Tsargrad
Encyclopedia
Tsargrad is a historic Slavic
name for the city of Constantinople
, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the "Byzantine Empire
". Today the city is known as Istanbul
, and is the largest city in Turkey
.
Other historic Slavonic names of the city were Константинь градъ (in Old Church Slavonic
as well as Church Slavonic) and Константиноградъ (only in Church Slavonic). Both are direct translation of the Greek name of the city (Κωνσταντινούπολη) and mean the city of Constantine
.
Tsargrad is an Old Church Slavonic translation of the Greek
Βασιλὶς Πόλις. Combining the Slavonic words tsar
for "Caesar
/ Emperor
" and grad for "city", it stood for "the City of the Caesar". According to Per Thomsen, the Old Russian form influenced an Old Norse
appellation of Constantinople, Miklagard (Мikligarðr).
Bulgaria
ns also applied the word to Tarnovgrad
(Tsarevgrad Tarnov, "Imperial City of Tarnov") , one of the capitals of the Bulgarian tsars, but after the Balkans
fell under Ottoman
rule, the Bulgarian word has been used exclusively as another name of Constantinople.
After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the burgeoning Russian Empire
had begun to see itself as the last extension of the Roman Empire
, and the force that would resurrect the lost leviathan (Third Rome
). This belief was the supported by the Russian Orthodox Church
and given at least an air of legitimacy by the marriage of Ivan III to the heiress of the last Byzantine Emperor. It was allegedly an objective of the Tsars to recapture the city, but despite many southern advances and expansion by the empire, this was never realized owing to the Western interference in the Crimean War
.
As the zeitgeist
which spawned the term has faded, the word Tsargrad is now an archaic term in Russian
. It is however still used occasionally in Bulgarian
, particularly in a historical context. A major traffic artery in Bulgaria's capital Sofia carries the name Tsarigradsko shose ("Tsarigrad Road
"); the road begins as the Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard
and continues into the main highway
that leads southeast to Istanbul. The name Tsarigrad is also retained in word groups such as tsarigradsko grozde ("Tsarigrad grapes", meaning "gooseberry
"), the dish tsarigradski kyuftentsa ("small Tsarigrad kofta
s") or sayings like "One can even get to Tsarigrad by asking". In Slovene it is still largerly used and often preferred over the official name.
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
name for the city of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the "Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
". Today the city is known as Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, and is the largest city in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Other historic Slavonic names of the city were Константинь градъ (in Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Church Slavic was the first literary Slavic language, first developed by the 9th century Byzantine Greek missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius who were credited with standardizing the language and using it for translating the Bible and other Ancient Greek...
as well as Church Slavonic) and Константиноградъ (only in Church Slavonic). Both are direct translation of the Greek name of the city (Κωνσταντινούπολη) and mean the city of Constantine
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
.
Tsargrad is an Old Church Slavonic translation of the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
Βασιλὶς Πόλις. Combining the Slavonic words tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
for "Caesar
Caesar (title)
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
/ Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
" and grad for "city", it stood for "the City of the Caesar". According to Per Thomsen, the Old Russian form influenced an Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
appellation of Constantinople, Miklagard (Мikligarðr).
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
ns also applied the word to Tarnovgrad
Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra River and is famous as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, attracting many tourists...
(Tsarevgrad Tarnov, "Imperial City of Tarnov") , one of the capitals of the Bulgarian tsars, but after the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
fell under Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
rule, the Bulgarian word has been used exclusively as another name of Constantinople.
After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the burgeoning Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
had begun to see itself as the last extension of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, and the force that would resurrect the lost leviathan (Third Rome
Third Rome
The term Third Rome describes the idea that some European city, state, or country is the successor to the legacy of the Roman Empire and its successor state, the Byzantine Empire ....
). This belief was the supported by the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
and given at least an air of legitimacy by the marriage of Ivan III to the heiress of the last Byzantine Emperor. It was allegedly an objective of the Tsars to recapture the city, but despite many southern advances and expansion by the empire, this was never realized owing to the Western interference in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
.
As the zeitgeist
Zeitgeist
Zeitgeist is "the spirit of the times" or "the spirit of the age."Zeitgeist is the general cultural, intellectual, ethical, spiritual or political climate within a nation or even specific groups, along with the general ambiance, morals, sociocultural direction, and mood associated with an era.The...
which spawned the term has faded, the word Tsargrad is now an archaic term in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. It is however still used occasionally in Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
, particularly in a historical context. A major traffic artery in Bulgaria's capital Sofia carries the name Tsarigradsko shose ("Tsarigrad Road
Tsarigrad Road
Tsarigradsko shose is the largest boulevard in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. It begins from Orlov Most , before which it is called Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard, and in the end becomes part of the Trakiya motorway . It runs from the north-west to the south-east...
"); the road begins as the Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard
Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard
Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard is a boulevard in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It lies between Orlov most to the east and Nezavisimost Square to the west, where it merges with Knyaz Aleksandar Dondukov Boulevard to form Todor Aleksandrov Boulevard west of the square...
and continues into the main highway
Trakiya motorway
The Trakia motorway or Thrace motorway, designated A1, is a motorway currently in construction in Bulgaria. It is planned to connect the capital of Sofia with Burgas on the Black Sea through Plovdiv and with Kalotina on the Serbian border. The motorway is named after the historical region of...
that leads southeast to Istanbul. The name Tsarigrad is also retained in word groups such as tsarigradsko grozde ("Tsarigrad grapes", meaning "gooseberry
Gooseberry
The gooseberry or ; Ribes uva-crispa, syn. R. grossularia) is a species of Ribes, native to Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia...
"), the dish tsarigradski kyuftentsa ("small Tsarigrad kofta
Kofta
Kofta is a Middle Eastern and South Asian meatball or meatloaf.In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced or ground meat—usually beef or lamb—mixed with spices and/or onions...
s") or sayings like "One can even get to Tsarigrad by asking". In Slovene it is still largerly used and often preferred over the official name.