Submitted by:

Radhika Prasad, B.A. L.L.B.(Hons.)

Roll no. – 2139

2019-2024

Submitted to:

Dr. Priya Darshini

Faculty of world history

September, 2020

Chanakya National Law University, Patna

 INTRODUCTION

In 324, the ancient city of Byzantium was made the new capital of the Roman Empire by
Emperor Constantine the Great, after whom it was renamed, and dedicated on 11 May
3301. From the mid-5th century to the early 13th century, Constantinople was the largest and
wealthiest city in Europe2. The city became famous for its architectural masterpieces, such
as Hagia Sophia, the cathedral of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which served as the seat of
the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the sacred Imperial Palace where the Emperors lived, the Galata
Tower, the Hippodrome, the Golden Gate of the Land Walls, and opulent aristocratic palaces.

Constantinople was famed for its massive and complex defences. The Theodosian
Walls consisted of a double wall lying about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the west of the first wall
and a moat with palisades in front. This formidable complex of defences was one of the most
sophisticated of Antiquity. . Although besieged on numerous occasions by various armies, the
defences of Constantinople proved impregnable for nearly nine hundred years. In 1204,
however, the armies of the Fourth Crusade took and devastated the city, and its inhabitants
lived several decades under Latin misrule. In 1261 the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII
Palaiologos liberated the city, and after the restoration under the Palaiologos dynasty, enjoyed
a partial recovery. With the advent of the Ottoman Empire in 1299, the Byzantine Empire
began to lose territories and the city began to lose population. By the early 15th century, the
Byzantine Empire was reduced to just Constantinople and its environs, along with Morea in
Greece, making it an enclave inside the Ottoman Empire; after a 53-day siege the city
eventually fell to the Ottomans, led by Sultan Mehmed II, on 29 May 1453, where after it
replaced Edirne (Adrianople) as the new capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Constantinople has gone through several sieges and phases. It has seen the Byzantine age,
barbaric invasions, age of Justinian, age of renaissance , ottoman age and many more. Thus, it
has a vast history and architecture.

1
The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.
pp. 508–512.
2
Norman John Greville. An Historical Geography of Europe, 1500–1840, p. 124. CUP
Archive, 1979
Aims and Objectives

The aim of the researcher is to find out

 The history of constantinople

 The sieges and era it went through
 The fall of it and its aftermath

Hypothesis

The researcher has formulated following hypothesis here, validity of which will be checked
in the course of project.

The researcher believes that the city has a rich past and a rich architecture. It has not
underwent through one but several sieges and invasions. It has seen several eras passed by it
and gained a lot each time. It was the centre of many activities. Even its fall affected major
parts of the world at large.

Research Questions

 How did constantinople come into existence and its background.

 What are its sieges, its era,its fall, its aftermath.

Research Methodology

 Method of Research : The researcher has adopted only doctrinal method of research.
 Limitation : Due to limitation of time and resources the researcher has confined her
research work to the doctrinal method.
 Sources of data : Both primary and secondary sources.
 Method of writing : The method of writing followed in the course of this research
paper is primarily analytical.
 Mode of citation : The researcher has followed uniform mode of citation.
Tentative Chapterisation
1. Introduction
2. Background
3. Constantinople during Byzantium settlements and Barbarian invasions
4. Constantinople during age of Justinian
5. Constantinople during Byzantine Dark Age
6. Constantinople during and after Renaissance
7. Fall of Constantinople
8. Constantinople under Ottoman era
9. Constantinople; Culture , Architecture, Religion
10. Conclusion

Bibliography
James Joll – Europe since 1815

David Thompson – Europe since Napolean

Edward Burns – World civilization volume B and C.

C.D.M Kettelby – A history of modern times from 1789

Treadgold Warren – A history of Byzantine State and Society

Daniel Waugh – Silk Road seatle - Constantinople