Which city did Constantine establish as the new eastern capital?

• A. Rome
• B. Constantinople
• C. Antioch
• D. Alexandria

Answer: (B)

Constantine aimed to base imperial power where it could be best defended and most effectively administered, especially to manage the eastern provinces and their wealth. He chose Byzantium, a strong, strategic site on the Bosporus that links Europe and Asia, and he rebuilt and renamed it Constantinople. Establishing the imperial residence there made it the eastern capital and signaled a shift of political and administrative weight from Rome toward the East. This move shaped the future of the empire, with Constantinople remaining the center of power for centuries. Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria were important centers, but none served as the new capital established by Constantine.