In 324 CE Emperor Constantine I moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium. Constantinople, as it would be named, would be inaugurated on May 11, 330 CE. The city’s location held many advantages to the former capital. For years the Empire had been plagued with problems in the Balkans. Constantinople’s location was closer to those unsettled frontiers allowing the army to respond more quickly to crises. Additionally, its position on the Bosphorus Strait put it at the center of trade routes linking Europe to the East. Both the land and sea routes came through the area allowing the city to grow rich from the amount of merchandise being traded. That wealth led to a flourishing of growth. Churches, palaces, private dwellings, public baths, and grand arches were built throughout the city.
Following Constantine’s death the Empire was left to his three sons. Each was given the portion he had already controlled. This initial split would set the stage for later developments and the creation of two capitals: Rome in the West and Constantinople in the East. Both portions were ruled by Roman law and political institutions. Language did create a barrier though. The population of the west spoke Latin whereas those in the east spoke Greek. And although Constantine adopted Christianity as the religion of the Roman Empire, later rulers of the west would revert to their pagan ways creating further division between the two halves. It would be these religious differences that would ultimately create the schism between the two areas
Based on your reading of Worlds Together, Worlds Apart; Exchanges, and your investigation of the links provided on the Interactive Timeline for Byzantine Empire, Fall of Rome:
Discuss Byzantium’s rise.
•Did its growth contribute to the demise of Rome or was it a consequence of it?
•Use sources from the timeline to support your interpretation.
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