Constantinople changed the history of the World

Constantinople, known as Istanbul, is a strategic city in nowadays Turkey. It was the city that changed the history of countries and the world.

Byzantine Empire ruled Constantinople for long time. But history changed its course to decide the future of many nations, like India when conquered by Ottoman Empire. The old-walled city of Istanbul stands on a triangular peninsula between Europe and Asia.

Silk Road blocked

The trade between Europe and Asia was used to take place through the silk road till the 15th century. When Byzantine Empire was overthrown by the Ottoman Empire during that century, trade could not be carried out through the ancient silk road.

China and India were very important traders for Europe, as it was very beneficial to traders; also Indian spices were used to preserve the meat in the cold climate of Europe.

Discovery of new lands

Consequently, it began the discovery of lands by the Europeans in order to find the path through which trade could have been carried out to Asia:

– Bartolomeu Dias rounds the “Cape of Storms” (Cape of Good Hope), at the southernmost tip of the African continent;
– Italian explorer Christopher Columbus explores North America;
– Vasco da Gama sails to India and back;
– Christopher Columbus reaches mainland South America.

Colonization

These explorations came with the new era of ‘Colonisation’. African and Asian countries were colonized and exploited for the benefits of the mother country and deep-seated personal interests.

There were freedom struggles in the colonized countries and waves of nationalism spread all over the world.

Some advantages can also be counted. The most important  was that the people of colonial countries felt belongingness with each other, therefore the births of many nation-states took place.

Every region is connected to the other region, directly or indirectly. Peace in the world can be established and sustained if people-to-people engagements are given the utmost priority by countries of the world.