The history of Constantinople, or Byzantium, began in the seventh century BC, when it was founded as a Greek polis by an Ionian colony under the name of Byzantium. In the fourth century BC, it was conquered and ruled by the Macedonian Empire of Alexander the Great. During the Roman Empire, Byzantium was a strategic city located at the entrance of the Bosporus and the Black Sea, making it an ideal trading hub. In 324 AD, the Roman emperor Constantine I declared it the new imperial capital and named it after himself: Constantinople.

Throughout the Byzantine era, Constantinople endured numerous sieges and military occupations, yet remained one of the most significant cities in the world. At the peak of its power in the thirteenth century, Constantinople held resources and technology unprecedented for the period. As the emperor of Byzantium, Constantine sponsored numerous building and infrastructure projects, the most prolific of which were Hagia Sophia and the Imperial City Walls. He patronized the arts and sciences through his patronage of authors and artists, and promulgated a vast number of statutes and laws. In 1453, Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople after a lengthy siege, bringing an end to the Byzantine Empire and Constantinople’s thousand-year history.

The legacy of Constantinople and the Byzantine era lives on through its religious, scientific, and architectural achievements, many of which still stand today. Although the city is now named Istanbul, its original name of Constantinople has been remembered and honored throughout the centuries. The reign of Constantine and Byzantium’s golden age will never be forgotten and will always be remembered with pride.