The Christian population of Constantinople in the 1st half of the 19th century

Since the ancient times, the capital of the Byzantine and then Ottoman empires has been a major international center, a major transport node that was crucial for both land and sea trade routes from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. The unique geopolitical role of Constantinople in the life of the Mediterranean ecumene was obvious already in antiquity. With the accession of the Ottomans on the shores of the Bosphorus, the role of Turkey in pan-European international relations increased drastically. Turkey has become a welcome ally for the leading Western European powers - England and France - its territory granted access to the trade route to the East. Even after the Turks conquered Constantinople, it remained a multinational city with a large Christians population - both Catholics and Orthodox. There were quarters of their residence in the city: Fanar, Pera, Galata and others. The city was famous for translators, dragomen, who, as residents of Levant, were indispensable assistants to the European embassies in their daily relations with Porta. Christians, both Catholics and Orthodox, made up a significant part of population of the Turkish capital, approximately the same proportion of the Muslim and the Christian population of Constantinople remained for quite a long time. The role of Christians in government and in the diplomatic service was constantly significant.