The Early Churches

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Theodosius Walls and Hagia Sophia

The walls are named after Emperor Theodosius II, who ruled the Eastern Roman Empire in the early 5th century (408–450 CE). While Constantine the Great built the first set of walls for his new capital, the city grew so rapidly that it quickly “outgrew” its original boundaries.

1. The Great Expansion (413 CE): By the time Theodosius II was a young emperor, the population of Constantinople had exploded. The original walls of Constantine were too close to the city center. Theodosius II (under the guidance of his advisor, Anthemius) ordered the construction of a new line of defense about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) west of the old walls.

This move effectively doubled the size of the city, providing a massive “buffer zone” and room for the city to flourish for the next thousand years.