Hello everyone and welcome to the history of Byzantium Episode 240, Manoels Constantinople.

The last time we looked around the capital it was 1025 AD and it was Episode 167 of the

podcast. We won't be going into the same level of detail today but it's important to take note

of a few developments which will help us understand the narrative better. I actually flagged up two of

these in that episode. The move of the Imperial family from the Great Palace to the Palace of

La Chiernai and the repopulation of the land along the Golden Horn by foreign merchants.

In broad terms, Constantinople has been on the rise ever since the 9th century. The population of

the city had grown and grown, now touching the 200 to 400,000 range. That was an astonishing number.

Everyone who wrote about their visit to the city commented on its unbelievable size. Unless

they'd been to Baghdad, their eyes would never have beheld anything like it. The post-Manzikert

collapse in Anatolia had only added to the size of the city. Many rich families from the plateau

had fled to the capital, bringing their servants and retainers with them. The population growth,

which Europe was enjoying during these centuries, had also filtered down to Byzantium. Cities

across the Balkans were growing organically and new Rome was amongst them.

In fact, by Manoel's day, the infrastructure of the now ancient city was beginning to creak.

Some part of the aqueduct of valence seems to have malfunctioned. The emperor received

several petitions complaining that the water supply had become inadequate even in winter.

Manoel had a new underground reservoir constructed on the outskirts of the city, whose contents

could then be piped into the channels that still worked. The major highway into the city also

became unsafe during this era. This was the road that ran from the Chasianan or Adrianople Gate

and connected with the Messi in the centre of the city. Apparently, during John's reign,

a bog had developed halfway down this road. The paving, having given way to mud,

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