The history of Mankind is filled with various events. Powerful and seemingly indestructible empires were born and perished, leaving their mark on human memory. Under various pretexts, the states fought for territorial domination, and today geopolitics is the most important component of the external aspirations of the leading world states.
The tragic pages of wars, colonial expansion and conquests with a deep wound lay on the body of the political history of the world. Be that as it may, the largest countries in history, uniting people speaking different languages, and even different races, have become a significant phenomenon. Several of the largest empires left a significant mark in the history of our planet and greatly influenced the further development of mankind.
The 12 largest empires in history:
12
Egyptian power
The first, and therefore the most ancient state, is rightfully considered Ancient Egypt. After the unification of the Lower and Upper Kingdoms in the 4th millennium BC, the Egyptian state began to occupy large areas with a multi-ethnic population.
Then there was no clear definition of boundaries, but Ancient Egypt was a country with a clear hierarchy of power, army and classes.
Having existed for more than 40 centuries, the first state association left behind a rich cultural heritage.
11
Persian empire
550 - 330 BC e.
Under the rulers of the Achaemenid dynasty, vast territories of Near East and North-East Africa were united under the rule of Persia. This state, with an area of 5,500,000 km², went down in history as the Achaemenid empire.
The peoples conquered by the Persians paid tribute. The culture of the vast empire was heterogeneous, as were religious beliefs. The synthesis of ethnic traditions made it possible to create the greatest masterpieces of material and spiritual culture.
And the First Persian Empire fell under the blows of the army of Alexander the Great.
10
Macedonian Empire
356 - 323 BC e.
The Macedonian king Philip II left his son Alexander a strong state and a strong, combat-ready army. Alexander began to implement his father's plans for the capture of Persia.
Alexander the Great as a result of successful military campaigns significantly expanded the borders of Macedonia, annexing Greece, Persia, part of Egypt and India. The area of the empire was 5.2 million km².
But the artificially created state collapsed as a result of wars immediately after the death of its creator.
9
The Roman Empire
27 BC - 476 year
Ancient Rome became the first state in history where the ruler was titled the emperor. Octavian received the honorary title of Augustus from the Senate. From this event, which occurred in 27 BC, the history of the Roman Empire began.
By uniting vast territories under his authority, Rome became the most powerful state of that time, and the Mediterranean Sea became its inland body of water.
The foundations of law, culture, and most importantly, the principles of the structure of the state of ancient Rome laid the foundation for European civilization.
8
Byzantine Empire
395 - 1453
The Eastern Roman Empire, better known as Byzantium, left its bright mark in history. Having existed from the period of antiquity almost until the sunset of the Middle Ages, the empire had a great influence on the countries of the East and West.
The convenient geographical position at the crossroads of trade routes with a favorable climate enabled Byzantium to achieve power and influence neighboring states. It was from Constantinople that Orthodoxy began to spread, and the masterpieces of art and architecture today are admired.
Internal contradictions led to the weakening of the state, and the empire was captured by the Ottomans.
7
Holy Roman Empire
962 - 1806 YEAR
The core of interstate education in Europe was Germany. The Holy Roman Empire, which arose on the ruins of Ancient Rome, was a feudal estate, in which there was a constant rivalry for supremacy between emperors and Catholicism.
At dawn, she annexed vast territories in Eastern Europe. But constant internal conflicts and confrontation with the Islamic world weakened the state.
And the empire collapsed, uniting the countries of Europe under its crown, after Napoleon came to power.
6
Arab caliphate
632 - 1258 year
As a result of the Arab conquests, the huge state of the Arab Caliphate was formed. An Islamic state with theocratic rule left a noticeable mark on history, and historians called the period of its existence the "golden age of Islam."
Arabs in a short period managed to subjugate not only the peoples of Central and Western Asia, but also the ethnic groups of the Transcaucasian region and the north of the African continent. Having forced the Strait of Gibraltar, the Arabs occupied the territory of Spain.
The Arabs in 1036 survived the devastating raid of the Seljuk Turks, but under the blow of the state of Genghis Khan, the Caliphate finally broke up.
5
Mongol Empire
1206 - 1368
One of the largest and most powerful state entities of the Middle Ages, the Mongol Empire stretched from the shores of the Sea of Japan beyond the Carpathians, to the shores of the Danube.
Such a huge territory was difficult to manage, so after the death of its founder - Genghis Khan, it ceased to be a monolithic state.
The largest education - the Golden Horde, for a long time kept the peoples of the Great Steppe and the territory of the Russian state in subjection.
Inter-dynastic strife led to the collapse of a great power, and its capital was captured by the Chinese Ming Dynasty. TheBiggest editors believe that in Russian history, the heyday of the Mongol Empire was undeservedly forgotten. Although it had a lot of interesting moments for our country.
4
Ottoman Empire
1299 - 1922
This state lasted a considerable period, and had a great influence on the peoples who inhabited the shores of the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
After the capture of Constantinople in 1453, the Turks finally strengthened their power in Europe, and eventually subjugated the countries of the Balkan Peninsula.
The empire pursued a rather aggressive policy, and the last century of its existence was marked by bloody wars with Russia.
After the First World War, following the results of the Paris Peace Treaty, the Ottoman Empire was divided among the victors, and ceased to exist.
3
Qing Empire
1644 - 1912
In China, there were many empires, and today the PRC remains the largest state in the world. But let's talk about the last monarchical dynasty of China - Qing.
The Qing emperors ruled the empire for nearly 300 years, and most importantly, monocultural education laid the foundation and territorial foundation for modern China.
After the overthrow of the last emperor in 1912, a small restoration of the monarchy took place. Only 11 days of 1917, when the country was ruled by Pu I.
2
The Russian Empire
1721-1917 year
The beginning of the Russian Empire was laid by Peter I, who took the title of emperor on October 22, 1721. According to censuses of the late 19th century, 178 million people lived in the vast expanses of Eurasia as part of Russia.
A distinctive feature of the development of the Russian state was the constant accession of new territories. The advance to the East was primarily of a peace-friendly character. Numerous nations voluntarily merged into a powerful state. But in the West and South had to bloody wars return the original Russian lands.
With the fall of the monarchy, the great Russian Empire collapsed. On its ruins in 1922 the Soviet Union was formed, also a kind of empire, uniting 15 republics over time.
1
British empire
1497-1949 year
The largest empire in history, the British Empire reached the largest scale by the beginning of the twentieth century. And after the victory of the Entente in the war over the Triple Alliance, it further strengthened its position in Europe and the world.
A powerful fleet, great successes in scientific and technological progress and subtle diplomacy helped the British Crown pursue an aggressive colonial policy and grow into new territories. Britain, in which, as they proudly said, the sun never sets, covered an area of 34.65 million km².
The end of World War II led to the beginning of the collapse of the colonial system. The first to be affected by the decolonization process was Britain. The last world empire ended its path in history in 1949.
Conclusion
Empires have long sunk into oblivion from the political map of the world. Today, this word is more acceptable to refer to huge financial and industrial corporations.
The great empires in history carried the conquered peoples, both constructivism, and, to a greater extent, the negative impact. However, it should be noted that many of them left in their memory the magnificent and unique masterpieces of culture, and the extraordinary and charismatic personalities who headed these states are forever inscribed in the pages of history.
TheBiggest editors ask you to write in the comments about what big empires in history we did not mention in this article.
Article author: Valery Skiba