Nicée

Nicée (nowadays İznik ) is a town of Anatolia (Turkey) known especially for two Concile S of the beginning of the history of the Christian Church .

Description

The city is located in a fertile basin at the Eastern end of the Lac Ascanion, surrounded by a range of hills in north and the south. The western wall gives on the lake, providing a protection against a seat and a source of supply difficult to block. The lake is sufficiently large so that it is difficult to organize there a blockade (during the Siège of Nicée, the city was supplied besides by the lake) and the enough important city to make difficult any attempt at blocking of the boats with machines of seat from the coast.

Old évêché, the city was completely surrounded by 5 km of walls height a 10 m, reinforced of more than one hundred turns. Themselves were surrounded by a double ditch on the terrestrial part. Large doors on the three terrestrial sides were the only entries in the city.

Nowadays the walls are bored at many places by the roads, but much of these fortifications remain and are a major tourist attraction. The population is of approximately 15 000 people.

History

Foundation

Nicée (in Greek old: Νικαία / Nikaia , victory ) was founded towards 316 av. J. - C. by the king Macedonian Antigone One-eyed the, on an older site undoubtedly. It had taken the control of most of minor Asia after the death of Alexandre Large the, under the orders of which it had been useful as general. It gave its name to this new city: Antigoneia .

Other generals of Alexandre (known unit as the Diadoque S) conspired then to drive out Antigone. Having overcome the territory was given, like its share, with Lysimaque, king de Thrace, in 301 av. J. - C.. It re-elected the city Nicée in homage to his wife Nikaia.

Antiquity

Nicée became then the capital of the kingdom of Bithynie which was to be annexed into 74 before J. - C. with the Roman Empire. This domination did not penalize the city which still developed and obtained even with new ramparts, a ancient Théâtre, baths and temples. The Christianisme was essential on it easily.

The city was built on an important crossroads between the Galatie and the Phrygie, it thus had an active trade. It appears to have lost of its importance during the beginning of the Roman empire a few hundred years afterwards. But that changed completely with the division of the empire between the east and the west. The known oriental party then as the Byzantine Empire made of it a protection in the south of her capital Constantinople. Most of architecture and of defensive work were set up at this period towards 300 before earthquakes do not ruin them.

In 325, took place the first council of the Catholic church (i.e. universal ). This council of Nicée, under the reign of Constantin I {{er}}, worked out the Symbole of Nicée and condemned the Arianisme.

The Middle Ages

The church of Sainte Sophie (in Greek Αγια Σοφια/Agia Sofia holy wisdom (divine) ) was built by Justinien Ier at the 6th century in the middle of the city (on the model of that of the same name in Constantinople), and the second council in 787 discussed there the Question of the icons (quarrel iconoclast).

The city knew a long peace until the conquest by the Turks Seldjoukides in 1077. It found peace only when it was firmly between their hands the following year. It became their capital.

This event started the First crusade at the request of Byzance and the armies of all Europe converged until putting in 1097 the seat in front of the city. Not having been able to plunder this one because Byzance had occupied it before them, the crusaders were dissatisfied.

Constantinople fell later in 1204 to the hands from the European armies from the Fourth crusade which installed the Latin Empire of Constantinople. It had little control on the area and several small Byzantine kingdoms transfer the day like the Épire and Trébizonde. However it was Nicée which formed the core of the Byzantine empire with Theodore Lascaris. Its successors slowly increased their fields and in 1259 Michel VIII Paleologist usurped the throne. He took Constantinople on Latin in 1261 and restored the Byzantine empire.

In 1331 the city fell to the hands from the Othoman which re-elected it İznik . With the catch of Constantinople in 1453, the city lost importance safe with becoming a local center of ceramic manufacture of at the 17th century. Then this industry moved with Istanbul.

Modern times

When the principal line of railroad avoided it, it became a secondary city.

Famous people

The large Greek astronomer Hipparque was born in Nicée towards 194 av. J. - C. and the mathematician and Greek astronomer Sporos towards 240.

I {{er}} council of Nicée
IIe council of Nicée
Empire of Nicée

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