History of İstanbul in the pre-ottoman period

Abstract

Istanbul, bearing various names such as Byzontion, Antonina, Konstantinopolis and “The Queen of Cities” in the history, is a unique city serving as the capital of the Roman, Byzantium and Ottoman Empires. This city, admired by the East and the West, was chosen and officially declared the capital city by The Roman Empire Konstantinos the Great on 11 May 330 due to its unique position—a meeting point between Asia and Europe which provide political, military and commercial benefits. Having continued to develop from then on, Istanbul became a full-fledged city under the Emperor II Theodosius. The capital city witnessed many natural disasters including Nika, a very violent riot. And Istanbul was dealt the biggest blow by the 4th Crusades in 1204, when crusaders established a Latin state. Their rule ended upon the seizure of the city by Mikhail Palaiologos, who abolished the Latin state in 1261. Istanbul witnessed many conquest attempts by other nations in time and was conquered by the Ottoman Turks on 29 May 1453. From then on, Istan bul would continue to be the capital city of another empire, the Ottomans.