List of empires
This is an alphabetical list of empires. The table may be resorted by other columns if your browser supports this function.
Empires and dynasties
Empire | Origin | Capital | From | To | Duration | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Achaemenid Empire | Persia | Various, including Pasargadae, Ecbatana, Persepolis, Susa, Babylon | 550 BC | 330 BC | 220 | The first Persian Empire, and the largest one in Classical Antiquity, founded by Cyrus the Great. |
Afsharid Dynasty | Persia | Mashhad | 1736 | 1796 | 60 | |
Ahom Dynasty | North East India | Charaideo, Garhgaon, Rangpur (Ahom capital), Jorhat | 1228 | 1838 | 600 | It is well known for maintaining its sovereignty for nearly 600 years and successfully resisting Mughal expansion in Northeast India. |
Akkadian Empire | Sumer | Akkad | 2300 BC | 2200 BC | 100 | |
Aksumite Empire | Ethiopia | Axum | 150 | 940 | 790 | Succeeded by the Ethiopian Empire. |
Akwamu | West Africa | Akwamufie, Nyanoase | 1505 | 1867 | 362 | |
Almohad Dynasty | Morocco | Marrakech, Seville | 1121 | 1269 | 148 | |
Almoravid Dynasty | Morocco | Aghmat (1040–1062), Marrakech (1062–1147) | 1040 | 1147 | 107 | |
Angevin Empire | England, France | No official capital. Court was generally held at Angers and Chinon | 1154 | 1242 | 88 | |
Armenian Empire | Armenia | Tigranakert | 190 BC | 428 | 618 | Tigranes the Great took the title king of kings. |
Assyria | Mesopotamia | Assur, later Nineveh | 2025 BC | 609 BC | 1119 | |
Ashanti Empire | West Africa | Kumasi | 1670 | 1902 | 232 | |
Austrian Empire | Austria | Vienna | 1804 | 1867 | 63 | Preceded by the Holy Roman Empire. |
Austria-Hungary | Austria, Hungary | Vienna, Budapest | 1867 | 1918 | 51 | Often referred to as the "Austro-Hungarian Empire". Formed out of the Austrian Empire as a result of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. Officially a real union of the rump Austrian Empire (Cisleithania) and the Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen/Transleithania. Ruler was therefore referred to as Kaiser und König ("Emperor-King", literally "Emperor and King") |
Ayyubid Dynasty | Middle East | Cairo, Damascus, Hama | 1171 | 1341 | 170 | Founded by Saladin, See also List of Muslim empires and dynasties. |
Aztec Empire | Mesoamerica | Tenochtitlan | 1428 | 1521 | 93 | The capital of Mexico, Mexico City, is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan. |
Babylonian Empire | Mesopotamia | Babylon | 1900 BC | 1600 BC | 300 | See also Neo-Babylonian Empire. |
Balhae | North Korea, Manchuria | Sanggyeong | 698 | 926 | 228 | Successor of Goguryeo. |
Bamana Empire | West Africa | Ségou | 1712 | 1861 | 149 | Also known as the Bambara Empire or Ségou Empire |
Belgian Colonial Empire | Belgium | Brussels | 1901 | 1962 | 61 | Overseas possessions were referred to as "the colonies" rather than an empire. |
Benin Empire | Nigeria | Benin City | 1440 | 1897 | 457 | |
Bornu Empire | Nigeria | Ngazargamu | 1387 | 1893 | 506 | The continuation of the Kanem Empire. |
Empire of Brazil | Brazil | Rio de Janeiro | 1822 | 1889 | 67 | Established after Pedro I of Brazil declared the independence of Brazil from Portugal. |
Britannic Empire | Britain | Londinium | 286 | 296 | 10 | Was a break-away state of the Roman Empire. See also Carausian Revolt. |
British Colonial Empire | United Kingdom | London | 1603 | 1997 | 415 as of 2018 | The largest Empire in world history. Precursor to the modern Commonwealth of Nations. Empire still continues in the form of British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II remains as sovereign. |
British Raj | Indian Subcontinent | Calcutta (1858–1912), New Delhi (1912–1947) | 1858 | 1947 | 89 | Governed by the Crown and part of the British Empire. Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1876. |
Bruneian Empire | Borneo | Not specified, possibly Kota Batu | 1368 | 1888 | 520 | Lasted until it became a British protectorate in 1888. |
First Bulgarian Empire | Balkans | Pliska (680–893), Preslav (893–972), Skopie (972–992), Ohrid (992–1018) | 680 | 1018 | 338 | Founded by Khan Asparukh. Under Tsar Simeon I became the first powerful Slavic Empire. Falls to the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Basil II. |
Second Bulgarian Empire | Balkans | Tarnovo | 1185 | 1422 | 237 | Successor of the First Bulgarian Empire. Under the Tsars Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II became the most powerful state in the Balkans. |
Buyid Dynasty | Persia | Shiraz | 934 | 1055 | 121 | |
Byzantine Empire | Eastern Roman Empire (Greece, Anatolia, Africa, Palestine, Syria, Italy) | Constantinople | 395 | 1453 | 1058 | The eastern half of the Roman Empire. Term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages. |
Caliphate of Córdoba | Iberian Peninsula | Córdoba | 756 | 1031 | 275 | See also Islamic Empire. |
Carthaginian Empire | North Africa | Carthage | 650 BC | 146 BC | 504 | |
Chagatai Khanate | Transoxania | Almaliq, Qarshi | 1225 | 1687 | 462 | Division of the Mongol Empire. |
Chalukya Dynasty | India | Badami | 543 | 753 | 210 | |
Chera Dynasty | Ancient India | Vanchi Muthur | 300 BC | 300 | 600 | A Tamil Empire. |
Chola Dynasty | Ancient India | Various, including Poompuhar, Urayur, Pazhaiyaarai, Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram | 350 BC | 1279 | 1629 | A Tamil Empire. |
Danish Colonial Empire | Denmark (as Denmark-Norway 1536 - 1814) | Copenhagen | 1350 | 1953 | 603 | See also List of former Danish colonies. |
Delhi Sultanate | India | Delhi | 1206 | 1527 | 321 | |
Durrani Empire | Afghanistan | Kandahar, Kabul | 1747 | 1823 | 75 | |
Dutch Empire | Netherlands | Amsterdam | 1568 | 1975 | 407 | See also Dutch East India Company and Dutch West India Company. |
Egyptian Empire | Egypt | Various, including Thebes, Akhetaten, Pi-Ramesses, Memphis | 1550 BC | 1077 BC | 473 | See also 18th Dynasty, 19th Dynasty & 20th Dynasty. |
Ethiopian Empire | Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | 1137 | 1974 | 837 | |
Fatimid Caliphate | Egypt | Mahdia (909–969), Cairo (969–1171) | 909 | 1171 | 262 | See also Islamic Empire. |
First French empire | France | Paris | 1804 | 1814/1815 | 10 | |
Second French Empire | France | Paris | 1852 | 1870 | 18 | |
French colonial empires | France | Paris | 1534 | 1980 | 446 | End of Empire was formally recognized with the end of French presence in condominium of Vanuatu (see New Hebrides). |
Frankish Empire | Western Europe | Various, including Soissons, Paris, Reims, Orléans, Metz & Aachen | 250 | 950 | 700 | |
Gallic Empire | Rhineland-Palatinate | Colonia Agrippina | 260 | 274 | 14 | Broke off from the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century. |
Gaza Empire | Southern Africa | Not specified | 1824 | 1895 | 71 | |
Georgian Empire | Georgia | Kutaisi, Tbilisi | 1008 | 1490 | 482 | Established in 1008 as an unified kingdom. Georgian kings took title "King of Kings" and ruled over large territory consisting of Georgian, Armenian and Muslim areas, as well as numerous client states. Officially dissolved at 1490. |
German Empire | Germany | Berlin | 1871 | 1918 | 47 | See also German Colonial Empire. |
Ghana Empire | Mauritania, and Western Mali | Koumbi Saleh | 790 | 1240 | 450 | The Empire became known in Europe and Arabia as the "Ghana Empire" by the title of its ruler (meaning "Warrior King"). |
Ghaznavid Dynasty | Afghanistan | Ghazni later Lahore | 963 | 1187 | 224 | |
Ghurid Dynasty | Afghanistan | Firuzkuh | 1148 | 1215 | 67 | |
Goguryeo | Korea | Jolbon, Gungnae City, Pyongyang | 37 BC | 668 | 705 | Predecessor of Balhae and Goryeo. |
Goryeo | Korea | Gaegyeong, Ganghwa | 918 | 1392 | 474 | Successor of Goguryeo. Unification of the Korean Peninsula. State maintained as an empire between 918 and 1274. |
Gorkha Empire | Greater Nepal | 1600 | 1850 | 250 | Unification of Greater Nepal. State maintained as an empire between 1600 and 1840. | |
Göktürk Khaganate | Inner Asia | Ötüken | 552 | 747 | 195 | 552–603 First empire, 603–658 Double empire, 658–681 Dark age, 681–747 Second empire. |
Golden Horde | Central Asia | Sarai Batu | 1240 | 1502 | 260 | Break-away state of the Mongol Empire. |
Empire of Great Fulo | Senegal | Tekrur | 1514 | 1776 | 262 | |
Great Moravian Empire | Central Europe | Mikulčice-Valy | 833 | 900 | 67 | The word "Moravia" did not refer only to present-day Moravia. |
Great Seljuq Empire | Aral Sea, Asia Minor, Persia | Nishapur and later on Rey | 1037 | 1194 | 157 | Turkish empire, Predecessor of the Sultanate of Rum. |
Gurjara-Pratihara | India | Kannauj | 600 | 1136 | 660 | Founded by great king of Gujjars |
Gupta Empire | India | Pataliputra | 320 | 550 | 230 | Founded by Sri Gupta |
Han Dynasty | China | Chang'an, Luoyang, Xuchang | 206 BC | 220 | 426 | Founded by Liu Bang the High Ancestor |
Empire of Harsha | Northern India | Kannauj | 606 | 647 | 41 | Founded by Harshavardhana; collapsed after his death. |
Hephthalite Empire | Afghanistan | Kabul | 420 | 567 | 147 | |
Hittite Empire | Anatolia | Hattusa | 1460 BC | 1180 BC | 280 | See also Neo-Hittite. |
Holy Roman Empire | Central Europe | no capital city | 962 | 1806 | 844 | Referred to simply as the Roman Empire (not to be confused with the actual Roman Empire) before 1157, when it became the Holy Empire. Holy Roman Empire is attested from 1254. Was officially known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, although this designation had fallen out of use again by the 18th century. See Holy Roman Empire § Name |
Hotaki Dynasty | Persia | Isfahan | 1709 | 1738 | 29 | |
Hoysala Empire | India | Belur, Halebidu | 1026 | 1343 | 317 | |
Hunnic Empire | Eurasia | Not specified | 370 | 469 | 99 | |
Idrisid dynasty | Morocco | Fes | 788 | 974 | 186 | Founders of the first Moroccan state. |
Ilkhanate | Persia | Maragheh, Tabriz, Soltaniyeh | 1256 | 1335 | 79 | Division of the Mongol Empire. |
Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy) | Israel | Jerusalem | 1050 BC | 586 BC | 486 | Considers the Start of Saul's reign, through the dual kingdoms of the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and Kingdom of Judah, until the Babylonian conquest of Judah. |
Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyo) | Andes (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, parts of Chile, Argentina and Colombia) | Cusco | 1438 | 1533 | 95 | The largest empire in pre-Columbian America. |
Italian Colonial Empire | Italy | Rome | 1885 | 1943 | 58 | See also Imperial Italy (fascist). |
Empire of Japan | Japan | Tokyo | 1868 | 1947 | 79 | Emperor's government took control of the country in 1868. Regional hegemony in East Asia ended in 1945. The new constitution of 1947 formally abolished the empire.[1] |
Jin dynasty (265–420) | China | Luoyang (265–311), Chang'an (312–316), Jiankang (317–420) | 265 | 420 | 155 | Subdivided into two dynasties. Western Jìn Dynasty, (265–316) Eastern Jìn Dynasty (317–420). |
Jin dynasty (1115–1234) | Northern China, Manchuria | Huining, Zhongdu, Kaifeng | 1115 | 1234 | 119 | Also known as the Jurchens, were the ancestors of the Manchus who established the Qing Dynasty. |
Jolof Empire | West Africa | Linguère | 1350 | 1549 | 199 | Also known as the Wollof Empire. Succeeded by the Kingdom of Jolof (1549–1875). |
Kaabu Empire | West Africa | Kansala | 1537 | 1867 | 330 | Also written Gabu, Ngabou, and N’Gabu'. |
Kanem Empire | Chad | Njimi | 700 | 1387 | 687 | |
Kanva Dynasty | India | Pataliputra, Vidisha | 75 BC | 30 BC | 45 | Replaced the Shunga Empire. |
Kara-Khanid Khanate | Turkistan | Kashgar | 840 | 1212 | 372 | First Turkic dynasty to embrace Islam. |
Khazar Khaganate | Pontic steppe, North Caucasus | Balanjar, later Atil | 700 | 1000 | 300 | Founded by Western Turks, the members of the royal family embraced Judaism. |
Khmer Empire | Cambodia | Hariharalaya (802–889), Angkor (889–1431) | 802 | 1431 | 629 | Succeeded from the kingdom of Chenla. |
Khilji Dynasty | Afghanistan | Kabul, Delhi | 1290 | 1320 | 30 | |
Khwarazmian dynasty | Persia | Urgench | 1077 | 1221 | 144 | |
Kong Empire | West Africa | Kong | 1710 | 1898 | 298 | Also known as the Wattara Empire or Ouattara Empire. |
Korean Empire | Korean Peninsula | Hanseong | 1897 | 1910 | 13 | Was the last ruling Korean dynasties. |
Kushan Empire | Afghanistan | Various, including Mathura, Peshawar, Begram, Taxila | 30 | 345 | 315 | |
Kushite Empire | Egypt, Nubia | Not specified | 760 BC | 656 BC | 104 | |
Latin Empire | Thrace, Asia Minor | Constantinople | 1204 | 1261 | 57 | See also Latinokratia. |
Later Lê dynasty | Vietnam | Đông Kinh | 1428 | 1789 | 361 | |
Liao Dynasty | China | Shangjing | 915 | 1125 | 210 | |
Lodi Sultanate | Afghanistan | Delhi | 1451 | 1526 | 75 | |
Macedonian Empire | Macedonian Kingdom | Pella | 334 BC | 323 BC | 11 | Founded by Alexander the Great. |
Majapahit Empire | Indonesian Archipelago | Majapahit, Wilwatikta | 1293 | 1527 | 234 | |
Mali Empire | West Africa | Niani, later Ka-ba | 1235 | 1610 | 375 | A Mandinka empire founded by Sundiata Keita. |
Mamluk Sultanate | Egypt, Syria | Cairo | 1250 | 1517 | 267 | See also Islamic Empire. |
Manchukuo | Manchuria | Hsinking | 1932 | 1945 | 13 | Created as a Puppet state of the Japanese Empire, with Emperor Puyi (the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty) installed as nominal regent and emperor. |
Maratha Empire | India | Raigad, later Satara | 1674 | 1818 | 144 | Founded by Shivaji Maharaj, also known as the Maratha Confederacy. |
Marinid dynasty | Morocco | Fes | 1244 | 1465 | 221 | |
Massina Empire | West Africa | Hamdullahi | 1820 | 1862 | 42 | |
Mauryan Empire | Ancient India | Pataliputra | 321 BC | 185 BC | 136 | Founded by Chandragupta Maurya. The Mauryan Empire became the largest ever Indian empire under Ashoka and influenced empires from Europe to East Asia. |
Median Empire | Persia | Ecbatana | 625 BC | 549 BC | 76 | First Persian Empire, Founded by Deioces. |
First Mexican Empire | Mexico | Mexico City | 1821 | 1823 | 2 | Preceded the Second Mexican Empire which was short lived (1864–1867). See also Mexican Imperial Orders. |
Second Mexican Empire | Mexico | Mexico City | 1864 | 1867 | 3 | Succeeded the First Mexican Empire which was short lived (1821–1823). See also Mexican Imperial Orders. |
Ming Dynasty | China | Nanjing (1368–1421), Beijing (1421–1644) | 1368 | 1644 | 276 | Founded by Zhu Yuanzhang the Great Marshal. |
Mongol Empire | Mongolia | Karakorum | 1206 | 1368 | 162 | Split into four empires (Yuan Dynasty, Ilkhanate, Chagatai Khanate and Golden Horde). Largest contiguous land empire. |
Mughal Empire | India | Agra, Delhi | 1526 | 1758 | 232 | Founded by Babur. "Mughal" is a Persian word for the Mongols. |
Nanda Empire | India | Pataliputra | 450 BC | 350 BC | 100 | |
Neo-Babylonian Empire | Mesopotamia | Babylon | 626 BC | 539 BC | 87 | See also Babylonian Empire. |
Nguyễn Dynasty | Vietnam | Phú Xuân | 1802 | 1945 | 143 | Was the last ruling Vietnamese Dynasty. |
North Sea Empire | Denmark | Ribe | 1016 | 1035 | 19 | As one historian put it: "When the 11th century began its fourth decade, Canute was, with the single exception of the Emperor, the most imposing ruler in Latin Christendom. ... [H]e was lord of four important realms and the overlord of other kingdoms. Though technically Canute was counted among the kings, his position among his fellow-monarchs was truly imperial. Apparently he held in his hands the destinies of two great regions: the British Isles and the Scandinavian peninsulas. His fleet all but controlled two important seas, the North and the Baltic. He had built an Empire."[2] |
Empire of Nicaea | Bithynia | Nicaea | 1204 | 1261 | 57 | Successor state of the Byzantine Empire. |
Northern Yuan Dynasty | Mongolia | Shangdu, Yingchang, Karakorum | 1368 | 1635 | 267 | Created after the expulsion of the Yuan Dynasty from China in 1368. |
Omani Empire | Oman | Muscat | 1698 | 1856 | 260 | See Oman. |
Ottoman Empire | Anatolia | Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, İstanbul | 1299 | 1922 | 623 | Predecessor of the Republic of Turkey. |
Oyo Empire | Southwestern Nigeria | Oyo-Ile | 1400 | 1905 | 505 | |
Pahlavi Dynasty | Persia | Tehran | 1925 | 1979 | 53 | The last Imperial dynasty of the Persian Empire. |
Pala Empire | India | Pataliputra | 750 | 1174 | 424 | |
Palmyrene Empire | Syria | Palmyra | 260 | 273 | 13 | Broke off from the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century. |
Pandyan Empire | Ancient India | Madurai . Also Tirunelveli, Korkai for few years | 500 BC | 1350 | 1850 | A Tamil Empire.' |
Parthian Empire | Persia | Various, including Asaak, Hecatompylos, Ecbatana, Ctesiphon, Nisa | 247 BC | 224 | 471 | Third Persian Empire, Founded by Arsaces I. |
Pontic Empire | Pontus | Amaseia, Sinope | 120 BC | 47 BC | 73 | Mithridates VI had the title: King of Kings. |
Portuguese Empire | Portugal | Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro (1815–1821) | 1415 | 1999 | 584 | Was the first global empire and the earliest and longest lived of the colonial Western European empires. See also United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. |
Ptolemaic Empire | Egypt | Alexandria | 305 BC | 30 BC | 275 | See also Diadochi. |
Qajar Dynasty | Persia | Tehran | 1794 | 1925 | 131 | |
Qin Dynasty | China | Xianyang | 221 BC | 206 BC | 15 | First dynasty of the Imperial Period. |
Qing Dynasty | China | Shenyang, Beijing | 1644 | 1912 | 268 | Last dynasty of the Imperial Period. |
Rashidun Caliphate | Saudi Arabia | Medina, Kufa | 632 | 661 | 29 | Predecessor of the Umayyad Caliphate, See also Islamic Empire. |
Rashtrakuta Dynasty | India | Manyakheta | 753 | 982 | 229 | |
Roman Empire | Italy | Rome, Constantinople | 27 BC | 1453 | 1480 | Together with The Roman Kingdom, The Roman Republic and the Byzantine Empire, direct Roman states lasted from 753 BC until 1453 AD, 2206 years. |
Rouran Khaganate | Inner China | Not specified | 330 | 555 | 225 | |
Rozwi Empire | Southern Africa | Danangombe | 1660 | 1866 | 206 | |
Russian Empire (Romanov) | Russia | Saint Petersburg | 1721 | 1917 | 196 | Successor state of the Tsardom of Russia. |
Saadi dynasty | Morocco | Marrakech | 1554 | 1659 | 105 | Destroyed and colonized the Songhai Empire. |
Safavid Dynasty | Persia | Tabriz, Qazvin, Esfahan | 1501 | 1736 | 235 | |
Saffarid Dynasty | Persia | Zaranj | 867 | 1002 | 135 | |
Sassanid Dynasty | Persia | Ctesiphon | 224 | 651 | 427 | Fourth Iranian Empire. |
Satavahana Dynasty | India | Amaravathi village, Guntur district Dharanikota | 230 BC | 220 | 450 | An Andhra Dynasty which preceded the Vengi Dynasty of Andhra. |
Samanid Dynasty | Persia | Balkh, Bukhara | 819 | 999 | 180 | |
Seleucid Empire | Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria | Seleucia, Antioch | 312 BC | 63 BC | 249 | See also Diadochi. |
Serbian Empire | Serbia | Skopje, Prizren | 1346 | 1371 | 25 | Founded by Stephen Uroš IV (Dušan the Mighty), fell into feudal disarray after his death. |
Shu Han | China | Chengdu | 221 | 263 | 42 | See also Three Kingdoms. |
Siam Empire | Thailand | Bangkok | 1782 | 1932 | 150 | |
Sikh Empire | Punjab region, India | Amritsar | 1733 | 1849 | 116 | Preceded the British Empire in the Indian subcontinent. |
Sokoto Caliphate | West Africa | Sokoto (1804-1850), (1851-1902), Gudu (1804), Birnin Konni (1850, 1903) | 1804 | 1903 | 99 | |
Song Dynasty | China | Bianjing (960–1127), Lin'an (1127–1279) | 960 | 1279 | 319 | Founded by Zhao Kuangyi the Great Ancestor. |
Songhai Empire | West Africa | Gao | 1340 | 1591 | 251 | Former vassal of the Mali Empire which became one of the largest African empires in history. |
Spanish Empire | Iberian Peninsula | Madrid | 1402 | 1975 | 573 | Was founded with the conquest of the Canary Islands. It was one of the first global empires. |
Srivijaya Empire | Indonesian Archipelago | Palembang, Mataram | 683 | 1293 | 610 | was a powerful ancient thalassocratic Malay empire based on the island of Sumatra,Indonesia, then based on Mataram (Medang Kingdom) under Sailendra's Dynasty |
Sui Dynasty | China | Chang'an | 581 | 618 | 37 | |
Shunga Empire | India | Pataliputra, Vidisa | 185 BC | 73 BC | 112 | Magadha dynasty that controlled North-central and Eastern India. |
Swedish Empire | Sweden | Stockholm | 1611 | 1718 | 107 | See also Swedish overseas colonies. |
Tahirid Dynasty | Persia | Nishapur | 821 | 873 | 52 | |
Tang Dynasty | China | Chang'an (618–904), Luoyang (904–907) | 618 | 907 | 289 | Founded By Li Yuan (aka. Emperor Gaozu of Tang). |
Tay Son Dynasty | Vietnam | Phú Xuân | 1778 | 1802 | 24 | |
Empire of Thessalonica | Epirus, Kingdom of Thessalonica | Thessaloniki | 1224 | 1246 | 42 | Evolved from the Despotate of Epirus. |
Third Reich | Germany | Berlin (1933–1945), Flensburg (1945) | 1933 | 1945 | 12 | Nazi Germany signed a treaty (Tripartite Pact) with the Japanese and Italian Empires. |
Tibetan Empire | Tibet | Lhasa | 755 | 870 | 115 | |
Tondo Dynasty | Philippines | Tondo | 900 | 1587 | 687 | |
Timurid Empire | Persia and Central Asia | Samarkand, Herat | 1370 | 1526 | 156 | Persianized form of the Mongolian word kürügän, Turko-Mongol Empire. |
Tlemcen | Algeria | Tlemcen | 1235 | 1556 | 321 | Zayyanid dynasty |
Empire of Trebizond | Pontus | Trebizond | 1204 | 1461 | 257 | Successor state of the Byzantine Empire and client state of Kingdom of Georgia |
Toltec Empire | Mesoamerica | Tollan-Xicocotitlan | 496 | 1122 | 626 | |
Toucouleur Empire | West Africa | Ségou | 1848 | 1893 | 45 | |
Tu'i Tonga Empire | Tonga, Pacific Ocean | Mu'a | 950 | 1865 | 915 | See History of Tonga. |
Turgesh Khaganate | Turkistan | Balasagun | 699 | 766 | 67 | Founded as a successor of West Turkish empire. |
Umayyad Caliphate | Syria | Damascus, Córdoba (Capital-in-exile) | 661 | 750 | 89 | Successor of the Rashidun Caliphate, See also Islamic Empire. |
Uyunid dynasty | Arabian | Al-Hasa, Qatif | 1076 | 1253 | 163 | The Uyunids, were a Sunni Arab dynasty that ruled Bahrain for 163 years, from the 11th to the 13th centuries. |
Uyghur Khaganate | Central Asia | Ordubaliq | 742 | 848 | 106 | 742–848 Founded as a successor of Göktürk Khaganate, 848–1036 Gansu state, 856–1209 Turfan state. |
Vijayanagara Empire | South India | Vijayanagara | 1336 | 1646 | 310 | The founding of the original kingdom was based on the principality of Anegondi. |
Wari Empire | Peru, Bolivia | Huari/Tiwanaku | 500 | 1100 | 600 | It is a matter of conflict as to whether it was a real organized state that could be called an empire. If so, it would be considered the first empire in the Americas. |
Wassoulou Empire | West Africa | Bissandugu | 1878 | 1895 | 45 | Also known as the Mandinka Empire. |
Wei Empire | China | Luoyang | 220 | 265 | 45 | See also Three Kingdoms. |
Western Chalukya Empire | South India | Manyakheta, Basavakalyan | 973 | 1189 | 216 | |
Western Roman Empire | Italy | Mediolanum, Ravenna | 395 | 476 | 81 | The western half of the Roman Empire. |
Eastern Wu | China | Wuchang, Jianye | 229 | 280 | 51 | See also Three Kingdoms. |
Western Xia Dynasty | China | Xingqing | 1038 | 1227 | 189 | Also called the Tangut Dynasty. |
Xin Dynasty | China | Chang'an | 9 | 23 | 14 | The Xin Dynasty had only one ruling Emperor. |
Yuan Dynasty | China, Mongolia | Dadu | 1271 | 1368 | 97 | Division of the Mongol Empire. The Yuan emperors had nominal supremacy over western khanates. |
Zand Dynasty | Persia | Shiraz | 1750 | 1794 | 44 | |
Zhou Dynasty | China | Fenghao, Wangcheng, Chengzhou | 1046 BC | 256 BC | 794 | Zenith of bronze age in China |
Zulu Empire | South Africa | KwaBulawayo, Ulundi | 1818 | 1897 | 79 |
Possible and informal empires
These governments, confederations and other entities have sometimes been informally referred to as "empires". Some did not fit the modern definition of empire (e.g. the Delian League), some were self-proclaimed by their first and often last ruler, others were short-lived attempts to turn an existing government into an empire, and there are also instances of the word "empire" being used to refer to unofficial spheres of influence which do not consider themselves empires.
"Empire" | Origin | Capital | From | To | Duration | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
American Empire | United States | Washington, D.C. | 1776 | Present | 242 | The concept of an American Empire was first popularized during the presidency of James K. Polk who led the United States into the Mexican–American War of 1846. In recent times the concept has been revived to refer to the sphere of influence of the United States by critics of the United States. |
Athenian Empire (Delian League) | Ancient Greece | Delos island | 478 BC | 404 BC | 74 | Also known as Delian League. It was an association of Greek city-states. |
Second Athenian League | Ancient Greece | Athens | 378 BC | 355 BC | 23 | Second Athenian League, headed by Athens primarily for self-defense against the growth of Sparta and the Persian Empire. |
Central African Empire | Central African Republic | Bangui | 1976 | 1979 | 3 | President Jean-Bédel Bokassa declared himself Emperor Bokassa I. |
Empire of China | China | Beijing | 1915 | 1916 | 1 | Was a short-lived attempt by Yuan Shikai to reinstate the Imperial Monarchy. |
First Empire of Haiti | North America | Port-au-Prince | 1804 | 1806 | 2 |
First Haitian Empire, Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared himself Emperor Jacques I. |
Second Empire of Haiti | North America | Port-au-Prince | 1849 | 1859 | 10 |
Second Haitian Empire, Faustin Soulouque is proclaimed Emperor Faustin I. |
Grand Duchy of Lithuania | Lithuania | Vilnius | 1200 | 1569 | 369 | It was the largest state in Europe in the 15th century. |
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth | Poland, Lithuania | Kraków | 1569 | 1795 | 226 | It was formed by the Union of Lublin in 1569, between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was one of the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th and 17th-century Europe, with some 390,000 square miles (1,000,000 km2) and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century.[3][4][5][6][7][8] |
Roman Republic | Italy | Rome | 509 BC | 27 BC | 482 | Predecessor of the Roman Empire. Technically a Republic, had imperial holdings throughout its existence. |
Kingdom of Romania | Romania | Bucharest | 1920 | 1944 | 24 | Following the post-World War I treaties that ratified its borders (the last one being the 1920 Treaty of Trianon), the newly-enlarged Romanian monarchy was rated by the Comintern as a multi-national imperial state that subjugated ethnic minorities.[9][10] Indeed, according to the 1930 Romanian census, just over 28% of Romania's inhabitants were not ethnic Romanians. Non-Romanians formed the majority in 14 out of Romania's 71 counties. In 11 Romanian counties, Romanians formed less than 40% of the population: Caliacra (22.6% Romanians), Cernăuți (21.8% Romanians), Cetatea Albă (18.5% Romanians), Ciuc (14.4% Romanians), Durostor (19% Romanians), Hotin (35% Romanians), Ismail (31.9% Romanians), Odorhei (4.9% Romanians), Storojineț (33.9% Romanians), Timiș-Torontal (37.6% Romanians) and Trei Scaune (16% Romanians).
The issue of "Romanian imperialism" (as Romanian leading politician Iuliu Maniu put it) was further exacerbated by the 1941 creation of the Romanian Transnistria Governorate from parts of the Ukrainian SSR, under the rule of "Conducător" Ion Antonescu.[11] These new borders lasted until 1944. According to the 1941 Romanian census, 21 out of the now 73 Romanian counties were inhabited by a non-Romanian ethnic majority, including all of the 13 Transnistrian counties (the entire Transnistrian region was over 75% Ukrainian). Two of the 21 counties did have Romanian plurality (meaning that the Romanians were the largest ethnic group, but still less than half of the county population). |
Soviet Empire | Soviet Union | Moscow | 1922 | 1991 | 69 | A political term for the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union used by its critics. |
See also
- List of extinct states
- Fictional empires
- List of kingdoms
- List of historical countries and empires spanning more than one continent
- Historical powers
- List of largest empires
- Middle Eastern Empires
References
- ↑ "Chronological table 5 1 December 1946 – 23 June 1947". National Diet Library. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ↑ Larson, Laurence M (1912). Canute the Great, 995(circ)-1035, and the rise of Danish imperialism during the Viking age. Putnam.
- ↑ Davies, Norman (1996). Europe: a history. Oxford: Oxford University 5555Press. p. 554. ISBN 9780198201717.
Poland-Lithuania was another country which experienced its 'Golden Age' during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The realm of the last Jagiellons was absolutely the largest state in Europe.
- ↑ Wandycz, Piotr Stefan (2001). The price of freedom: a history of East Central Europe from the Middle Ages to the present (2nd ed.). London [u.a.]: Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-415-25491-5.
The multinational character of the Habsburg monarchy was comparable to that of the Commonwealth [...]
- ↑ McKenna, Amy, ed. (2014). Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Britannica guide to countries of the European Union. Chicago: Britannica Educational Publishing. p. 203. ISBN 9781615309917.
Lithuania was also a powerful empire and dominated much of eastern Europe in the 14th–16th centuries in close alignment with Poland; then, from 1569, it was part of a confederation with Poland [...]
- ↑ Lozny, Ludomir (2005). "Poland". In Skutsch, Carl. Encyclopedia of the world's minorities. 3. New York [u.a.]: Routledge. p. 963. ISBN 9781135193881.
It was indeed an Eastern European empire, a multiethnic and multicultural state with great economic strength and strong military power, controlling most of central and eastern European politics.
- ↑ Kupisz, Dariusz (2012). "The Polish-Lithuanian army in the reign of King Stefan Bathory (1576–1586)". In Davies, Brian L. Warfare in Eastern Europe, 1500-1800. History of warfare. 72. Boston: Brill. p. 63. ISBN 9789004221963.
In terms of territorial expanse in Europe the Polish-Lithuanian state was surpassed only by Russia and the Ottoman Empire and in respect to population was behind only France, Spain, and the German Empire.
- ↑ Davies, Brian L. (2011). Empire and military revolution in Eastern Europe: Russia's Turkish wars in the eighteenth century. Continuum studies in military history. London [u.a.]: Continuum. p. 29. ISBN 9781441170040.
Poland-Lithuania had entered the seventeenth century as one of the great powers in Eastern Europe.
- ↑ Liesbeth van de Grift, Lexington Books, 2012, Securing the Communist State: The Reconstruction of Coercive Institutions in the Soviet Zone of Germany and Romania, 1944-1948, p. 21
- ↑ Andrew Arato, Transaction Publishers, 1991, Crisis and Reform in Eastern Europe, p. 162
- ↑ D. Deletant, Springer, 2006, Hitler's Forgotten Ally: Ion Antonescu and his Regime, Romania 1940-1944, pp. 85 and 267
External links
- Pella, John & Erik Ringmar, History of International Relations Open Textbook Project, Cambridge: Open Book, forthcoming.