Brainliesttt ! 1. why was constantinople called "new rome"? constantine the great built the city to resemble rome, the center of the western roman empire. constantinople was geographically close to rome, the center of the western roman empire. constantine the great did not recognize the existence of "old rome" and sought to re-invent it. 2. which of the following best describes the internal political turmoil that contributed to the decline of the byzantine empire? a group of peasants banded together in an attempt to overthrow the imperial family and become the ruling class. church leaders fought with the emperors over who ruled the empire. siblings within the imperial family fought over which one was the true emperor. a group of wealthy landowners attempted to control the empire by gaining control of the military.