Constantinople

Constantinople in 1111

Constantinople is a large city straddling west Asia and east Europe and the capital of the Byzantine Empire. It is situated on a peninsula in the Bosphorus Strait between the Black and Marmara Seas.

It is home to the Hagia Sophia.

History

After voyaging from Norway around the Iberian peninsula through the Mediterranean Sea, King Sigurd Magnusson arrived in the ancient city in January 1111. The gargoyles in his crew marveled at the sights of the city from the ship. While there, King Sigurd gifted Alexios Komnenos, the Byzantine Emperor, with the Eye of Odin. Two months later, he sold his ships before returning to Norway by land. Most of his soldiers opted to stay in Constantinople, in the Emperor's employ, including the gargoyles Magni and Modi. ("Fortune Favors the Brave...")

Real World Background

First founded in 657 BC as Byzantium (Βυζάντιον), the city has had, as the comic series notes, many names, including Milklagard ("Big City") in Norse, Megalopolis ("Great City") in Greek, and Rūmiyyat al-Kubra ("Great City of the Romans") in Arabic.

As Constantinople, its name is derived from the Greek Κωνσταντινούπολις ("City of Constantine") after the Roman Emperor Constantine I (no relation to Scotland's Constantine III), who, in 330 AD moved the capital of the Roman Empire from the Italian peninsula to Asia Minor. Byzantium was renamed Nova Roma before settling on Constantinople for the next several centuries, even as the city became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1453 (Ḳosṭanṭīnīye in Turkish).

Later still in 1923, it would be known by its current name, Istanbul, in modern day Türkiye. The Eastern Orthodox Church still refers to the name of Constantinople in the title of their patriarch for the city.

See Also

• Constantinople at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
• "No, you can't go back to Constantinople"