The village is attested since
Classical Antiquity as Derkos/Delkos/Derkoi, but Emperor
Anastasius I (r. 491–518) raised it to the status of a city and rebuilt it as a forward stronghold for the defence of
Constantinople. It was also probably at the same time created an
episcopal see After the
capture of Constantinople by the
Fourth Crusade and the
partition of the Byzantine Empire among the Crusader leaders, Derkos became part of the new
Latin Empire until 1247, when the
Nicaean emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes captured it. Derkos served as the base of
Andronikos IV Palaiologos in his failed usurpation attempt in 1373 against his father
John V Palaiologos (r. 1341–1376, 1379–1391). By the 1420s, Derkos was one of the few cities still held by the Byzantines along the
Black Sea coast. As such, it formed the
appanage of the future
Constantine XI Palaiologos (r. 1449–1453) in 1421, when his father
Manuel II Palaiologos (r. 1391–1425) assigned various portions of the empire to his sons. The town was taken by the Ottomans during their preparations for their
final siege of Constantinople, in early 1453 or perhaps even in 1452. The moats and earthworks erected by the Ottomans during this operation were allegedly still visible in the 1660s, when the traveller
Evliya Çelebi visited the city. In the late 19th century, the town had a Christian population of 400, many of whom were Bulgarians. A church dedicated to St. George still existed until the early 20th century, but today few Byzantine and ancient remains are visible; some Roman-era inscriptions are located in the
Archaeological Museum of Istanbul. The medieval fortress still exists in a partially well-preserved state, some 1 km west of the settlement, close to the lake, although large sections were torn down in the late 20th century to furnish building material. ==References==