Historical figures in Constantinople

The atlas holds 27 people and 58 moments here, from 513 BC to 2020. The most recorded lives are Constantine the Great, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and Justinian I. Among them Writers, Military Leaders and Political Leaders, across the Ottoman Empire and the Ancient World.

Notable people

1. Agatha Christie

   in 1928

   1 moment here

   English novelist, playwright, and memoirist, internationally known for detective fiction featuring Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.…

2. Amadou Toumani Touré

   in 2020

   1 moment here

   Malian army officer and politician known as ATT. He led Mali’s 1991–1992 democratic transition, served as elected president from 2002 until his 2012…

3. Baháʼu'lláh

   in 1863

   1 moment here

   Baháʼu'lláh (Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʻAlí Núrí) was an Iranian religious leader and founder of the Baháʼí Faith.…

4. Claude Simon

   in 1937

   1 moment here

   French novelist, painter, photographer, viticulturist, Resistance participant, and 1985 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate.…

5. Constantine the Great

   from 324 to 336

   12 moments here

   Roman emperor from 306 to 337. Born at Naissus, Constantine served under Diocletian and Galerius in the eastern empire, joined his father in Britain,…

6. Darius the Great

   in 513 BC

   1 moment here

   Darius I, commonly called Darius the Great, was Achaemenid king of kings from 522 to 486 BCE.…

7. Florence Nightingale

   from 1854 to 1856

   3 moments here

   English social reformer, statistician, and nursing pioneer. Nightingale’s documented movements span childhood homes in England; travel and nursing…

8. Gustave Flaubert

   in 1850

   1 moment here

   French novelist and major exponent of literary realism, best known for Madame Bovary, Salammbô, Sentimental Education, Three Tales, and his extensive…

9. Hans Christian Andersen

   in 1841

   1 moment here

   Danish writer renowned for literary fairy tales including “The Little Mermaid,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Snow Queen,” and “The Ugly…

10. Harun al-Rashid

    in 782

    1 moment here

    Harun al-Rashid was the fifth Abbasid caliph, reigning from 786 to 809. Born at Ray, he led expeditions against Byzantium before becoming caliph,…

11. Ibn Battuta

    in 1333

    1 moment here

    Maghrebi Muslim jurist, traveller, explorer, and author from Tangier. Between 1325 and 1354 he journeyed through North and East Africa, the Middle…

12. Imam Shamil

    in 1869

    2 moments here

    Avar imam, political and military leader of the Caucasian Imamate, and principal leader of North Caucasian resistance to Imperial Russia during the…

13. John Chrysostom

    from 398 to 404

    2 moments here

    John Chrysostom (c. 347–407) was a Christian preacher, theologian, and archbishop of Constantinople.…

14. Justinian I

    from 518 to 565

    5 moments here

    Eastern Roman emperor from 527 to 565, noted for the Corpus Juris Civilis, extensive building programs, religious policy, and campaigns that…

15. Le Corbusier

    in 1911

    1 moment here

    Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, known as Le Corbusier, was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, painter, writer, and urban planner.…

16. Leon Trotsky

    in 1929

    2 moments here

    Leon Trotsky (Lev Davidovich Bronstein) was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet political leader, Marxist theorist, and organizer of the Red Army.…

17. Mark Twain

    in 1867

    1 moment here

    Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known as Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, journalist, lecturer, riverboat pilot, and traveler.…

18. Mesrop Mashtots

    in 422

    1 moment here

    Armenian linguist, cleric, educator, and inventor traditionally credited with creating the Armenian alphabet.…

19. Mimar Sinan

    from 1512 to 1588

    2 moments here

    Mimar Sinan was the Ottoman Empire’s chief architect and a military engineer under Süleyman I, Selim II, and Murad III.…

20. Muhammad Ali of Egypt

    in 1846

    1 moment here

    Ottoman Albanian military commander and wālī of Egypt from 1805 to 1848. Muhammad Ali consolidated power in Egypt, undertook campaigns in Arabia and…

21. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

    from 1899 to 1938

    8 moments here

    Ottoman officer, Turkish field marshal, revolutionary statesman, founder of the Republic of Turkey, and its first president.…

22. Philip II of Macedon

    in 340 BC

    1 moment here

    King of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. Philip transformed Macedon into the dominant power in Greece through military reform,…

23. Pope Benedict XVI

    in 2006

    1 moment here

    Joseph Alois Ratzinger (1927–2022), Pope Benedict XVI, was a German Catholic theologian, archbishop, cardinal, prefect of the Congregation for the…

24. Pranab Mukherjee

    in 2013

    1 moment here

    Indian politician and statesman who served as the 13th President of India from 25 July 2012 to 25 July 2017.…

Moments

1. 513 BC Crossing the Bosporus into Europe Darius the Great
2. 340 BC Siege of Byzantion Philip II of Macedon
3. 324 Besieges Byzantium Constantine the Great
4. 324 Lands at the Sacred Promontory Constantine the Great
5. 324 Wins at Chrysopolis Constantine the Great
6. 325 Visits Constantinople during construction Constantine the Great
7. 326 Returns briefly to Constantinople Constantine the Great
8. 327 Returns to Constantinople Constantine the Great
9. 330 Dedicates Constantinople Constantine the Great
10. 331 Lives in Constantinople Constantine the Great
11. 332 Returns to Constantinople after the Gothic war Constantine the Great
12. 335 Holds his tricennalia in Constantinople Constantine the Great
13. 335 Returns to Constantinople Constantine the Great
14. 336 Spends his last winter in Constantinople Constantine the Great
15. 398 Ordination as bishop of Constantinople John Chrysostom
16. 404 Final departure from Constantinople John Chrysostom
17. 422 Audience at Constantinople Mesrop Mashtots
18. 518 Resides at the Palace of Hormisdas Justinian I
19. 525 Marries Theodora in Constantinople Justinian I
20. 532 Addresses the Nika rebels in the Hippodrome Justinian I
21. 537 Inaugurates Hagia Sophia Justinian I
22. 565 Dies in Constantinople Justinian I
23. 782 Campaign at Chrysopolis Harun al-Rashid
24. 1333 Spends a month in Constantinople Ibn Battuta
25. 1512 Sent to Constantinople for Janissary training Mimar Sinan
26. 1526 Departs Constantinople for Hungary Suleiman the Magnificent
27. 1543 Returns to Istanbul from Hungary Suleiman the Magnificent
28. 1553 Departs Istanbul for final Safavid campaign Suleiman the Magnificent
29. 1566 Leaves Constantinople on final campaign Suleiman the Magnificent
30. 1588 Death in Constantinople Mimar Sinan
31. 1841 Arrives in Constantinople Hans Christian Andersen
32. 1844 Near Eastern tour: Constantinople William Makepeace Thackeray
33. 1846 Visit and reconciliation in Istanbul Muhammad Ali of Egypt
34. 1850 Five-week stay in Constantinople Gustave Flaubert
35. 1854 Arrival at Scutari Barracks Florence Nightingale
36. 1855 Return to Scutari during cholera outbreak Florence Nightingale
37. 1856 Return to Scutari before departure Florence Nightingale
38. 1863 Arrival in Constantinople Baháʼu'lláh
39. 1867 Views Constantinople from the Bosporus Mark Twain
40. 1869 Reception at Topkapı Palace Imam Shamil
41. 1869 Audience at Dolmabahçe Palace Imam Shamil
42. 1899 Enters the Ottoman Military Academy Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
43. 1905 Graduates from the Military College Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
44. 1909 Marches to the outskirts of Constantinople Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
45. 1911 Constantinople on Voyage d'Orient Le Corbusier
46. 1912 Returns to Constantinople Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
47. 1918 Returns to occupied Constantinople Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
48. 1919 Departs Istanbul aboard Bandırma Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
49. 1927 Returns to Istanbul after the national struggle Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
50. 1928 Orient Express journey to Istanbul Agatha Christie

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