Constantinople

2014-06-30T12:56:46Z

77.238.192.68: /* Trivia */

{{Era|AC2|ACB|ACR|PL|DYL|Rbook}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Quote|Many generations of men have ruled the city. But they have never subdued her. She always bounces back.|[[Yusuf Tazim]] regarding Constantinople.|Assassin's Creed: Revelations}}
{{Location infobox
|image = Constantinoplepic.png
|hidep =
|state = [[Byzantine Empire]] (330 - 1204, 1261 - 1453) {{wiki|Latin Empire}} (1204 - 1261) [[Ottoman Empire]] (1453 - 1923)
|rulers = Autocracy (330 - 1204, 1261 - 1453) Feudal monarchy (1204 - 1261) Sultanate (1453 - 1923)
|factions = [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]] [[Templars]] [[Assassins]]
|hideh =
|founded = {{Wiki|Byzas}} (as {{Wiki|Byzantium}}) {{Wiki|Constantine I}} (as Constantinople)
|date = c. 671 - 662 BC (as Byzantium) 330 (as Constantinople)
|abandoned =
|hidea =
|landmark = [[Topkapı Palace]] [[Hagia Sophia]] [[Galata Tower]]
|targets = [[Vali cel Tradat]] [[Cyril of Rhodes]] [[Georgios Kostas]] [[Lysistrata]] [[Mirela Djuric]] [[Odai Dunqas]] [[Halim]] [[Tarik Barleti]] [[Ahmet]]}}
'''Constantinople''' (Byzantine Greek: ''Konstantinoupolis''; Latin: ''Constantinopolis'' or ''Byzantium''; Turkish: ''Kostantiniyye'' or ''İstanbul'') was the capital of the [[Byzantine Empire]] and, following the city's conquest in 1453, became the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Empire's]] capital in 1458.

The only pan-continental city in the world, during the [[Renaissance]], it was [[Europe]]'s largest and wealthiest city, consisting of four distinct districts: [[Constantine District|Constantine]], [[Bayezid District|Bayezid]], [[Imperial District|Imperial]], and [[Galata District|Galata]].

==History==
In 1204, the city was visited by the [[Mentor]] of the [[Levantine Assassins]], [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], who had hopes of introducing the [[Assassins|Assassin Brotherhood]] to the city. However, civil disobedience and mass riots, followed by the [[Fourth Crusade|arrival of European Crusaders]] who sacked the city, forced him to retreat.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref>

In 1258, [[Niccolò Polo|Niccolò]] and [[Maffeo Polo]] established an Assassins' Guild in Constantinople, after returning from the Assassin fortress of [[Masyaf]], soon forming the Order's [[Turkish Assassins|Turkish branch]]. They hid the five [[Masyaf Keys]] given to them by Altaïr in the [[Yerebatan Cistern]], which could be entered by a secret door in Polo's old trading post, the [[Maiden's Tower]], and beneath [[the Forum of the Ox]], [[Galata Tower]] and what would become [[Topkapı Palace]].<ref name="Revelations">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref>

During the Renaissance, at some point between 1501 and 1507, the Doge of [[Venice]], along with Sultan [[Bayezid II]], sought to ally their considerable naval powers through a free trade treaty. However, the [[Templars]] were wary of any peace between the two, and became intent on interfering with their alliance. The [[House of Borgia|Borgia family]] dispatched a force of [[mercenaries]] to disrupt the agreement, but they were quickly intercepted by members of the [[Italian Assassins]], who set their [[Ships|ship]] aflame before they could depart.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>

By 1509, the Templars had began to relocate themselves to Constantinople due to their defeat in [[Italy]] and the disruption of their activities throughout Western Europe. The Templars formed a faction known as the Stewards of Byzantium and attempted to seize control of the city in the wake of Bayezid's absence, due to his civil war with his son [[Selim I|Selim]].

During this year, an {{Wiki|1509 Istanbul earthquake|earthquake}} uncovered one of the Masyaf Keys hidden beneath Topkapı Palace. Two years later, after traveling to Masyaf to research his Assassin heritage, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], Mentor of the Italian Assassins, arrived in Constantinople to retrieve the other Keys before the Templars. His leadership enabled the Assassins to reclaim their [[Assassin Dens|dens]] from the Byzantines and liberated most of the shops from their control, much as he had in [[Rome]], as well as training several Assassins to the rank of [[Master Assassin]] through the assassination of key Templar agents. However, when Selim took control of the throne, he banished Ezio from Constantinople,<ref name="Revelations" /> though allowed him one final visit to the city to sort out his affairs, by request of his son [[Suleiman I|Suleiman]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations (novel)]]''</ref>

==Trivia==
*[[Bernardo Baroncelli]], one of the [[Pazzi conspiracy|Pazzi conspirators]], tried to flee to Constantinople following the failed attempt to take over [[Florence]].
*In ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'', the city was slightly smaller than Rome was in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'', but it had more buildings, and was more densely populated.
*[[Alexandre Amancio]], the Creative Director of the [[Assassin's Creed (series)|''Assassin's Creed'' series]], stated at E3 that Constantinople is a "really cool metaphor for Ezio meeting Altaïr", citing the fact that half of Constantinople was in Europe, and the other in Asia.
*It was also stated by [[Darby McDevitt]] that Constantinople would be a meaningful meeting of Ezio and Altaïr as the city itself was formerly under {{Wiki|Christianity|Christian}} control, then {{Wiki|Muslim}}, which suited Altaïr and Ezio as the former hailed from a Muslim culture in [[Syria]] and the latter hailed from a Christian Italy.
*Constantinople was originally meant to be included in ''[[Assassin's Creed]]''.{{Fact}}
*In ''Assassin's Creed: Revelations'', it is only possible to explore the section of the city within the {{Wiki|Walls of Constantinople#Wall of Constantine|Constantinian Walls}} and Galata. The rest of the city, which is wholly inaccessible, can be seen from high locations such as top of the Galata Tower and the minarets of the [[Fatih Camii]].

==Gallery==
<tabber>
Concept art=
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
constantinople.png|Concept art of Constantinople
PL MyEnemysEnemy.jpg|Artwork from ''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''
Imageassassinscreedreve (2).jpg|The port of Constantinople
ACR Constantinople Port.jpg|Concept art of Constantinople's port
Rich district of Constantinople by Olivier Martin.jpg|Rich district of Constantinople concept art by [[Olivier Martin]]
ACR Street Art HD.png|Ezio walking towards the Hagia Sophia
ACR Constantniople Port.jpg|Constantinople port concept art
ACR Street Art 2 HD.png|Ezio walking in Constantinople
Istanbul Rooftops concept by Donglu Yu.jpg|Constantinople rooftops concept by Donglu Yu
ACR Street Art 3 HD.png
ACR Constantinople Gates Art HD.png
78.jpg
Constantinoplepanoramic.png|Constantinople as seen from the Bosphorus
acr-revelation-map-constantinople-galata.jpg|Map of the city
</gallery>
|-|
Screenshots=
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
Constantinople at night.jpg|Constantinople at night
Ezio using a view point in ACR.jpg|Ezio surveying Constantinople
Arcadia district of Constantinople.jpg|Arcadia district of Constantinople
Constantinople poor district.jpg|Constantinople’s poor district
Poor district of Constantinople 2.jpg|Poor district of Constantinople
Poor district of Constantinople.jpg
Constantinople at night - Panoramic.png
</gallery>
</tabber>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{ACR}}
[[Category:Turkey]]
[[Category:Constantinople| ]]

Assassin's Creed Wiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Constantinople