Constantinople

Constantinople (Hellenic: Κωνσταντινούπολη; Latin: Cōnstantīnopolis), the City of Constantine, is the former capital city of the Roman Empire (330–1204, 1261–1462, and 1480–1561), the brief Crusader state known as the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Byzantine Republic (1462-1480). Today it remains an important economic, cultural and historic center, and is the largest city in Europe with a total population of around sixteen million residents in its metropolitan area. The city is the administrative center of the Theme of Thrace.

In 324, the ancient city of Byzantium was made the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great, after whom it was renamed, and dedicated on 11 May 330. From the mid-5th century to the early 13th century — and, partially, during the 16th century — Constantinople was the largest and wealthiest city in Europe. 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. The University of Constantinople was founded in the fifth century and contained artistic and literary treasures before it was sacked in 1204, including its vast Imperial Library which contained the remnants of the Library of Alexandria. The city was the home of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and guardian of Christendom's holiest relics such as the Crown of Thorns and the True Cross.

Constantinople is famed for its massive and complex defenses. The Theodosian Walls consists 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. The city was built intentionally to rival Rome, and it it's believed that several elevations within its walls match the 'seven hills' of Rome. Because it is located between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara, the land area that needed defensive walls is greatly reduced, and this helped it to present an impregnable fortress enclosing magnificent palaces, domes, and towers, the result of the prosperity it achieved from being the gateway between two continents (Europe and Asia) and two seas (the Mediterranean and the Black Sea).

In 1204, however, the armies of the Fourth Crusade took and devastated the city, and its inhabitants lived several decades under Latin rule. 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. In the aftermath of the Battle of Constantinople, during which the city almost fell, the local aristocracy would seek to rebuild the metropolis. A series of successful military conquests would see it restored to its former glory until being replaced by Rome as the capital of the Empire in 1561, after which it continued to expand as an important trade hub connecting the eastern and western portions of the Empire.

The population of the city has increased tenfold since the 1700s, as city limits have expanded to accommodate a growing European and Levantine population. Arts, music, film, and cultural festivals were established towards the end of the 20th century and continue to be hosted by the city today. Infrastructure improvements have produced a complex transportation network throughout the city. In 1972, the inner-city of Constantinople was officially recognized by the United Nations as a UNESCO World Heritage Site — the only one of its kind. Over 10 million foreign visitors came to Constantinople in 2015, five years after it was named a European Capital of Culture, making the city the world's most popular tourist destination behind Rome.