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XXV111
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE.
the sciences, the improvements in social life, the incidents and events which happen in
the world, are subjects to which the attention of the Turk is now turned, and the
fictions of his "story-tellers" are superseded by the realities of life. Every day the
distinctions which marked this great capital, as an Asiatic city on an European soil, are
beginning to disappear, and it is probable that, in a few years, such an amalgamation
of its inhabitants with those of other European cities will take place, that the strong
characteristics which lately distinguished it will only be found in our pictorial representations.
EMPERORS AND SULTANS OF CONSTANTINOPLE,
FROM THE DEDICATION OF THE CITY TO THE PRESENT DAY.
Those individuals only of each dynasty are noticed who reigned at Constantinople.
GREEK DYNASTY.
Flavius Claudius Julian us, nephew of Con-
Family of Constantine.
FlaviusValerius AureliusConstantinus I.
was born in Britain, a.d. 272; crowned at
Rome, 306; transferred the seat of empire
to Constantinople, and dedicated the city to
Christ, 330; died 337, after a reign of thirty
years and nine months. The place of his
birth is doubtful; by some said to be Dacia;
by others, Britain, of which his father was
governor, where he married Helena, a
British lady. Among other evidence is the
panegyric of Eumenes, "Oh, Britain ! blessed
of all lands, who first beheld Csesar Constan-
tinus," &c. Constantine was esteemed an
eloquent preacher, and one of his sermons
has come down to us. He left behind him
three sons, who succeeded him.
Flavius Julius Constantinus II. Junior,
succeeded his father: he was born at Aries,
312; crowned, 337 ; and was killed in 340 in
battle, and his body cast into the river Alsa.
Flavius Julius Constantius was born in
Pannonia, 318; crowned, 326; and died of
apoplexy, 361.
Flavius Julius Constans I. was born 330;
crowned, 333; and died, 350. The manner
of his death is disputed : he either was killed
in battle, or put an end to his own life, to
escape his enemies.
stantine the Great, was born at Constantinople in 332 ; crowned, 361 ; and died, 363.
He was killed in battle in Persia, by an arrow
from a Persian horseman. He endeavoured
to extinguish Christianity, and obtained the
name of the Apostate. In him the family of
Constantine terminated.
Family of Jovian.
Flavius Jovianus was born inPannoniain324;
crowned, 363; and died, 364. He was suffocated by the fumes of charcoal. He revived
Christianity, but lived only seven months and
twenty-one days after he came to the throne.
Family of Valentinianus.
FlaviusValerius Valentinianus I. was born
in Pannonia in 321 ; crowned, 364; and died,
375, of apoplexy.
Flavius Gratianus was born in Belgium in
359 ; crowned, 367 ; and killed in battle, 385.
The empire was now divided into Eastern and
Western; Valentinianus II. was nominated to
the latter, and Valens to the former.
Flavius Valens was born in Pannonia in 328;
crowned, 376 ; and burnt to death in a cottage
in Thrace by the Goths, 378.
Family of Theodosius.
Fla\ius Theodosius I. was born at Seville in
Spain in 335; crowned, 379; and died, 395, |
