The city of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) was founded by Roman emperor Constantine I in 324 CE and it acted as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantine Empire as it has later become known, for well over 1,000 years. Although the city suffered many attacks, prolonged sieges, internal rebellions, and even a period of occupation in the 13th century CE by the Fourth Crusaders, its legendary defences were the most formidable in both the ancient and medieval worlds.
Ottoman Warriors - the Roman nemesis. Manzikert introduced the Turks permanently to Anatolia (the sultanate of "Rum", or "Rome"), but the Seljuks did not last long as a threat to Byzantium. However the coincidence of the rise of the Ottoman Turks with the temporary loss of Constantinople to the Latins would prove fatal to the diminishing empire.