The military forces that were stationed in Constantinople consisted mostly of men of the imperial guard (the units of which were called “scholae” during the Early Byzantine period and “tagmata” during the Middle period). Units of regular army that were camped in Thrace and Bithynia were responsible for guarding the city walls in case of siege, while the citizens, and especially the members of guilds and the demoi, played important role in Constantinople’s defense.

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Village on the European shore of the Bosporus with mixed population including Greek Orthodox, Jews, Muslims and Armenians. The Jewish presence in the settlement was important, while the Greek Orthodox population (the only inhabitants of the village until the arrival of Jews and Muslims in the 16th c.) increased considerably in the 19th c. before it finally declined in the 20th c. The Greek Orthodox community maintained schools and several clubs.

After the Fall, many churches in Constantinople were modified into Muslim religious sites. During the follοwing centuries, quite a few churches burned down due to multiple fires. Later on, during the 19th century, at the time of Tanzimat, many orthodox churches were constructed.