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Emperor Constantine I founded Constantinople, the Byzantine capital.Constantinople was famed for its large deffenses.
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Justinian wanted to revive the empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the Roman Empire.
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General Belisarius was helpful to Emperor Justinian's project of reconquering much of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century ago. He proved himself an able and effective commander.
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Hagia Sophia served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It was famous for its massive dome.
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Islams wanted to capture Constatinople. They installed a loose blockade around Constantinople and used the peninsula of Cyzicus near the city as a base to spend the winter, and returned every spring to attack. Byzantine eventually won using "Greek fire."