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A paper on the rise and fall of Constantinople
A paper on the rise and fall of Constantinople
Roman empire
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Constantinople was the newly established capital of the once glorious Roman Empire, center of Roman religion, and was heavily influenced by the Roman culture. Then the Schism in 1054, cultural diffusion, and the change in women’s rights altered the day-to-day life of Constantinople’s inhabitants. Despite the intensity of the political changes over the long period of 400 C.E. to 1473 C.E., such as the Schism in 1054 and cultural diffusion, continuities such as classical learning and Justinian’s Code were more influential for they prevented Constantinople from declining before 1473 C.E.
Constantinople was established as the new capital of the Roman Empire in A.D. 330 by Constantine on the Bosporus Strait. Constantinople, or the city of Constantine, was strategically placed on the Bosporus Strait for trade and defense purposes that would later allow for cultural diffusion. As a result of replacing Rome, Constantinople was under immense Roman influence. Their culture as well as architecture was based on Rome’s. Constantinople was occupied with buildings modeled after those in Rome. Along with being the new capital of the Roman Empire and under Roman influence, Constantinople was the center of Roman region. Constantine made Christianity legal and emperor Theodosius made Christianity the empire’s official religion. By moving the capital from Rome to Constantinople, Constantine moved the center of Rome’s religion to Constantinople. But this was Constantinople before the political and religious changes that could have caused the decline of Constantinople if it wasn’t for the influential continuities.
Constantinople suffered and flourished as a result of several changes including the infamous Schism in 1054. The Schism in 1054 w...
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...ture, such as Homer, were textbooks. The students learned geometry from Euclid, medicine from Galen, and history from Herodotus. Since the Constantinopolitan students and scholars studied and recorded their research, they preserved Greco- Roman culture. Several concepts changed in Constantinople, but the basis, structure and future of Constantinople stayed constant. Acting as bubble wrap to a slightly cracked vase being shipped overseas.
Therefore, because the basis, structure, and future of Constantinople stayed constant, the changes did not cause Constantinople to decline earlier than 1453, demonstrating the large influence the continuities had on Constantinople compared to the changes. The changes could have caused Constantinople to decline and crumble. But the continuities prevented a possible downfall and allowed Constantinople to last as long as it did.
Even though the current city is under the church its beginnings were not at all related to Christianity. The old legend tells the reader that two brothers, Romulus and Remus, found the city. In reality group of people settled in the seven hills and the population grew and the Roman population came about (Trauman). From there on the city went under various ruling strategies such as being senatorial republic to finally being under the emperor (Cowling). Then onwards it became the capital of the Roman Empire. Even though the Roman outskirts land was very organized like a grid pattern, this was not the case at the capital. The capital never followed a structure (Kostof 1991). Being built near river Tiber is the only strategy it f...
From 300-600 CE The Roman Empire allowed new religions to be formed and universalized. The Religion that was associated with The Roman empire was Christianity. Christianity became the religion of Rome because of a man named Constantine who allowed Christianity to spread and flow throughout the empire create a harmony throughout the people. Constantine allowed for the Roman officials to adopt Christianity and this led to the building of the Constantinople. Christianity had basilicas which were opulent churches that were open to all which meant any person could go there allowing Christianity to be very universal. Christianity was also very appealing because the worshiped deity walked on land with the people. Christianity split and became the Roman Catholic church which consisted
Did Justinian impact life as we know it because he is such a great ruler, or is he just a follower who keeps trying to hold on to the loose threads of a fallen empire? Some might say that without Justinian, humanity is a step further back. Others may argue evermore that Justinian is a two-faced liar who you cannot trust (Doc. 2). Contrary to many beliefs, Justinian creates a new Byzantine Empire after the fall of Rome that is influential to many different cultures, more advanced and educated than Rome, and more economically thriving than the Roman Empire.
While Rome was being ramp sacked from Germanic and other barbaric groups, the imperial power shifted to the eastern part of the Roman Empire, where the center city was Byzantium (Craig/Graham/Kagan/Ozment /Turner, 354, 2009). Between 324 and 330 BCE, Constantine the Great became emperor and rebuilt the city and renamed it after himself (Craig/Graham/Kagan/Ozment /Turner, 354, 2009). After Constantine died, power shifted to Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora in 527 BCE (Craig/Graham/Kagan/Ozment /Turner, 354, 2009).
Emperor Justinian of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire, was one of Rome’s greatest leaders. By building numerous churches, schools, and hospitals throughout the empire, Justinian not only managed to revive Roman society, but he also preserved Roman culture for over a thousand years. Justinian’s brilliant leadership led the Roman Empire to conquer lands in Europe and Africa and expand to its greatest size. Additionally, he unified and strengthened the empire by moving the capital to Constantinople and establishing a single faith. After his death, Justinian left a legacy that allowed Rome to continue thriving. Under Justinian’s rule, Rome flourished into a culturally rich civilization.
Roman Emperor Constantine I founded the Byzantine Empire in 330 CE as a continuation of the Roman Empire in the east. The characteristics of the empire led to the modern definition of “Byzantine,” which means “strangely complicated.” This was true, as in the Byzantine Empire was very chaotic, complex, and strange at times, but it was very massive and influential worldwide. The empire heavily influenced modern religion, laws, and engineering, making it worthwhile learning about the empire. Our ideas about laws and philosophy are borrowed from those of Justinian’s code, which was the main set of laws of the empire.
Emperor Justinian is identified as one of the greatest Caesars to ever rule in Europe during his reign from 527-565, during this he succeeded in reviving Roman Authority throughout his growing Byzantium Empire . As Emperor of the Byzantium Empire in the sixth and seventh century he conquered many parts of Europe restoring the control of the Roman Authority once again if only for a while . This essay will point out the extent in which Justinian succeeded Roman Authority. Although many depictions that can be argued, closer examination can be shown that through huge military successes, Architectural activities that changed the Empires value and enhanced Constantinople as the centre of the Christian World, and the legal work of the ‘Code of Justinian’ helped Justinian to revive Roman Authority. In the seventh century saw the collapse of the Byzantium Empire, which was defeated and taken over by the Ottoman-Turk Empire from the East of Constantinople. This Essay will access the reasons for decline of such a powerful empire, hit with the ‘Justinian Plague’ and eventually deteriorating after Justinian death . This saw the end to any last element of any Roman Authority in Europe.
Constantine’s departure from Rome took with him the political seat of power. With the removal of the political head a power vacuum was created. The body that remained in Rome was that of the Christian church, feeble though it may have been. Rome’s identity was so deeply rooted in the pagan tradition that despite his best efforts Constantine was unable to convert it entirely. The former capital was still home to a powerful group of aristocrats which held on firmly to the roots of paganism. Gradually, with the support of the imperial court and the city’s urban masses, the church was able to gain a foothold in the fifth century (Krautheimer 33).
The religion of Islam spread and the Franks rose to power (The Reign of Justinian). Among other things, Justinian’s rule saw a flourishment in the areas of architecture, the arts, and literature. It was a time of re-building for the empire. Justinian pursued an ambitious dream of restoring the old Roman Empire. In fact, Justinian led the Byzantine army in many wars to regain this land.
Byzantine culture begins with the establishment of the city Constantinople by Emperor Constantine in 330 AD. This is considered by some historians to be the beginning of Byzantium, the term for the Eastern Roman Empire. Other historians argue that Byzantium was only established after the fall of the empire in the West in 476 (Loverance 6). The Byzantines continued many Roman traditions, but as time went on, Byzantine culture became more and more distant from that of the Romans.
During the 1500’s, there were countless fierce and prosperous cities around the world. However, the question that lies between if a city is truly victorious is whether or not it is a
Behind the elaborate fresco paintings and splendid architecture, Eastern Orthodox Church has played a significant role in the preservation of Christian tradition throughout history. Since the transfer of the imperial capitol of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople, the Eastern Orthodox Christianity has evolved into a distinct branch of Christianity (Steeves). As Timothy Ware, the author of The Orthodox Church, suggests, major intellectual, cultural, and social developments that were taking place in a different region of the Roman Empire were not entirely consistent with the evolution of Western Christianity (Ware 8). These traditions and practices of the church of Constantinople were adopted by many and still provide the basic patterns and ethos of contemporary Orthodoxy. The Eastern Orthodox Church has adopted unique organizational features, beliefs, and traditions constituting itself as a unique branch of Christianity.
The city of Constantinople was long regarded as one of the most important cities in the medieval world, and although it and the remnants of the Byzantine Empire had been in a long period of decline, the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Muslims was a key point in history. Always fascinated with the Mediterranean world, Roger Crowley’s frequent travels served to make him even more enthusiastic about the cultures around that area. The city of Istanbul especially enthralled the avid historian, and Crowley’s journeys inspired him to write about one of the most significant events in the history of this magnificent city, the Muslim takeover in 1453. The Cambridge University graduate tackles the story of the fall of Constantinople in his appropriately titled book 1453. He uses a vivid, interesting writing style and has received positive reviews from many sources. Noel Malcolm of the Sunday Telegraph calls Crowley’s work “A powerful telling of an extraordinary story, presented with clarity and a confidence that most academic historians would envy.” Another reviewer, Michael Standaert of the Los Angeles Times says that: “Crowley’s fascinating account of the years leading up to and the final sacking of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire reads more like lively fiction than dry recounting of historical events.”1 1453 was almost unanimously well received by reviewers, and for good reason.
By 350 A.D., Constantinople was one of the world's greatest capitals. The city was located between Asia and Europe, making it a very diverse and strategic place. The many bodies of water surrounding the peninsula gave Constantinople many trade routes as well as protection. The famous walls were also built to further strengthen security. Constantinople eventually rose to a beautiful city of strength and wealth. Its Greek heritage separated itself from the West with their religion of Eastern Orthodoxy. Despite the power of Constantinople, unending attacks and problems would eventually weaken the city. The first major catastrophe took place in 542, when a plague struck and killed massive amounts of people. The recovery was very slow, and it allowed for countless attacks. For Constantinople, however, it was just the beginning.
The ottoman mpire came to light as a result of the fall of the Roman Empire. After the fall of the western half of the roman empire flourished the eastern half as the new power of the world. Constantinople was a force to be reckoned with under the rule of Constantine. No other region had the power to threaten Constantinople as a state. Non other than the ottoman empire. Numerous raids from the Turkcoman Gazis resulted in a general invasion. Osman Gazi attacked Iznik, the former Byzantine capital and when the epmeror sent an army to go against him they were ambushed and defeated at baphaeon. The Ottoman Empire,Under the sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, invented the canon which directly resulted in the fall of Constantinople, bringing along all of the byzantine Empire with it. This was the ottoman empires first step toward becoming the new world power. Now free of Constantinople's influence and rule the Ottoman Empire began its rebuilding of Istanbul, formerly Constantine. Even with all the destruction left behind by the conquering of Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire flourished as a t...