What would be some good alternate Capitals of the Eastern Roman empire? I imagine that a City controlling the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardanelles straight would do well. What do you guys think?
Alternate Capitals of the Eastern Roman Empire?
- Thread starter Iron_Lord
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I feel like if you're going to be around the Straits there really isn't a more natural spot than Constantinople; phenomenal harbour, great natural defenses, and controlling the straits - its hard to get better than that. That said, there are plenty of viable alternatives to Constantinople, they're just not near the straits. Alexandria was one of the biggest cities in the empire, was strategically placed on the Nile, in the breadbasket of the empire, and while not Constantinople, still has great natural defenses. Antioch could also be viable if a capital near (but not too close to) the Persian frontier was considered important.
Define good...
Any other city I can think of would be fundamentally a worse choice than Constantinople. The second best would be Chalcedon, for basically the same reasons Constantinople is first, but with the massive, massive downside of not requiring a sea crossing for the existential enemies of the Empire that always came out of the East.
Maybe Athens if Constantine revitalizes it? It's similarly close to the Aegean to monopolize it, and it's a bit more central across the ere
Did not one emperor talk on moving the capital to Syracuse? I think it was both still part of the empire and ethnolinguistically Greek alike.
Now as a GOOD location, nope, but I swear one spoke on moving there nonetheless.
Now as a GOOD location, nope, but I swear one spoke on moving there nonetheless.
Gallipoli is down a random narrow peninsula. There’s no reason to choose it over the existing of city of Byzantium. Canakkale is too easily approached. The Walls would have to be much longer to get the sort of results Constantinople got or that Chalcedon could be given.
There were rumors Constans II was planning to, but nothing really substantial.
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Holy shit! This would probably be worthy of “/thread” for us here if the Byzantines found this discussion.
Never thought I’d hear about a man being drowned with a bucket.
As @wcv215 said there’s plenty of good locations but none nearly as good as Constantinople. Athens would be an interesting choice though.
For comparison though:
The Golden Horn alone should not be underestimated, its a truly amazing harbour, and it provides tremendous defense as well. Importantly too, in the age of sail, the winds on the sea of Marmara blow to the south, making it difficult to assault the city from its south. This is true even for galleys because of the currents and waves. Truth be told, I still find it amazing that it took so damn long for a major city to develop there.
This does lead to the question if Classical, Hellenistic, and pre-Constantine Byzantium was actually a fairly thriving and populated city and we just don't hear of it much since the city-states down south during the Classical era, then the Hellenistic states post-Alexander, hogged up all the historical literature we do have as the serious power players of the time. Feels like in America as a modern-day example we sometimes forget how naturally vital and important certain cities like St. Louis, Chicago, or Cincinnati are in their gorgeous sites because all the attention's on the REALLY big metropolises like New York or Los Angeles.
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Speaking of Constans II, I can't help but think of what could've happened if his attempts to reconquer Egypt and southern Italy were successful every now and then, but that something for another thread.
Same, lately I’ve be thinking about some what ifs for the emperors of the 7th century. Like Constans II, Constantine IV, and Justinian II.
i would help with that most heraclian pod or timelines are just heraclius and do not explore the other 3 emperors
Speaking of alternate capitals, maybe Smyrna or some other place in the western coast of Anatolia? As long as the Romans keep control of the seas, resupplying the city shouldn't be a major issue.