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