The ten greatest empires in the history of mankind. biggest empire

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The continuous struggle for territorial dominance, possession of resources and endless wars are the basis of human history. Capturing the lands of the nearest peoples and entire countries, in different parts huge empires emerged.

But the great empires that liked to call themselves "Eternal" appeared on the world map and safely disappeared from it through different time. However, some of the huge empires left behind traces that are still felt in politics and the lives of ordinary people.

The Greatest Empires in Human History

Persian Empire (Achaemenid Empire, 550 - 330 BC)

Cyrus II is considered to be the founder of the Persian Empire. He began his conquests in 550 BC. e. from the subjugation of Media, after which Armenia, Parthia, Cappadocia and the Lydian kingdom were conquered. Did not become an obstacle to the expansion of the empire of Cyrus and Babylon, whose powerful walls fell in 539 BC. e.

Conquering neighboring territories, the Persians tried not to destroy the conquered cities, but, if possible, to preserve them. Cyrus restored the captured Jerusalem, as well as many Phoenician cities, by facilitating the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity.

The Persian Empire under Cyrus spread its possessions from Central Asia to Aegean Sea. Only Egypt remained unconquered. The country of the pharaohs submitted to the heir of Cyrus Cambyses II. However, the empire reached its heyday under Darius I, who switched from conquests to domestic politics. In particular, the king divided the empire into 20 satrapies, which completely coincided with the territories of the occupied states.

In 330 B.C. e. the weakening Persian Empire fell under the onslaught of the troops of Alexander the Great.

Roman Empire (27 BC - 476)

Ancient Rome was the first state in which the ruler received the title of emperor. Starting with Octavian Augustus, the 500-year history of the Roman Empire had the most direct impact on European civilization, and also left a cultural mark in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East.

Uniqueness ancient rome in that it was the only state whose possessions included the entire Mediterranean coast.

During the heyday of the Roman Empire, its territories stretched from the British Isles to the Persian Gulf. According to historians, by the year 117 the population of the empire reached 88 million people, which was approximately 25% of the total number of inhabitants of the planet.

Architecture, construction, art, law, economics, military affairs, principles state structure Ancient Rome is what the foundation of the whole European civilization. It was in Imperial Rome that Christianity assumed the status of the state religion and began to spread throughout the world.

Byzantine Empire (395 - 1453)

The Byzantine Empire has no equal in the length of its history. Originating at the end of antiquity, it existed until the end of the European Middle Ages. For more than a thousand years, Byzantium has been a kind of link between the civilizations of East and West, influencing both the states of Europe and Asia Minor.

But if the Western European and Middle Eastern countries inherited the richest material culture of Byzantium, then Old Russian state turned out to be the successor of her spirituality. Constantinople fell, but the Orthodox world found its new capital in Moscow.

Located at the crossroads of trade routes, rich Byzantium was a coveted land for neighboring states. Having reached its maximum borders in the first centuries after the collapse of the Roman Empire, then it was forced to defend its possessions. In 1453, Byzantium could not resist a more powerful enemy - the Ottoman Empire. With the capture of Constantinople, the road to Europe was opened for the Turks.

Arab Caliphate (632-1258)

One of the caliphs of the Arab state, Umar I, purposefully secured the character of a militant church for the Caliphate, encouraging religious zeal in his subordinates and forbidding them to own land property in the conquered countries. Umar motivated this by the fact that "the interests of the landowner attract him more to peaceful activities than to war."

In 1036, the invasion of the Seljuk Turks turned out to be disastrous for the Caliphate, but the Mongols completed the defeat of the Islamic state.

Caliph An-Nasir, wishing to expand his possessions, turned to Genghis Khan for help, and without knowing it opened the way for the ruin of the Muslim East to the many thousands of Mongol hordes.

Holy Roman Empire (962-1806)

The Holy Roman Empire is public education, which existed in Europe from 962 to 1806. The core of the empire was Germany, which was joined by the Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, and some regions of France during the period of the highest prosperity of the state.

For almost the entire period of the empire's existence, its structure had the character of a theocratic feudal state, in which emperors claimed supreme power in the Christian world. However, the struggle with the papacy and the desire to possess Italy significantly weakened the central power of the empire.

In the 17th century, Austria and Prussia advanced to leading positions in the Holy Roman Empire. But very soon the antagonism of two influential members of the empire, which resulted in an aggressive policy, threatened the integrity of their common house. The end of the empire in 1806 was put by the growing France, led by Napoleon.

Ottoman Empire (1299–1922)

In 1299, in the Middle East, Osman I created Turkic state, which was destined to exist for more than 600 years and radically influence the fate of the countries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 was the date when the Ottoman Empire finally gained a foothold in Europe.

The period of the highest power of the Ottoman Empire falls on the 16th-17th centuries, but the state achieved the greatest conquests under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

The borders of the empire of Suleiman I stretched from Eritrea in the south to the Commonwealth in the north, from Algiers in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east.

The period from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century was marked by bloody military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and Russia. Territorial disputes between the two states mainly unfolded around the Crimea and Transcaucasia. The first one put an end to them World War, as a result of which the Ottoman Empire, divided between the countries of the Entente, ceased to exist.

Russian Empire (1721-1917, until 1991 - in the form of the USSR, and to this day in the form of the Russian Federation)

Story Russian Empire originates on October 22, 1721 after the adoption by Peter I of the title of Emperor of All Russia. From that time until 1905, the monarch who became the head of the state was endowed with absolute fullness of power.

In terms of area, the Russian Empire was second only to the Mongolian and british empires– 21,799,825 sq. km, and was the second (after the British) in terms of population - about 178 million people.

Constant expansion of the territory salient feature Russian Empire. But if the advance to the east was mostly peaceful, then in the west and south Russia had to prove its territorial claims through numerous wars - with Sweden, the Commonwealth, the Ottoman Empire, Persia, the British Empire.

The growth of the Russian Empire has always been viewed with particular caution by the West. The appearance of the so-called "Testament of Peter the Great" - a document fabricated in 1812 by French political circles - contributed to the negative perception of Russia. “The Russian State must establish power over all of Europe,” is one of the key phrases of the Testament, which will haunt the minds of Europeans for a long time to come.

Mongol Empire (1206–1368)

The Mongol Empire is the largest state formation in history in terms of territory.

During the period of its power - by the end of the XIII century, the empire stretched from Sea of Japan to the banks of the Danube. The total area of possessions of the Mongols reached 38 million square meters. km.

Given the vast size of the empire, managing it from the capital, Karakorum, was almost impossible. It is no coincidence that after the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, the process of gradual division of the conquered territories into separate uluses began, the most significant of which was the Golden Horde.

Economic policy Mongols in the occupied lands was primitive: its essence was reduced to the taxation of tribute to the conquered peoples. All collected went to support the needs of a huge army, according to some sources, reaching half a million people. The Mongol cavalry was the most deadly weapon of the Genghisides, which few armies managed to resist.

The inter-dynastic strife ruined the empire - it was they who stopped the expansion of the Mongols to the West. This was soon followed by the loss of the conquered territories and the capture of the Karakorum by the troops of the Ming Dynasty.

British Empire (1497–1949)

The British Empire is the largest colonial power both in terms of territory and population.

The empire reached its greatest extent by the 30s of the 20th century: the land area of the United Kingdom, together with the colonies, totaled 34 million 650 thousand square meters. km., which was approximately 22% of the earth's land. Total number The population of the empire reached 480 million people - every fourth inhabitant of the Earth was a subject of the British crown.

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1. British Empire (42.75 million km²)
Highest heyday - 1918

The British Empire is the largest ever existing state in the history of mankind with colonies on all inhabited continents. The empire reached its largest area in the mid-30s of the XX century, then the lands of the United Kingdom extended to 34,650,407 km² (including 8 million km² of uninhabited land), which is about 22% of the earth's land. The total population of the empire was approximately 480 million people (about one-fourth of humanity). It is the legacy of Pax Britannica that explains the role of English language as the most common in the world in the fields of transport and trade.

2. Mongol Empire (38.0 million km²)
The highest flourishing - 1270-1368.

The Mongol Empire (Mong. Mongolyn ezent guren; Middle Mong. ᠶᠡᠺᠡ ᠮᠣᠨᠭᠣᠯ ᠤᠯᠤᠰ, Yeke Mongγol ulus - the Great Mongol state, Mong. Their Mongol ulus) - a state that emerged in the 13th century as a result of the conquests of Genghis Khan and included itself the largest contiguous territory in world history from the Danube to the Sea of Japan and from Novgorod to the South East Asia(area approx. 38,000,000 square kilometers). Karakorum became the capital of the state.

In its heyday it included vast territories of Central Asia, Southern Siberia, of Eastern Europe, Middle East, China and Tibet. In the second half of the 13th century, the empire began to disintegrate into uluses, headed by Genghisides. The largest fragments of Great Mongolia were the Yuan Empire, the Ulus of Jochi (Golden Horde), the state of the Khulaguids and the Chagatai ulus. The Great Khan Khubilai, who accepted (1271) the title of Emperor Yuan and moved the capital to Khanbalik, claimed supremacy over all the uluses. To early XIV century, the formal unity of the empire was restored in the form of a federation of virtually independent states.

In the last quarter of the 14th century, the Mongol Empire ceased to exist.

3. Russian Empire (22.8 million km²)
Highest heyday - 1866

The Russian Empire (Russian doref. Russian Empire; also the All-Russian Empire, the Russian State or Russia) is a state that existed from October 22 (2) November 1721 to February Revolution and the proclamation of a republic in 1917 by the Provisional Government.

The empire was proclaimed on October 22 (2) November 1721 following the results of the Northern War, when, at the request of the senators, the Russian Tsar Peter I the Great assumed the titles of Emperor of All Russia and Father of the Fatherland.

The capital of the Russian Empire from 1721 to 1728 and from 1730 to 1917 was St. Petersburg, and in 1728-1730 Moscow.

The Russian Empire was the third largest state that ever existed (after the British and Mongol empires) - it stretched to the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Black Sea in the south, to the Baltic Sea in the west and Pacific Ocean in the east. The head of the empire, the All-Russian Emperor, had unlimited, absolute power until 1905.

On September 1 (14), 1917, Alexander Kerensky proclaimed the country a republic (although this issue was within the competence of the Constituent Assembly; on January 5 (18), 1918, the Constituent Assembly also declared Russia a republic). However, the legislature of the empire - The State Duma- was dissolved only on October 6 (19), 1917.

Geographical position of the Russian Empire: 35°38’17" - 77°36'40" north latitude and 17°38' east longitude - 169°44' west longitude. The territory of the Russian Empire by the end of the 19th century - 21.8 million km² (that is, 1/6 of the land) - it ranked second (and third ever) in the world, after the British Empire. The article does not take into account the territory of Alaska, which was part of it from 1744 to 1867 and occupied an area of 1,717,854 km².

The regional reform of Peter I for the first time divides Russia into provinces, streamlining administration, supplying the army with food and recruits from the field, and improving tax collection. Initially, the country is divided into 8 provinces, headed by governors, endowed with judicial and administrative power.

The provincial reform of Catherine II divides the empire into 50 provinces, divided into counties (about 500 in total). To help the governors, state and judicial chambers, other state and social institutions have been created. The governors were subordinate to the senate. At the head of the county is a police captain (elected by the county noble assembly).

By 1914, the empire is divided into 78 provinces, 21 regions and 2 independent districts, where 931 cities are located. Russia includes the following territories of modern states: all CIS countries (excluding the Kaliningrad region and the southern part of the Sakhalin region of the Russian Federation; Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Chernivtsi regions of Ukraine); eastern and central Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Lithuania (without the Memel region), several Turkish and Chinese regions. Part of the provinces and regions was united into a general government (Kiev, Caucasian, Siberian, Turkestan, East Siberian, Amur, Moscow). The Bukhara and Khiva khanates were official vassals, the Uryankhai region is a protectorate. For 123 years (from 1744 to 1867), Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, as well as part of the Pacific coast of the USA and Canada, also belonged to the Russian Empire.

According to the 1897 general census, the population was 129.2 million people. The distribution of the population by territories was as follows: European Russia - 94,244.1 thousand people, Poland - 9456.1 thousand people, Caucasus - 9354.8 thousand people, Siberia - 5784.5 thousand people, Middle Asia - 7747.1 thousand people, Finland - 2555.5 thousand people.

4. Soviet Union(22.4 million km²)
Highest heyday - 1945-1990

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also the USSR, the Soviet Union is a state that existed from 1922 to 1991 on the territory of Eastern Europe, Northern, parts of Central and East Asia. The USSR occupied almost 1/6 of the inhabited land of the Earth; At the time of its collapse, it was the largest country in the world by area. It was formed on the territory that by 1917 was occupied by the Russian Empire without Finland, part of the Polish kingdom and some other territories.

According to the Constitution of 1977, the USSR was proclaimed a single allied multinational socialist state.

After the Second World War, the USSR had land borders with Afghanistan, Hungary, Iran, China, North Korea (since September 9, 1948), Mongolia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Finland, Czechoslovakia and sea borders with the USA, Sweden and Japan.

The USSR was created on December 30, 1922 by merging the RSFSR, the Ukrainian SSR, the Byelorussian SSR and the Transcaucasian SFSR into one state association with a uniform government, capital in Moscow, executive and judicial authorities, legislative and legal systems. In 1941, the USSR entered the Second World War, and after it, along with the United States, it was a superpower. The Soviet Union dominated the world socialist system and was also a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

The collapse of the USSR was characterized by a sharp confrontation between representatives of the central union authorities and the newly elected local authorities (Supreme Councils, presidents of the union republics). In 1989-1990, a "parade of sovereignties" began. On March 17, 1991, an All-Union referendum on the preservation of the USSR was held in 9 of the 15 republics of the USSR, in which more than two-thirds of the citizens who voted voted for the preservation of the renewed union. But after the August Putsch and the events that followed it, the preservation of the USSR as a state entity became virtually impossible, which was stated in the Agreement on the Creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, signed on December 8, 1991. The USSR officially ceased to exist on December 26, 1991. At the end of 1991, the Russian Federation was recognized as the successor state of the USSR in international legal relations and took its place in the UN Security Council.

5. Spanish Empire (20.0 million km²)
The highest flowering - 1790

The Spanish Empire (Spanish: Imperio Español) is the totality of territories and colonies that were under the direct control of Spain in Europe, America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The Spanish Empire, at the height of its power, was one of the largest empires in world history. Its creation is associated with the beginning of the era of the Great geographical discoveries, during which it became one of the first colonial empires. The Spanish Empire existed from the 15th century until (in the case of African possessions) the end of the 20th century. The Spanish territories united in the late 1480s with the union of the Catholic kings: the King of Aragon and the Queen of Castile. Despite the fact that the monarchs continued to rule each of their lands, their foreign policy was common. In 1492 they captured Granada and completed the Reconquista in the Iberian Peninsula against the Moors. The entry of Granada into the Kingdom of Castile completed the unification of the Spanish lands, despite the fact that Spain was still divided into two kingdoms. In the same year, Christopher Columbus made the first Spanish exploratory expedition to the west across Atlantic Ocean opening for Europeans New World and created there the first overseas colonies of Spain. From that moment on, the Western Hemisphere became the main target of Spanish exploration and colonization.

In the 16th century, the Spaniards created settlements on the islands caribbean, and the conquistadors destroyed such state formations as the Aztec and Inca empires on the mainland, respectively, of North and South America, taking advantage of the contradictions between the local peoples and applying higher military technologies. Subsequent expeditions expanded the empire from present-day Canada to the southern tip of South America, including the Falkland or Malvinas Islands. In 1519 the First trip around the world, begun by Ferdinand Magellan in 1519 and completed by Juan Sebastian Elcano in 1522, aimed to achieve what Columbus had failed to achieve, namely the western route to Asia, and as a result included Spain in the sphere of influence Far East. Colonies were established in Guam, the Philippines, and nearby islands. During its Siglo de Oro, the Spanish Empire included the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, a significant part of Italy, lands in Germany and France, colonies in Africa, Asia and Oceania, as well as large territories in North and South America. In the 17th century, Spain controlled an empire of such magnitude, and its parts were so far removed from each other, which no one could achieve before.

In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, expeditions were undertaken in search of Terra Australis, during which a number of archipelagos and islands in the South Pacific were discovered, including the Pitcairn Islands, the Marquesas Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and New Guinea, which were declared the property of the Spanish crown, but were not successfully colonized by it. Many of European possessions Spain were lost after the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713, but Spain retained its overseas territories. In 1741 important victory over Great Britain at Cartagena (modern Colombia) extended Spanish hegemony in America until the 19th century. In the late 18th century, Spanish expeditions in the Pacific Northwest reached the coasts of Canada and Alaska, establishing a settlement on Vancouver Island and discovering several archipelagos and glaciers.

The French occupation of Spain by the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808 led to the fact that the Spanish colonies became cut off from the metropolis, and the subsequent independence movement in 1810-1825 led to the creation of a number of new independent Spanish-American republics in South and Central America. The remnants of the Spanish four-hundred-year-old empire, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Spanish East Indies, continued to be under Spanish control until late XIX century, when most of these territories were annexed by the United States after the Spanish-American War. The remaining Pacific islands were sold to Germany in 1899.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Spain continued to hold only territories in Africa, Spanish Guinea, Spanish Sahara and Spanish Morocco. Spain left Morocco in 1956 and granted independence to Equatorial Guinea in 1968. When Spain left the Spanish Sahara in 1976, this colony was immediately annexed by Morocco and Mauritania, and then in 1980 completely by Morocco, although technically by UN decision this territory remains under control of the Spanish administration. To date, Spain has only the Canary Islands and two enclaves on the North African coast, Ceuta and Melilla, which are administratively parts of Spain.

6. Qing Dynasty (14.7 million km²)
The highest flowering - 1790

The Great Qing State (Daicing gurun.svg daiqing gurun, traditional Chinese 大清國, pall.: Da Qing guo) was a multinational empire created and ruled by the Manchus, which later included China. According to traditional Chinese historiography, the last dynasty of monarchical China. It was founded in 1616 by the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan in Manchuria, now called northeast China. In less than 30 years, all of China, part of Mongolia and part of Central Asia came under her rule.

Initially, the dynasty was called "Jin" (金 - gold), in traditional Chinese historiography "Hou Jin" (後金 - Later Jin), according to the Jin Empire - former state Jurchens, from whom the Manchus derived themselves. In 1636, the name was changed to "Qing" (清 - "pure"). In the first half of the XVIII century. The Qing government managed to establish an effective administration of the country, one of the results of which was that in this century the fastest population growth rates were observed in China. The Qing court pursued a policy of self-isolation, which eventually led to the fact that in the 19th century. China, which was part of the Qing Empire, was forcibly opened by the Western powers.

Subsequent cooperation with Western powers allowed the dynasty to avoid collapse during the Taiping Rebellion, to carry out relatively successful modernization, and so on. to exist until the beginning of the 20th century, but it also caused growing nationalist (anti-Manchurian) sentiments.

As a result of the Xinhai Revolution, which began in 1911, the Qing Empire was destroyed, the Republic of China was proclaimed - the national state of the Han. Empress Dowager Longyu abdicated on behalf of the then infant last emperor, Pu Yi, on February 12, 1912.

7. Russian kingdom (14.5 million km²)
The highest flowering - 1721

The Russian kingdom or in the Byzantine version the Russian kingdom is a Russian state that existed between 1547 and 1721. The name "Russian kingdom" was the official name of Russia at this time. historical period. Also official was the name рꙋсїѧ

In 1547 the sovereign of all Russia and Grand Duke Ivan IV the Terrible of Moscow was crowned tsar and assumed the full title: Great Sovereign, by the grace of God, the tsar and grand prince of all Russia, Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, Ryazan, Tver, Yugra, Perm, Vyatka, Bulgarian and others", later, with the expansion of the borders of the Russian state, the title was added "tsar of Kazan, tsar of Astrakhan , the king of Siberia", "and the ruler of all the Northern countries."

By title, the Russian kingdom was preceded by the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and the Russian Empire became its successor. In historiography, there is also a tradition of periodization of Russian history, according to which it is customary to talk about the emergence of a single and independent centralized Russian state during the reign of Ivan III the Great. The idea of uniting Russian lands (including those that ended up after Mongol invasion as part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland) and the restoration of the Old Russian state was traced throughout the existence of the Russian state and was inherited by the Russian Empire.

8. Yuan Dynasty (14.0 million km²)
The highest flourishing - 1310

Empire (in Chinese tradition - dynasty) Yuan (Ih Yuan Uls.PNG Mong. Ih Yuan Uls, Great Yuan State, Dai Ön Yeke Mongghul Ulus.PNG Dai Ön Yeke Mongghul Ulus; Chinese 元朝, pinyin: Yuáncháo; Vietnam. Nhà Nguyên (Nguyên triều), House (Dynasty) Nguyen) is a Mongolian state, the main part of whose territory was China (1271-1368). Founded by the grandson of Genghis Khan, Mongol Khan Khubilai, who completed the conquest of China in 1279. The dynasty fell as a result of the Red Turban Revolt of 1351-68. The official Chinese history of this dynasty is recorded during the subsequent Ming Dynasty and is called "Yuan shi".

9. Umayyad Caliphate (13.0 million km²)
The highest flourishing - 720-750.

The Umayyads (Arabic الأمويون‎‎) or Banu Umayya ‏(Arabic بنو أمية‎‎) is a dynasty of caliphs founded by Muawiyah in 661. The Umayyads of the Sufyanid and Marwanid branches ruled in the Damascus Caliphate until the middle of the VIII century. In 750, as a result of the uprising of Abu Muslim, their dynasty was overthrown by the Abbasids, and all the Umayyads were destroyed, except for the grandson of Caliph Hisham Abd ar-Rahman, who founded the dynasty in Spain (Caliphate of Cordoba). The ancestor of the dynasty was Omayya ibn Abdshams son of Abdshams ibn Abdmanaf and cousin Abdulmuttalib. Abdshams and Hashim were twin brothers.

10. Second French colonial empire (13.0 million km²)
Highest heyday - 1938

The evolution of the French colonial empire (the year is indicated in the upper left corner):

The French colonial empire (fr. L'Empire colonial français) is the totality of France's colonial possessions between 1546-1962. Like the British Empire, France had colonial territories in all regions of the world, but its colonial policy differed significantly from that of the British. The remnants of the once vast colonial empire are the modern overseas departments of France (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, etc.) and a special sui generis territory (the island of New Caledonia) Modern heritage French colonial era is also a union of French-speaking countries (La Francophonie).

The history of mankind is a continuous struggle for territorial domination. Great empires either appeared on the political map of the world or disappeared from it. Some of them were destined to leave an indelible mark.

Persian Empire (Achaemenid Empire, 550 - 330 BC)

The Persian Empire under Cyrus stretched its possessions from Central Asia to the Aegean Sea. Only Egypt remained unconquered. The country of the pharaohs submitted to the heir of Cyrus Cambyses II. However, the empire reached its heyday under Darius I, who switched from conquests to domestic politics. In particular, the king divided the empire into 20 satrapies, which completely coincided with the territories of the occupied states.
In 330 B.C. e. the weakening Persian Empire fell under the onslaught of the troops of Alexander the Great.

Roman Empire (27 BC - 476)

Architecture, construction, art, law, economics, military affairs, the principles of the state structure of Ancient Rome - this is what the foundation of the entire European civilization is based on. It was in Imperial Rome that Christianity assumed the status of the state religion and began to spread throughout the world.

Byzantine Empire (395 - 1453)

The Byzantine Empire has no equal in the length of its history. Originating at the end of antiquity, it existed until the end of the European Middle Ages. For more than a thousand years, Byzantium has been a kind of link between the civilizations of the East and the West, influencing both the states of Europe and Asia Minor.

But if the Western European and Middle Eastern countries inherited the richest material culture of Byzantium, then the Old Russian state turned out to be the successor to its spirituality. Constantinople fell, but the Orthodox world found its new capital in Moscow.

Arab Caliphate (632-1258)

As a result of the Muslim conquests in the 7th-9th centuries, the theocratic Islamic state of the Arab Caliphate arose on the territory of the entire Middle East region, as well as certain regions of the Transcaucasus, Central Asia, North Africa and Spain. The period of the Caliphate went down in history under the name "Golden Age of Islam", as the time of the highest flowering of Islamic science and culture.
One of the caliphs of the Arab state, Umar I, purposefully secured the character of a militant church for the Caliphate, encouraging religious zeal in his subordinates and forbidding them to own land property in the conquered countries. Umar motivated this by the fact that "the interests of the landowner attract him more to peaceful activities than to war."

In 1036, the invasion of the Seljuk Turks turned out to be disastrous for the Caliphate, but the Mongols completed the defeat of the Islamic state.

Caliph An-Nasir, wishing to expand his possessions, turned to Genghis Khan for help, and without knowing it opened the way for the ruin of the Muslim East to the many thousands of Mongol hordes.

Mongol Empire (1206–1368)

The Mongol Empire is the largest state formation in history in terms of territory.

In the period of its power - by the end of the XIII century, the empire stretched from the Sea of Japan to the banks of the Danube. The total area of possessions of the Mongols reached 38 million square meters. km.

The economic policy of the Mongols in the occupied lands was primitive: its essence was reduced to the taxation of tribute to the conquered peoples. All collected went to support the needs of a huge army, according to some sources, reaching half a million people. The Mongol cavalry was the most deadly weapon of the Genghisides, which few armies managed to resist.
The inter-dynastic strife ruined the empire - it was they who stopped the expansion of the Mongols to the West. This was soon followed by the loss of the conquered territories and the capture of the Karakorum by the troops of the Ming Dynasty.

Holy Roman Empire (962-1806)

The Holy Roman Empire is an interstate entity that existed in Europe from 962 to 1806. The core of the empire was Germany, which was joined by the Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, and some regions of France during the period of the highest prosperity of the state.
For almost the entire period of the empire's existence, its structure had the character of a theocratic feudal state, in which emperors claimed supreme power in the Christian world. However, the struggle with the papacy and the desire to possess Italy significantly weakened the central power of the empire.
In the 17th century, Austria and Prussia advanced to leading positions in the Holy Roman Empire. But very soon, the antagonism of two influential members of the empire, which resulted in an aggressive policy, threatened the integrity of their common home. The end of the empire in 1806 was put by the growing France, led by Napoleon.

Ottoman Empire (1299–1922)

In 1299, Osman I created a Turkic state in the Middle East, which was destined to exist for more than 600 years and radically influence the fate of the countries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 was the date when the Ottoman Empire finally gained a foothold in Europe.

The period of the highest power of the Ottoman Empire falls on the 16th-17th centuries, but the state achieved the greatest conquests under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

The borders of the empire of Suleiman I stretched from Eritrea in the south to the Commonwealth in the north, from Algiers in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east.

The period from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century was marked by bloody military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and Russia. Territorial disputes between the two states mainly unfolded around the Crimea and Transcaucasia. The First World War put an end to them, as a result of which the Ottoman Empire, divided between the countries of the Entente, ceased to exist.

British Empire (1497–1949)

The British Empire is the largest colonial power both in terms of territory and population.

The empire reached its greatest extent by the 30s of the 20th century: the land area of the United Kingdom, together with the colonies, totaled 34 million 650 thousand square meters. km., which was approximately 22% of the earth's land. The total population of the empire reached 480 million people - every fourth inhabitant of the Earth was a subject of the British crown.

Many factors contributed to the success of British colonial policy: a strong army and navy, developed industry, and the art of diplomacy. The expansion of the empire had a significant impact on world geopolitics. First of all, this is the spread of British technology, trade, language, and forms of government around the world.
The decolonization of Britain took place after the end of World War II. The country, although it was among the victorious states, was on the verge of bankruptcy. Only thanks to an American loan of 3.5 billion dollars, Great Britain was able to overcome the crisis, but at the same time it lost world domination and all its colonies.

Russian Empire (1721–1917)

The history of the Russian Empire dates back to October 22, 1721, after the adoption by Peter I of the title of Emperor of All Russia. From that time until 1905, the monarch who became the head of the state was endowed with absolute fullness of power.

In terms of area, the Russian Empire was second only to the Mongol and British empires - 21,799,825 square meters. km, and was the second (after the British) in terms of population - about 178 million people.

The constant expansion of the territory is a characteristic feature of the Russian Empire. But if the advance to the east was mostly peaceful, then in the west and south Russia had to prove its territorial claims through numerous wars - with Sweden, the Commonwealth, the Ottoman Empire, Persia, the British Empire.

Over the past 3 thousand years, the Old World has seen the rise and fall of powerful empires, and their history, past glory could not but affect the culture of the countries and peoples that today occupy the spaces where they dominated. The ruins of large cities, majestic palaces and temples, left after the collapse of the great civilizations - Persia, and the Mediterranean - eloquently testify to the wealth, splendor and power of the great empires. The remains of fortresses and roads, palaces and canals, codes of laws carved on rocks and written down on paper, and praises of victors tell how they achieved military power, with the help of which they subjugated more and more new territories and retained control and management over vast colonies. The ancient empires are significantly separated from each other in time of existence, differ in size and cultural traditions, but they all have some common features.

What is an empire

Which of the ancient states can be called empires? Of course, not only the title of the ruler and the official, declared name of the country can serve as the basis for such a division. But still, let's try to look deeper into the essence of things and understand how they differ from other states. And it doesn't matter who is in power: the emperor, the senate, popular assembly or a religious figure. The main thing that distinguishes an empire is its supranational character. A republic, a despotism, a kingdom become an empire only when they go beyond the state formation of a single people or tribe and unite many cultures, peoples standing on different stages development.

Map of the Old World in the 1st century. BC.

It is no coincidence that their era began in the countries of the Old World at about the same time, and it is no coincidence that this time is usually called the era of axial civilizations.

It begins at the turn of the II and I millennia BC. e. and covers the period before the start of the Great Migration of Nations, which put an end to the greatest of. Of course, this provision is rather conditional. The first empires arose earlier than this designated period of time, and some of them survived its end.

It suffices to give just two examples. Egypt of the era of the New Kingdom, i.e., the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. e., rightfully can open a long list greatest empires antiquities. It was during this period that the country of the pharaohs crossed the boundaries of its national civilization. In this era, Nubia, the legendary "country of Punt" in the south, the flourishing cities of the palaces of the Levant, were conquered, the nomadic tribes of the Libyan desert were conquered and pacified. All these areas were not only forced to recognize, but were included in the economic system, the administrative structure of the country of the pharaohs, experienced cultural influences on its part. The later rulers of Nubia and even Ethiopia traced their genealogies to the god-like rulers of the Nile.

The Byzantine Empire, the direct successor of ancient Rome, continued officially, and the people were called Romans, that is, Romans, retained the attributes of the empire and a multinational character until its death in the middle of the 15th century. And the Ottoman Empire, which took its place, for all its dissimilarity to Rome and Byzantium, inherited and kept many of their traditions and, first of all, remained faithful to the imperial idea for many more centuries.

But still, we will focus on the era when they were just emerging, gaining strength and were at the zenith of their strength.

During this period, that is, in the I millennium BC. e., powerful empires stretched out in a wide strip along geographical latitude from the Strait of Gibraltar in the west to the shores of the Yellow Sea in the east. The strip along which the power of empires spread was limited from the north and south by natural barriers: deserts, forests, seas and mountains.

But not only these barriers caused their formation along this axis. It is here that the Old World: Cretan-Mycenaean, Egyptian, Sumerian, Indian, Chinese. They paved the way for future empires: they created a city network, built the first roads and paved the first sea routes that linked cities together. created and improved writing, the administrative apparatus, the army. They discovered new ways to accumulate wealth and improved old ones. It was in this zone that all the achievements of mankind were concentrated, which were necessary for the emergence of a full-fledged state, their successful growth and development.

In this series of predecessors and heirs, there are the Phoenician colonies of the Mediterranean, on the foundation of which the Roman Empire, the powers of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians of the Middle East, the Buddhist empires of the Indo-Aryans of the Ganges valley and the Kushans, the empires of China arose.

The New World later, but also went this way from the "classical" urban civilizations of Teotihuacan to the Aztec empire and from the ancient flourishing cultures of the Andean highlands.

Having rallied around themselves many tribes and peoples, they not only successfully applied all the achievements of past centuries, but also created many new things, which distinguishes them from early civilizations. Of course, the great empires of antiquity were very different from each other in terms of traditions, forms of expression of their imperial spirit, and destinies. But there is something that allows you to put them side by side. It was this "something" that gave us the right to call them all in one word - empires. What is this?

Firstly, as already mentioned, all empires are supranational formations. And for the effective management of vast spaces with different cultural traditions, religions and way of life, appropriate institutions and means are needed. With all the variety of approaches to solving the problem of governance, they were all based on the same principles: a rigid hierarchy, the inviolability of the central government, and, of course, an uninterrupted connection between the center and the periphery.

Secondly, it must effectively defend its long borders from external enemies, and moreover, in order to confirm its exclusive right to govern many peoples, it must constantly grow. That is why, in all empires, war and warfare received exceptional development and occupied a significant place in Everyday life and ideology. As it turned out, militarization has also become a weak point of almost all empires: the change of rulers, rebellions and the falling away of provinces rarely took place without the participation of the military, both in Rome, in the extreme west of the civilized world of the Old World, and in China, in its extreme east.

And thirdly, neither effective governance nor military power is capable of ensuring the stability of any empire without ideological support. It could be a new religion, a real or legendary historical tradition, or, finally, a certain unification of culture that allows you to oppose yourself, your belonging to a civilized empire, to the surrounding barbarians. But the latter soon also became.

Map of the Roman Empire

Persian Empire (Achaemenid Empire, 550 - 330 BC)

Roman Empire (27 BC - 476)

Byzantine Empire (395 - 1453)

The Byzantine Empire has no equal in the length of its history. Originating at the end of antiquity, it existed until the end of the European Middle Ages. For more than a thousand years, Byzantium has been a kind of link between the civilizations of the East and the West, influencing both the states of Europe and Asia Minor.

Arab Caliphate (632-1258)

In 1036, the invasion of the Seljuk Turks turned out to be disastrous for the Caliphate, but the Mongols completed the defeat of the Islamic state.

Caliph An-Nasir, wishing to expand his possessions, turned to Genghis Khan for help, and without knowing it opened the way for the ruin of the Muslim East to the many thousands of Mongol hordes.

Mongol Empire (1206-1368)

The Mongol Empire is the largest state formation in history in terms of territory.

In the period of its power - by the end of the XIII century, the empire extended from the Sea of Japan to the banks of the Danube. The total area of possessions of the Mongols reached 38 million square meters. km.

Given the vast size of the empire, managing it from the capital - Karakorum was almost impossible. It is no coincidence that after the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, the process of gradual division of the conquered territories into separate uluses began, the most significant of which was the Golden Horde.

Holy Roman Empire (962-1806)

Ottoman Empire (1299-1922)

The period of the highest power of the Ottoman Empire falls on the 16th-17th centuries, but the state achieved the greatest conquests under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

The borders of the empire of Suleiman I stretched from Eritrea in the south to the Commonwealth in the north, from Algiers in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east.

The period from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century was marked by bloody military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and Russia. Territorial disputes between the two states mainly unfolded around the Crimea and Transcaucasia. The First World War put an end to them, as a result of which the Ottoman Empire, divided between the countries of the Entente, ceased to exist.

British Empire (1497¬-1949)

The British Empire is the largest colonial power both in terms of territory and population.

The empire reached its greatest extent by the 30s of the 20th century: the land area of the United Kingdom, together with the colonies, totaled 34 million 650 thousand square meters. km., which was approximately 22% of the earth's land. The total population of the empire reached 480 million people - every fourth inhabitant of the Earth was a subject of the British crown.

In terms of area, the Russian Empire was second only to the Mongol and British empires - 21,799,825 sq. km, and was the second (after the British) in terms of population - about 178 million people.

The growth of the Russian Empire has always been viewed with particular caution by the West. The appearance of the so-called "Testament of Peter the Great" - a document fabricated in 1812 by French political circles - contributed to the negative perception of Russia. “The Russian State must establish power over the whole of Europe,” is one of the key phrases of the Testament, which will haunt the minds of Europeans for a long time to come.