Byzantine Constantinople, the walls of the city and adjoining historical sites — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Byzantine Constantinople, the walls of the city and adjoining historical sites
John Stuart Mill · en
The wall of Anthemius was erected in 413,[166] the fifth year of
Theodosius II., then about twelve years of age, and is now represented
by the inner wall in the fortifications that extend along the west of
the city, from the Sea of Marmora to the ruins of the Byzantine Palace,
known as Tekfour Serai. The new city limits were thus placed at a
distance of one mile to one mile and a half west of the Wall of
Constantine.
This change in the position of the landward line of defence involved the
extension likewise of the walls along the two shores of the city; but
though that portion of the work must have been included in the plan of
Anthemius, it was not executed till after his day. As we shall find, the
new seaboard of the capital was fortified a quarter of a century later,
in 439, under the direction of the Prefect Cyrus, while Theodosius II.
was still upon the throne.
The bulwarks of Anthemius saved the city from attack by Attila. They
were too formidable for him to venture to assail them.
But they suffered soon at the hands of the power which was to inflict
more injury upon the fortifications of Constantinople than any other
foe. In 447, only thirty-four years after their construction, the
greater portion of the new walls, with fifty-seven towers, was
overthrown by a series of violent earthquakes.[167] The disaster was
particularly inopportune at the moment it occurred, for already in that
year Attila had defeated the armies of Theodosius in three successive
engagements, ravaged with fire and sword the provinces of Macedonia and
Thrace, and come as near to Constantinople as Athyras (Buyuk
Tchekmedjè). He had dictated an ignominious treaty of peace, exacting
the cession of territory south of the Danube, the payment of an
indemnity of 6000 pounds of gold, and the increase of the annual tribute
paid to him by the Eastern Empire from 700 pounds of gold to 2100.
The crisis was, however, met with splendid energy by Constantine, then
Prætorian Prefect of the East, and under his direction, as Marcellinus
Comes affirms, the walls were restored in less than three months after
their overthrow.[168] But besides restoring the shattered bulwarks of
his predecessor, Constantine seized the opportunity to render the city a
much stronger fortress than even Anthemius had made it. Accordingly,
another wall, with a broad and deep moat before it, was erected in front
of the Wall of Anthemius, to place the city behind three lines of
defence. The walls were flanked by 192 towers, while the ground between
the two walls, and that between the Outer Wall and the Moat, provided
room for the action of large bodies of troops. These five portions of
the fortifications rose tier above tier, and combined to form a
barricade 190-207 feet thick, and over 100 feet high.[169]