Built during the reign of Emperor Theodosius II (408-450 CE), these defenses were recognized as the most formidable protection throughout Europe and were thought to be impregnable. The city had been the object of fighting throughout the centuries, but it survived siege after siege primarily because of its Theodosian Walls protecting its western side from land attacks. Still, Constantinople was looked on as the last bastion between Christian Europe and the Muslim Ottoman Empire. By the 15th century, however, both the city and the empire were in decline schism had weakened the church, warring among European powers had caused fragmentation of the empire, and plague had killed off much of the population. The ruler moved his government to the city, and it consequently became the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the center of Christianity - a position it held for a millennium. Constantinople (now known as Istanbul) had long been an important trading hub by the time it was officially established by Roman emperor Constantine the Great in 330 CE. Parts of Anthony Doerr's novel Cloud Cuckoo Land take place during the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 CE. This article relates to Cloud Cuckoo Land
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