- 1. Who was the first known Urban Prefect of Constantinople?
A) Valens
B) Justinian I
C) Theodosius I
D) Honoratus
- 2. Which emperor built the Palace of Hebdomon?
A) Zeno
B) Arcadius
C) Valens
D) Constantine
- 3. Where were emperors crowned and acclaimed prior to Zeno and Basiliscus?
A) Great Palace
B) Hagia Sophia
C) Forum of Taurus
D) Hebdomon
- 4. Who founded the Church of John the Baptist in Constantinople?
A) Justinian I
B) Arcadius
C) Theodosius I
D) Constantius II
- 5. Which emperor constructed a new forum on the Mese near the walls of Constantine?
A) Valens
B) Theodosius II
C) Arcadius
D) Justinian I
- 6. In what year were the triple-wall fortifications of Theodosius II built?
A) 532
B) 413–414
C) 541
D) 378
- 7. What event prompted the city to look to its defenses in 378?
A) Battle of Adrianople
B) Plague of Justinian
C) Arrival of the Huns
D) Nika Riots
- 8. What institution did Theodosius II found in 425?
A) An arsenal
B) A university
C) A library
D) A hippodrome
- 9. From which city did Justinian's expedition to reconquer Africa set sail?
A) Carthage
B) Constantinople
C) Jerusalem
D) Rome
- 10. Which general commanded the expedition to Africa under Justinian?
A) Anthemius
B) Honoratus
C) Belisarius
D) Isidore
- 11. What major riot occurred in Constantinople in 532?
A) Adrianople rebellion
B) Nika riots
C) The Hebdomon mutiny
D) The Vandal uprising
- 12. Which architects did Justinian commission to build the new Hagia Sophia?
A) Belisarius and Procopius
B) Constantine and Arcadius
C) Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus
D) Honoratus and Theodosius
- 13. What happened to the original Church of the Holy Apostles?
A) Destroyed by an earthquake
B) Demolished and replaced by Justinian
C) Burned during the Nika riots
D) Converted into a mosque
- 14. Approximately what was the population of Constantinople during Justinian's reign?
A) 100,000
B) 500,000
C) 1,000,000
D) 250,000
- 15. What disease struck Constantinople between 541 and 542?
A) Smallpox
B) Black Death
C) The Great Fever
D) Plague of Justinian
- 16. Which two chariot-racing parties were involved in the political and religious disorders?
A) Blues and Greens
B) Purples and Golds
C) Whites and Blacks
D) Reds and Yellows
- 17. What phrase did Justinian exclaim upon completing the new Hagia Sophia?
A) Let the people rejoice!
B) The city is saved!
C) O Solomon, I have outdone thee!
D) God is great!
- 18. What was the purpose of the Church of the Holy Apostles until the 11th century?
A) Storage for Temple treasure
B) Burial place of the emperors
C) Seat of the Urban Prefect
D) Training ground for the fleet
- 19. How many people were killed at the end of the Nika riots according to Procopius?
A) 10,000
B) 5,000
C) Over 30,000
D) 50,000
- 20. Where is the skull of John the Baptist preserved today?
A) Hagia Sophia
B) The Great Palace
C) The Forum of Taurus
D) Topkapı Palace
- 21. On what date was Constantinople ceremonially consecrated?
A) 11 May 330
B) 18 May 332
C) 11 May 324
D) 11 May 337
- 22. How many regions was Constantinople divided into by Constantine?
A) 11
B) 20
C) 14
D) 7
- 23. What title did senators in Constantinople hold?
A) Clarus
B) Proconsul
C) Clarissimus
D) Quaestor
- 24. What monument served as the point from which distances were measured in the Eastern Roman Empire?
A) The Chalke
B) The Milion
C) The Augustaion
D) The Golden Gate
- 25. What was the name of the main great street in Constantinople?
A) The Forum Tauri
B) The Augustaeum
C) The Xerolophus
D) The Mese
- 26. What figure was the statue of Constantine in the Forum of Constantine modeled after?
A) Jupiter
B) Apollo
C) Mars
D) Helios
- 27. How long did it take to build Constantinople?
A) Ten years
B) Fourteen years
C) Three years
D) Six years
- 28. What was the name of the entrance to the Great Palace?
A) The Xerolophus
B) The Chalke
C) The Praetorium
D) The Milion
- 29. How many distribution points were there for food in Constantinople?
A) 117
B) 7
C) 14
D) 80
- 30. Byzantium was originally settled by colonists from which city-state?
A) Megara
B) Sparta
C) Corinth
D) Athens
- 31. In what year was Byzantium first settled by colonists?
A) 657 BC
B) 324 AD
C) 512 BC
D) 478 BC
- 32. Who was the leader said to have founded Byzantium according to legend?
A) Septimius Severus
B) Nisos
C) Byzas
D) Pausanias
- 33. Why did Darius I consider the site of Byzantium optimal?
A) To build a grand palace
B) To control the grain trade
C) To construct a pontoon bridge
D) To mine gold
- 34. Who captured Byzantium from the Persians in 478 BC?
A) Constantine I
B) Cassius Dio
C) Septimius Severus
D) Pausanias
- 35. In what year did Byzantium make a treaty with Rome?
A) 512 BC
B) 150 BC
C) 478 BC
D) 411 BC
- 36. What is the name of the excellent harbor located at Byzantium?
A) The Bosphorus Basin
B) The Golden Horn
C) The Mediterranean Port
D) The Black Sea Bay
- 37. Which emperor razed Byzantium for supporting Pescennius Niger?
A) Darius I
B) Constantine I
C) Pausanias
D) Septimius Severus
- 38. What was the name of the wall built by Septimius Severus?
A) The Severan Wall
B) The Constantinian Wall
C) The Byzantine Wall
D) The Megaran Wall
- 39. What was Byzantium briefly renamed by Septimius Severus?
A) New Rome
B) Augusta Antonina
C) Constantinople
D) Byzasia
- 40. Which historian criticized the destruction of Byzantium by Septimius Severus?
A) Hesychius of Miletus
B) Pausanias
C) Byzas
D) Cassius Dio
- 41. What was the city known as before Constantine I?
A) Kostantiniyye
B) New Rome
C) Istanbul
D) Byzantium
- 42. In whose honor was the city named Augusta Antonina?
A) Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
B) Septimius Severus
C) Constantine I
D) Augustus
- 43. What name did Constantine I initially give the city in 330?
A) New Rome
B) Istanbul
C) Megalopolis
D) Byzantium
- 44. The Turkish name 'Istanbul' is derived from a Greek phrase meaning what?
A) New Rome
B) City of Constantine
C) In the City
D) Queen of Cities
- 45. What was the elevated Ottoman name for the city?
A) Megalopolis
B) Islambol
C) Byzantium
D) Kostantiniyye
- 46. In what century were variants of the name Istanbul first attested in Armenian and Arabic?
A) 3rd century
B) 10th century
C) 19th century
D) 7th century
- 47. After what year did the Turkish government urge other countries to use the name Istanbul?
A) 1923
B) 1453
C) 1900
D) 1930
- 48. In what year did the Ottoman Empire take over Constantinople?
A) 1453
B) 1261
C) 1922
D) 1204
- 49. What was the initial name given to Constantinople when it was founded?
A) Istanbul
B) Pera
C) Nova Roma
D) Byzantium
- 50. Which cathedral is mentioned as one of the city's architectural masterpieces?
A) Saint Peter's
B) Notre Dame
C) The Imperial Palace
D) Hagia Sophia
- 51. Who captured the city during the Fourth Crusade in 1204?
A) Empire of Nicaea
B) Roman Empire
C) Ottoman Empire
D) Latin Crusaders
- 52. In what year was the capital of Turkey moved to Ankara?
A) 1453
B) 1261
C) 1922
D) 1923
- 53. What was the name of the walls that protected Constantinople?
A) Roman walls
B) Ankara walls
C) Byzantine walls
D) Theodosian walls
- 54. Which dynasty oversaw a partial recovery of the city after 1261?
A) Constantine dynasty
B) Latin dynasty
C) Ottoman dynasty
D) Palaiologan dynasty
- 55. What is the modern name of Constantinople?
A) Istanbul
B) Ankara
C) Nova Roma
D) Byzantium
- 56. What was the population of Istanbul mentioned in the text?
A) More than 10 million
B) More than 20 million
C) More than 16 million
D) More than 5 million
- 57. Where did Heraclius originally contemplate moving the imperial capital?
A) Rome
B) Kiev
C) Carthage
D) Anatolia
- 58. What right did the citizens of Constantinople lose in 618?
A) Voting rights
B) Freedom of speech
C) Free grain
D) Tax exemption
- 59. What allowed the Byzantine navy to destroy the Arab fleets during the sieges?
A) Greek fire
B) Superior naval training
C) Stronger wooden hulls
D) Catapults
- 60. Which ruler was called the 'Saviour of Europe' for his help in the second Arab siege?
A) Leo III
B) Heraclius
C) Khan Tervel
D) Michael III
- 61. Who financed the extensive repairs of the Theodosian walls in the 730s?
A) Foreign trade tariffs
B) A special tax on the Empire's subjects
C) The Church
D) The Varangian Guard
- 62. What was the name of the elite bodyguard formed by Basil II?
A) The Eparch Corps
B) Imperial Legion
C) Varangian Guard
D) The Macedonian Guard
- 63. Which nationality eventually came to dominate the Varangian Guard in the 11th century?
A) Bulgars
B) Anglo-Saxons
C) Persians
D) Arabs
- 64. Who supervised the guilds and tradesmen in Constantinople?
A) The Eparch
B) The Admiral
C) The Patriarch
D) The Emperor
- 65. Which emperor issued a decree against images in 726?
A) Leo III
B) Constantine V
C) Alexius I
D) Leo IV
- 66. Which Empress restored the veneration of images in 787?
A) Helena
B) Theodora
C) Sophia
D) Irene
- 67. In what year was the iconoclast controversy finally resolved?
A) 726
B) 843
C) 787
D) 754
- 68. Who was the Sultan of the Seljuk Turks that defeated Romanus Diogenes?
A) Theodore Lascaris
B) Alp Arslan
C) Alexios I
D) Michael VII Ducas
- 69. Which group of people annihilated the Pecheneg army in 1090–91?
A) Kipchaks
B) Crusaders
C) Seljuk Turks
D) Venetians
- 70. Who built the monastery of the Pantocrator?
A) John II
B) Alexius I
C) Michael VIII
D) Manuel I
- 71. What significant event involving Latin inhabitants occurred in 1182?
A) They were expelled from the city
B) They were granted trading rights
C) They were invited to join the government
D) They were massacred
- 72. Which crusade was diverted against Constantinople in 1203?
A) Third Crusade
B) First Crusade
C) Fourth Crusade
D) Second Crusade
- 73. What happened to the statue of Athena Promachos in 1204?
A) It was destroyed
B) It was melted for coinage
C) It was stolen by the Venetians
D) It was moved to Hagia Sophia
- 74. Who was the last Byzantine emperor before the Latin conquest of 1204?
A) Isaac II Angelos
B) Alexios IV Angelos
C) Alexios V Doukas
D) Theodore Lascaris
- 75. How long did the Crusaders loot the city in 1204?
A) Three days
B) One year
C) One week
D) One month
- 76. What did the Latin occupiers do to the monumental sculptures of the Hippodrome?
A) Shipped them to the West
B) Melted them for coinage
C) Buried them for protection
D) Displayed them in the cathedral
- 77. Who was the Nicaean emperor that sent money to save churches from destruction?
A) Alexios Strategopoulos
B) Michael VIII Palaiologos
C) Theodore Lascaris
D) John III Vatatzes
- 78. Which leader captured Constantinople from the Latins in 1261?
A) Theodore Lascaris
B) Alexios Strategopoulos
C) Michael VIII Palaiologos
D) John III Vatatzes
- 79. Which palace became the main Imperial residence during the Palaiologan era?
A) The Great Palace
B) Blachernae
C) Galata Palace
D) Rumelihisarı
- 80. In what year did the Black Death reach Constantinople?
A) 1453
B) 1435
C) 1403
D) 1347
- 81. Who visited and wrote about Constantinople in 1403?
A) George Sphrantzes
B) Ruy González de Clavijo
C) Andrei di Arnaldo
D) Tedaldi of Florence
- 82. Who was the emperor who ordered a census of the city's defenders in 1453?
A) Constantine XI
B) Michael VIII
C) Mehmed II
D) Theodosius
- 83. According to George Sphrantzes, how many Greek defenders were in the city?
A) 3,000
B) 8,000
C) 200
D) 4,773
- 84. What was the total length of the perimeter wall that needed to be defended in 1453?
A) Two miles
B) Five miles
C) Twelve miles
D) Twenty miles
- 85. What was the name of the fortress built by Mehmed II at the narrowest point of the Bosphorus?
A) Blachernae
B) Rumelihisarı
C) Galata
D) Diplokionion
- 86. Who was the Hungarian gunsmith tasked with building a cannon to destroy the city's walls?
A) Constantine XI
B) Sphrantzes
C) Mehmed II
D) Urban
- 87. How long did the siege of Constantinople last?
A) Seven weeks
B) Two weeks
C) One month
D) Three months
- 88. How old was Sultan Mehmed II when he commanded the conquest of Constantinople?
A) 21
B) 19
C) 30
D) 40
- 89. What term refers to the prisoners of war and deported people sent to the city?
A) Sürgün
B) Levantines
C) Janissaries
D) Viziers
- 90. Where was the capital of Turkey moved to after the Republic was proclaimed?
A) Bursa
B) Edirne
C) Ankara
D) Izmir
- 91. Which area became a cosmopolitan zone featuring foreign embassies and banks?
A) Pera/Beyoğlu
B) Hagia Sophia district
C) Ankara suburb
D) The Old City walls
- 92. How many households did Mehmed II demand to be transferred to the city by September?
A) Ten thousand
B) Forty-five thousand
C) One thousand
D) Five thousand
- 93. What historical movement did the refugees from Constantinople help stimulate in Italy?
A) The Industrial Revolution
B) The Renaissance
C) The Enlightenment
D) The Reformation
- 94. What adjective best describes the character of Constantinople according to the text?
A) Primitive
B) Cosmopolitan
C) Isolated
D) Monolingual
- 95. Which ancient author first mentioned the markets of Byzantion?
A) Xenophon
B) Theopompus
C) Ibn Batutta
D) Procopius
- 96. In which year did Ibn Batutta visit Constantinople?
A) 1054
B) 1453
C) 425
D) 1325
- 97. Who did Ibn Batutta note made up the majority of artisans and salespeople in the 'Astanbul' bazaars?
A) Slaves
B) Women
C) Monks
D) Foreigners
- 98. Byzantine architecture and art influenced which Venetian landmark?
A) The Palace Hall of Magnaura
B) St Mark's Basilica
C) The Pandidacterium
D) Caernarfon Castle
- 99. What was the name of the Byzantine gold coinage that was prized throughout the Middle Ages?
A) Solidus of Diocletian
B) Bezant
C) Denarius
D) Florin
- 100. Which castle is cited as an example of an imitation of Constantinople's city walls?
A) St Mark's Basilica
B) Ravenna Basilica
C) Caernarfon Castle
D) The Palace Hall of Magnaura
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