Constantinople

**Constantinople,** officially the **Free City of Constantinople,** and sometimes referred to as **Byzantium** or **Istanbul,** was a City-State of the Commonwealth of Neo-Europe with special administrative status.

Following the declaration of the Human Commonwealth, the city, along with its underground fortifications known as **'New Constantinople,'** served as the nation's capital city and was sometimes known as **The Capitol**, until its near-total destruction in July 2186.

## History

### Annexation

Constantinople, then known as **Istanbul,** was a city within the Republic of Turkey (with Turkey having inherited it from its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire) until the **First Neo-European-Turkish War** (2050-2052), which resulted in Neo-Europe's acquisition of the city, whereby it was immediately renamed '**Constantinople.'**

#### Wolfgang's Visit

When Emperor Wolfgang Von Stuttgart visited the city in 2052, he emphasised its cultural significance. Dressed in Byzantine regalia, he walked through the city before meeting Turkey's President, Murat Tevetoğlu in the Hagia Sophia. They jointly negociated the **Treaty of Constantinople,** which was heavily favourable towards Neo-Europe, including the ceding of Thrace and the city to Neo-Europe. The following day, Wolfgang was crowned Roman Emperor and paraded the city, celebrating its formal renaming back to Constantinople. He remained in the city for a week before returning to London.

The Hagia Sophia, a mosque since 2020, once again became a church for the first time in almost six-hundred years. This would last until 2083, where it became a museum, as under Turkey between 1935 and 2020.

### Re-Hellenization

Immediately following the city's formal acquisition into Neo-Europe, **Nicholas Korais** , an originally Greek national, was chosen as President. Korais and the Emperor worked closely and quickly enacted the polict of 'Re-Hellenization' which saw the mandated use of the Greek language, the forced closure of Mosques and the forced resettlement of many of the city's Turkic inhabitants. Furthermore, immigration from Greece was encouraged, facilitated several years later when the rest of Greece was acquired by Neo-Europe, becoming the state of Grecia. The policy of Re-Hellenization was continued by Korais' successor, Stavros Palamos.

### Period of Coexistence

Following the First Amendment, true democracy appeared throughout Neo-Europe, resulting in the legalised formation of political parties in Constantinople. **Manolis Ozemdir** of the **Constantinople United Peoples Party** became the city's first truly democratically elected President and, representative of his mixed heritage, sought to make the city a fairer, more equal place. Restrictions placed on the Turks were removed, and incentives to bridge the gap between them and the Greeks (or *Rum*, as they were officially known after 2061). Preference to the Greek language was revoked, with English being used in official settings, and both Greek and Turkish encouraged in more informal circumstances.

## Demographics

### Ethnicities

Historically, Turks made a large percentage of the ethnic groups, while Greeks slowly increased. Although entirely cultural, a distinction was made between the regular Greeks of Grecia and those of Constantinople; Constantinople's Greeks would thereafter be stylised as *Rum,* a term used in Turkey to denote non-Turks and/or Orthodox Christians, indicitive of a Roman heritage*.* By 2100, the city was populated by 50% Turks, 35% *Rum* and 15% other (mainly other European groups). Over the next few generations, these distinctions broke down - with the historian Gareth Osman stating 'The Greeks became more Turk, and the Turks became more Greek,' representing this occurrence of cultural homeginisation, not dissimilar from what happened in the Ottoman Empire. In 2280, most long-term inhabitants were of mixed descent, though it is work noting those claiming to be Turkic remained at around 50% - likely indicative of pride relating to Ekrim Tekin. Other ethnicities have garnered influence and often situate themselves into small 'ghettos.' Among others, Constantinople housed regions with majorities of populations of Chinese, Indian, African and Slavic descent.

### Languages

While Anglisch is officially used, ethnic languages remained in common use among the city's inhabitants, including Turkish, Greek, as well as the creole language **Greco-Turkja,** which has a largely Turkic vocabulary formed over the grammatical structures of Greek. Other spoken languages include Russian, Cantonese, Arabic and Kurdish, among others.

### Religion

Historically a predominantly muslim region, the influx of Greeks following its annexation by Neo-Europe caused Christians, mainly of the Greek Orthodox variety, to rise among the population. Often seen as a 'reclaimation' by many Christians, this was stopped when Emperor Wolfgang's 2067 Decree completely secularized Neo-Europe, with Christian immigration discouraged. Still, this new Constantinople in many ways resembled the city of old, in the days of the Ottoman Empire, with Christians, Muslims, Jews and atheists living side by side. But, culturally, Christianity replaced Islam as the dominant faith, with mosques converted (or sometimes reconverted, like in the case of the Hagia Sophia) into churches. Eventually, this was changed and the city became a truly secular region, with a history based on multiculturalism as opposed to the preference of one religion over the other. As of 2280, all religions are a minority, with muslims and christians making only 8 and 7 percent, respectively.

## Culture

### Cuisine

Constantinople's cuisine, while heavily influenced by regional Grecian and Turkian foods, also has an international twist owing to its importance as a global city. Dishes like Kebabs, Moussaka, Falaffel, and so on are regularly consumed, though it is common to find dishes from elsewhere, including pizzas, noodles, and stews.

## Relationships

Constantinople is often seen as the mediator between the rivalry of Grecia and Turkia, due to being a combination of the two states.