Throughout World History, many empires have left archeological marks in the form of monuments and cities. We can use these landmarks, as well as written accounts of war and migratory patterns, to better understand the cultural and political landscape of empires past.
Covering over 2 million square feet, and holding around half of the world's population, the Persian empire at its peak was unfathomably impressive. Figures such as this make us ask: how much do we really know about the fascinating world of empires?
Empire
A central state with power over other regions. This influence over territories can be exerted through the use of the central power's military force, financial incentives, cultural/religious indoctrination, or the leadership of an emperor.
Characteristics of an Empire
Many characteristics determine the success of an empire, an empire's growth and maintenance in power are one of the most important factors to ensure its lifespan is lengthy. Alongside this, sharing a common enemy with the other nations within your empire seems to be the key to an empire with a united sense of identity and power.
Did you know?
The average lifespan of an empire is 250 years!
Central Power
An empire is one state dominating others. When a region becomes very prosperous and expands, it is almost certainly expanding to take over another region. Absorbing other states is a steppingstone to forming a larger unified state, but the state needs to control and hold its central power over other states in one way or another.
- The influence the central state has over its territories can greatly vary.
- Some empires utilize the central state as a leader but otherwise allow the other regions under its dominion to self-manage.
- In Augustus Caesar's Rome, most periphery states were delegated self-management governmental tasks. This allowed the empire to function smoothly on a smaller municipal scale, as well as a larger global scale.
- Other empires were characterized by a more interventional and controlling central power.
The French Empire
The French Empire executed a controlling central power, Napoleon made baptism compulsory in his empire and is responsible for the substantial spread of Christianity in Northern Europe.
The Ottoman Empire
When the Ottoman Empire took Constantinople, they made the Muslim faith the preeminent religion in their empire, also exercising a very controlling central power.
Once gained, how does the central power remain? The most common resources employed to exert control are the military, culture, religion, and economy.
Military
With military power, a state can fight to take over another region, and then subsequently maintain control with the promise of continued military action. Especially in ancient times, this was the pre-eminent method for the occupation and expansion of territory.
The Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, for instance, was able to assume authority over the Middle East after using cannons to break down the walls of Constantinople. This war also instilled fear into the people and allowed the Sultans (Ottoman emperors) to assume imperial influence over the whole region.
Fig. 1 Ottoman Empire at the height of its power
Culture and Religion
Empires could exert influence through the use of culture and belief systems. This way the daily lives of those in occupied provinces could be manipulated by the central power. Some major ways culture can be influenced within empires is through the use of language, faith, and customs.
British imperialism
Many Celtic regions lost most of their native languages as a result of British imperialism. This massively changed the political landscapes of these regions. Speaking English instead of Gaelic transformed a lot of Celtic areas into a quasi-British culture. Think of how Ireland went from a pagan island to a distinctly Christian Island, largely thanks to England's influence.
Imperialism
A country or state exerts influence over others, particularly in social and economic spheres. Many empires expanded through the imperial occupation of other regions. Imperialism can affect culture, language, institutions, and more.
Fig. 2 British Empire WWI Poster
Economy
Economic control has always been the main factor in imperialism, stemming back to the use of land and supplies to gain power. Trade and commerce can also massively affect an empire's livelihood. It is indicative of a more modern era; however, economic influence can be the main vehicle through which empires establish and maintain power.
British Colonial Influence
The British colonial influence over early North America was exerted via taxation. The early American colonies had plenty of land and resources, and even men to build up military power. However, they were financially hamstrung by Britain, so they remained under British control for some time.
Fig. 3 1771 Middle British Colonies in USA
A Shared Enemy
Regions within an empire are more likely to band together when a common enemy is threatening them. This unites the central and periphery powers together. While the common enemy is often another state threatening war or invasion, it can also be environmental factors such as disease or natural disaster.
Fig. 4 American Empire Banner
Types of Empires
With over 270 Empires existing throughout history, it is expected that these differed in their practices, leadership, and expansions. The four main types of Empires that we see throughout history are: colonial, maritime, land-based, and ideological.
Did you know?
By the end of the 20th century, the United States was the only remaining Empire. Today, there are no official Empires.
| Empire type | Example | Image |
| Colonial Empire | The British Empire colonized and utilized territories in Africa, India, Europe, and North America. These regions and their resources (such as cotton and spices) propped up the British Empire for the better part of 3 centuries. Slave labor was a major factor in the empire's ability to mass-produce products for trade. |  Fig. 5 British Empire
This map shows the British Empire at its height in 1921. |
| Land-Based Empire | The Ming Dynasty in China cultivated porcelain using resources from the land (clay and stone) and established trade with the West. This dynasty nearly doubled in size: at one point spanning from East Asia, to the Turks in the West, and down South as far as Vietnam. |  Fig. 6 Ming Dynasty/World
This Chinese map shows the Ming dynasty in 1800 on the left and the world on the right. |
| Maritime Empire | The Portuguese Empire was able to dominate the spice trade with a massive maritime empire. In the 16th century, the Portuguese had ports across the Indian Ocean, controlling much of Africa, India, and South America. |  Fig. 7 Portuguese Empire
This map shows an anachronous map of the Portuguese Empire, the blue outlines their main areas of influence in the sea. |
| Ideological Empire | The main example of this type of empire is the United States using Hollywood, the internet, and the media at large to make a global impact. |  Fig. 8 Map of Hollywood
This map shows an outline of Hollywood in Califonia, United States. |
Empire Definitions
What makes each Empire different? And what resources, geographical characteristics, and leadership qualities can we use to define each type of Empire?
Colonial Empire Definition
The occupation of external land by a central state is at the core of any empire. However, colonial (or settler) empires take this to the extreme. Occupied states are harvested for resources, and oftentimes slavery is deployed in these areas to speed up resource extraction and production, thereby increasing the wealth of the central power.
Maritime Empire Definition
This type of empire can also go by the title "Mercantile Empire" because of its heavy reliance on travel and trade. The use of waterways was a staple in these empires, as water allowed for the easy formation of trade routes. Using ports and coasts, an empire could maintain influence over several areas and dominate trade industries. Notably, many European empires are maritime based.
Land Based Empire Definition
This is also sometimes referred to as a "Classical Empire". It is characterized by the occupation of land and its corresponding agriculture and wildlife. The processes of the empire revolve around the land it occupies: the style of government used, the type of trade and economic policies, and the socialization that emerges amongst its people all hinge on the empire's core territory and resources.
Ideological Empire:
This is the newest form of an empire, which has emerged mostly in the last century. Rather than using resources, territory, and military, an empire can influence other regions with ideology (information, philosophy, and diplomacy).
Empire Examples
In this chart, you will find some of the world's most influential empires organized in approximate chronological order. Many of these empires took place in different areas and overlapped chronologically. This list is intended to provide examples of different empires and is by no means a complete compilation.
| Ancient Empires | Approximate Time | Pre-Modern Empires | Approximate Time | Modern Empires | Approximate Time |
| Egyptian | 3100-332 BCE | Mayan | 250 - 900 CE | Portuguese | 1415 - 1999 CE |
| Akkadian | 2350-2150 BCE | Byzantine | 395 - 1453 CE | Spanish | 1492 - 1976 CE |
| Babylonian | 1894-1595 BCE | Umayyad | 661 - 750 CE | Russian | 1721 - 1917 CE |
| Chinese (Shang Dynasty) | 1600-1046 BCE | Aztec | 1345 - 1521 CE | British | 16th to 20th century |
| Assyrian | 900- 600 BCE | Mughal | 1526 - 1857 CE | German | 1871 - 1914 CE |
| Persian | 559 - 331 BCE | Holy Roman | 962 - 1806 CE | Japanese | 1868 - 1947 CE |
| Roman | 625 BCE - 476 CE | Ottoman | 1299 - 1923 CE | The United States | Early 20th century - ongoing |
Empire Examples and their governments:
There are many different empires to explore, let's dive into just a few!
British Empire
Known for its collections of the economies of the world such as Argentina, Siam, and China, the British Empire had a worldwide system of trade. Recognized as a colonial empire, the British Empire began colonizing in the early 17th century and went on to grow into North America, Australia, Asia, Africa New Zealand, and parts of South and Central America. Nationalist movements throughout India, Africa, and Asia colonies fought against British rule to gain their independence, marking the beginning of an end to British colonialism. The British Empire had a department for colonial affairs for its expansion, and governors would be appointed to run each colony on behalf of the British government.
Did you know?
The British Empire once covered 13.01 million square miles of land and had 458 million people in 1938, that's more than 20% of the population of the whole world!
Mughal Empire
Land-based empire, the Mughal Empire was located and ruled over much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Founded in 1526 by Sultan Babur after his victory over Lodhi Sultan in 1526, the Mughal Empire was ruled through a federation, absolute monarchy, and a unitary state during its being. Widely known for its act of bringing most of the Indian subcontinent under one rule, the Mughal Empire increased overland trading networks and architectural achievements such as the Taj Mahal.
Federation
A collection of partially self-governing regions, under a central government.
Japanese Empire
The Japanese Empire, also known as imperial Japan, ruled over 675,000 km2. This empire ruled for over 79 years until the WWII constitution and the formation of modern Japan on Sept 2, 1945. This empire can be defined as both maritime and colonial due to its extensive ports, coasts and trade routes across the water as well as its history of colonizing islands in the Pacific, Manchuria, Korea, and Taiwan. Founded in 1868, the Japanese Empire has seen several government rulings, including totalitarianism, military dictatorship, and a dual monarchy.
Totalitarianism
A government that asserts control over all citizens underneath it.
Empire Definition - Key takeaways
- An empire is a central state which has control over a selection of other regions.
- The main characteristics that make up an empire are its central power, economy, military capacity, culture, religion, and shared enemy.
- The list of empires that have existed throughout history is extremely large, it is evident that this system of power and expansion was popular until the end of the 20th century.
- Empires can be defined as five different types of empires depending on their geography, involvement in colonizing, trade, and sea routes. The five types of empires include the following: colonial empire, land-based empire, maritime empire, and ideological empire.
- The type of empire can often be shown through their use of government systems, for example, the colonial empire the British Empire had a specific department for colonial affairs.
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