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Ashley Shaaf 8SS7 Constantine Establishes a New Capital 11/20/15 Social Studies The Byzantine Empire, a once prosperous and culturally diverse empire, flourished in the arts, was the center of commerce, and was widely known for its substantial defenses. The origin of the Byzantine Empire dates back to the gradual decline of its western counterpart, the Roman Empire. At the time, the Roman Empire was divided into two parts to make it easier to rule. Constantine I, the first Christian emperor, ruled the western half of Roman Empire, while Licinius ruled the East. According to Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Michal L. LeVasseur, Constantine and Licinius declared freedom of religion and stopped the persecution of Christians (274). Licinius, who still continued the persecution, lost in many battles against Constantine, and in 324, Constantine took power of both the West and the East. As the sole ruler, Constantine did much in his power to improve the Roman Empire and helped the spread of Christianity. According to History.com, in 330 AD, Constantine decided to move the imperial capital from Rome to Byzantium (par. 2). Byzantium, originally a Greek city founded by a man named Byzas, became known as “New Rome.” Later on, it was renamed Constantinople in honor of Emperor Constantine. The new capital was superior to Rome in many ways geographically. Since Constantinople was strategically placed on a peninsula with low mountains and hills, it could be easily fortified and was safe from invaders. Moreover, the city’s ideal location enabled trade with many other civilizations because it was located near the Bosporus Strait, a narrow passage connecting the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and the Sea of Marmara (Jacobs and LeVasseur 286). Likewise, the strait linked the continents of Europe and Asia. Jacobs and LeVasseur stated, “Goods came to Constantinople from Kiev in the north, from Egypt in the south, and across Central Asia as far away as China” (286). This implies that Constantinople was the center of trade in the Ancient World. In 476, when the Roman Empire was divided yet again, the West fell, while the East, known as the Byzantine Empire, continued to flourish in the arts and religion. Since Constantine was a firm believer in Christianity who made numerous efforts to spread the religion, many churches were constructed and people were encouraged to practice their religion openly. One church commissioned by Constantine was the Hagia Sofia located in Constantinople. Embodying the art style of the time, the church served several empires, major religions, and is still standing today. Works Cited “Byzantine Empire.” History.com. A+E Networks, 2015. Web. 16 November 2015. This source explained the geographical advantages of the Byzantine Empire, which made it easier to understand why Byzantium was chosen as the new capital. It was easier to navigate the article because it included a table of contents. The sections “A New Rome” and “Survival of the Byzantine Empire” gave plenty of information on my topic, which I then applied to my essay. The information taken from this source was predominantly used in the first paragraph of my essay. Jacobs, Heidi Hayes and Michal L. LeVasseur. History of Our World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, Prentice Hall, 2005. Print. This book was helpful in understanding the overall chronology of the Byzantine Empire. I utilized this source by including citations in the first and second paragraphs. It included specific details of when and where the Roman capital was moved, as well as who made the decision to move it. Moreover, it was better than the web source because it gave a general and broader description of the origin of the Byzantine Empire, which made it easier to write topic sentences for my essay.