Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, was located in modern-day Turkey. It was strategically situated on the Bosporus Strait, serving as a bridge between Europe and Asia. Founded as Byzantium, it was later renamed Constantinople in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine the Great, who made it the capital of the Roman Empire. The city played a crucial role in history as a center of trade, culture, and religion until it fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453.