folks, we're continuing our series on Constantinople. last time we introduced the city via its geography, Constantine making it the capital of the Roman Empire, and the Theodosian Walls. this time, we get into the early Medieval history of the city, which also happens to be the real golden age for Constantinople. beginning under Emperor Justinian I, Constantinople took the mantle of "Rome" seriously and began a long revanchist campaign to take back parts of the former Western Roman Empire, turned it into a religious and cultural capital, made it unbelievably wealthy, and had some zany fun on the way too. everything after Justinian I's rule is the long, slow decline toward 1453 and the Fall but it takes a while before anyone notices, so the Golden Age continues for at least a couple of more centuries. we talk about all that today!