Title: Moving Roman Capital to Byzantium: Positive or Negative? by Andrea Lagesse
Headings: Moving Roman Capital to Byzantium: Positive or Negative?
Moving Roman Capital to Byzantium: Positive or Negative?
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Moving the Roman Capital to Byzantium
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Content: He moved the capital from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium, in what is now Turkey. This new capital is partly due to his decision to adopt Christianity, and partly due to the geography of the Empire. With this new capital, Constantine was able to move his army, with himself at the head, to many places around the empire in a shorter time with a shorter distance. With Byzantium as the capital, the center of power changed from Rome to the East. Soon the new capital was protected by walls and filled with the models of imperial buildings that were found in Rome. The city was renamed Constantinople after Constantine. After his death, the Empire was once again divided. The Eastern Empire survived, while the West fell. Like the old capital, Constantinople was built on seven different hills, provided subsidized grain to it’s people, and had the normal governmental buildings a capital needed, including a new senate building. The decline of the Western Roman Empire took place over many years.