Constantine moves the Roman Capital! (Article)

Constantine moved Rome’s capitol to Byzantium in 330 AD, naming it ‘Constantinople’, because he wanted the capital to be in a safer place, that was also easy to control from.

In 330 AD, western Rome was very dangerous, due to the many barbarian attackers who assaulted Rome. Also, many Romans show there little patriotism and loyalty, as they were ‘Germanic’ folk who were ‘less Roman’, which eventually made Constantine move the capital to Byzantium. By moving the capitol there, he was in the eastern empire, which was wealthier and better off than the western one.

Also, in the eastern empire, he had more control, and a better military so he would be better protected. Constantinople was also on top of a vital trade route, which allowed him to control traffic flowing near the Istanbul Strait. Because of this, the capital had a great economy, and exponentially increased Rome financially. All in all, Constantine moved the capital because of the many difficulties happening inside and outside of Rome. Moving the capital to Byzantium greatly helped Rome in many ways.