Question

based on the map, why do you think Constantinople was so important to the development of the Kiev?

a) it was closest to the Viking homeland
b) it was a center of trade on the Mediterranean
c) it was well protected from Mongol invasion
d) it was a good defensive position along the steppe

Answer 1

B. It was a center of trade on the Mediterranean

For more than 1000 years Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine empire. It had an strategic position for trade, and many trading routes passed through there. It was the biggest and richest city in all of Europe.

Answer 2

Constantinople was important to the development of the Kiev, because:

"b) it was a center of trade on the Mediterranean"

People paid tribute to the prince’s tax collectors. Also there was trade of furs, money, and slaves, between Constantinople and  Kiev.