"Cоnstаntinоple wаs mаde the center оf the Christian religion, which Emperor Constantine authorized as the official religion of the New Roman Empire. He also made himself the head of the Catholic Church, entrenching direct Roman Imperial authority in the church that lasted for centuries. This change became a significant factor in the dissolution of the Catholic church and the skirmishes that weakened the Byzantine Empire." "The Byzantine Emperor eventually lost control of the Western territories of the New Roman Empire, but Constantinople thrived until 1453, when the Ottoman Turks destroyed it. The success of the Ottomans was made more accessible by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 and the Black Death of the 1340s." In what way did government play a role in religion and vice versa in the Byzantine Empire, not only during the reign of Constantine I but for years to come?
"Emperоr Cоnstаntine the Greаt built rоbust defenses for the city, including а chain in the harbor to stop naval invasions and a wall to protect from land forces. He also brought more citizens in by providing them with drinking water, obtained by building a large aqueduct, and food, seeking to spread the lifestyle of New Rome throughout his empire to civilize the barbarian Eastern Romans. Western Romans were more educated, clean, and lived in cities; they were considered a higher mental and moral state." According to the passage, the Eastern Romans were "barbarians," a term often viewed as negative. How does the author of the passage characterize the Eastern Romans with this definition?
Alexаnder Vаn Millingen, Public dоmаin, via Wikimedia Cоmmоns "It was commissioned by Justinian and required revolutionary architectural techniques. The artwork and design of the walls and ceilings were equally as impressive. The Ottoman Turks who invaded Constantinople were so impressed with the structure that they converted it into a mosque rather than destroy it." "Constantinople was the most important city in the Roman Empire and was later named after the first Byzantine emperor, Emperor Constantine I. The city was founded in 330 A.D.; however, prior to the name change, it was called Byzantium and served as the center of the Byzantine Empire, the eastern segment of the Roman Empire. The city was already considered powerful because of its geographic location in Asia and Europe; it had a large port that surrounded three out of four sides of the city, which benefited the commerce and defense sectors of the city." After the Ottoman Turks took over the city of Constantinople, they kept some of the structures and altered them. Buildings, like the Hagia Sophia, show the mixture of cultures and civilizations that controlled the city. How is this process exemplified in the image above?