Constantinople

Flag of Constantinople.

**Constantinople** (/ˌkɒnstæntɪˈnoʊpəl/; Hellenic: Κωνσταντινούπολις *Kōnstantinoupolis*; Ninjagoan: *Isutanbūru (イスタンブール)*; Johanian Anatolian: قسطنطينيه‎, romanized: *Ḳosṭanṭīnīye*) formerly known as **Istanbul** (/ˌɪstænˈbʊl/ *IST-an-BUUL*, also /ˈɪstænbʊl/ *IST-an-buul*; Anatolian: *İstanbul* Britannian also [isˈtanbuɫ] is a city-state in the Myjohanian Union, serving as the country's West Asian economic, cultural and historic hub. The city straddles the Bosporus strait, lying in both Europe and Asia, and has a population of over 15 million residents, comprising 4% of the population of Myjohania. Constantinople is the third most populous European city, and the world's 10th-largest city.

The city was founded as *Byzantion* in pre-ShitCraft I by Hellenic settlers from Athens. It served as a signficant port-city for Hellenic traders throughout ShitCraft II, however, following a brief war with the Anatolians, the city was transformed into a centre for Anatolian-Islamic culture. The city has since been considered to be "rightfully" Hellenic land according Hellenic nationalists and the Kingdom of Hellas' monarch CrownVortex, which has resulted in notable disputes between Hellas and the Johanian Republic, later the Myjohanian Union.

In ShitCraft IV, after the Johanian Republic's annexation of the area, the city's name was officially changed to Constantinople. The city is currently administered by the Myohanian Autonomous Republic as a Soviet city-state.

Over 13.4 million foreign visitors came to Constantinople in ShitCraft V, eight years after it was named a European Capital of Culture, making it the world's eighth most visited city. Constantinople is home to several LONESCO World Heritage Sites, and hosts the headquarters of numerous Myohanian companies, accounting for more than twenty percent of the republic's economy. Currently, a project to connect Constantinople with Odessa via railway is under construction. As of 2022, the railway has connected although the trainstations are still under construction. The project's goal is to further connect the greater union's economic hubs in order to create a mega-city which spans the Black Sea.

## Modern history

Throughout modern history, Constantinople has been most notable for its vast cultural centres and artefacts for Anatolian, Rojavan and Hellenic-Anatolian culture. The city's giant mosque was renovated in 2021 following the cultural restoration project of the Myjohanian Union, which saw major funding from various sources including philantropists.

In geo-politics, the region is heavily affected by the Myjohano-Hellenic disputes, which resulted in the Myjohano-Hellas War. The war was eventually ended by the signing of a peace treaty which ratified the creation of the People's Republic of Hellas (PRH). Discussions are currently being held about seceding Myjohanian Anatolian land to the PRH, which possibly includes Constantinople.

### Status

Nominal protectorate of the Johanian Republic; in practice a federal Johanian State

### Ethnic groups

Anatolians
 Hellenes
 Rojavans

### Disestablished

* Formally merged with the Hellas Protectorate

### Population

12 million

The **Constantinople Protectorate** was a territory of the Second Johanian Republic. It was nominally a protectorate that the Johanian government claimed was under "temporary" control until Hellas secured its political stability. However, in practice the Constantinople Protectorate was a state of the Johanian Republic, and the majority of UN member states recognized Constantinople as an integral part of Johania.

The territory was disputed with Hellas which made claims to the territory and called it "an occupation of Hellas' soil." Scholars have *ex post facto* concluded that the reasoning for Johania to project Constantinople as a temporary protectorate of Hellas' territory was that it possibly could be used as a bargaining tool in order to persuade the Hellenic government to develope closer to the Allied States. Hellas has during the course of ShitCraft IV established unofficial relations to the Axel powers before eventually *de facto* adhering to the Tripartite Pact and the Anti-Vaushitern Pact. It is often speculated that the Johanian government planned to secede the protectorate along with other lands in Anatolia in exchange for a personal partnership between the two countries. The fact that a large part of Hellas was once part of the Thustian Empire has lead to those who view the Johanian Republic as its successor, to consider the region to be within the Johanian sphere of influence.

Following the Johanian Republic's annexation of Hellas in August 2020, the Constantinople Protectorate was formally merged with the then newly formed Hellas Protectorate. However, Constantinople continued to be administered directly by the Johanian federal government instead of the Hellas Protectorate's People's Parliament.