Posted on 08/17/2024 1:07:19 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Much of human history has been defined by the actions of around 50 to 70 empires that once ruled large swathes of people across vast chunks of the globe. Each of these empires, whether large or small, for ill or for good, has influenced world history. It’s hard to say which has had the greatest impact on society — it is, after all, somewhat subjective and hard to measure — but some have undeniably shaped the course of human history, forever and irrevocably. Here are six such empires, from the mighty Persians to the globe-spanning British.
Around 550 BCE, Cyrus II of Persia — later to be known as Cyrus the Great — conquered a number of neighboring kingdoms, including Media and Babylon, and brought them together under his control. In so doing, he founded the first Persian Empire, also known as the Achaemenid Empire. Centered in modern-day Iran, it became one of the largest empires in history, stretching from Egypt and the Balkans to parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. For more than two centuries, the empire was a global center of culture, religion, science, arts, and technology. But then came the Persian ruler Xerxes, whose failed invasion of Greece in 480 BCE brought about a period of decline.
Weakened, the Persian Empire eventually fell in 330 BCE at the hands of the invading armies of Alexander the Great of Macedonia.
Following a period of unrest and civil wars — including the assassination of Julius Caesar — the Roman Republic came to an end and Augustus Caesar was crowned the first ruler of the new Roman Empire in 27 BCE. At its height in 117 CE, Rome controlled all the land from Western Europe to the Middle East, and was the most powerful political and military entity the world had yet seen. The impact of the Roman Empire on the modern world is hard to overstate. Our art, architecture, laws, technology, and engineering — even the very words we speak — have all been heavily influenced by the ancient Romans.
But even an empire as mighty as Rome was destined to fall. A series of Gothic invasions heralded a general decline, and in 476 CE, the Western Roman Empire fell. The Eastern Roman Empire — also known as the Byzantine Empire — remained until 1453, but the glory days of the Roman Empire had reached their end.
Founded in 206 BCE and established by a commoner named Liu Bang, the Han dynasty was the second great imperial dynasty of China. It spanned more than four centuries and is considered a golden age in Chinese history. Despite much political turbulence, the dynasty helped cement Confucianism as the state religion and opened up a world-changing trade route with Europe: the Silk Road.
The Han dynasty is also known for its many innovations that shaped the world as we know it today. Developments in everything from record-keeping to agriculture and health care had a global impact, while inventions such as the rudder, the blast furnace, the wheelbarrow, suspension bridges, and paper forever changed the way we live.
At the height of its powers, the Mongol Empire covered around 9 million square miles, making it the largest contiguous land empire the world has ever seen. The empire was founded by Genghis Khan, a former tribal leader, in 1206. Genghis’ early victories gave him control of the whole of what is now Mongolia. He and his fearsome armies then engaged in a period of aggressive expansion that conquered most of Eurasia, leaving a trail of ruin in its wake. But the Mongol Empire was far more complex than its notorious hordes would suggest.
Under Genghis and his successors, the Mongols reformed his people’s laws, created a military-feudal form of government, and enhanced trade (including along the Silk Road) throughout his conquered territories. His armies, meanwhile, were quick to adopt advanced technologies of the time, such as powerful siege weapons and possibly gunpowder, while perfecting their mounted hit-and-run tactics. The Mongols were also innovators who, through their expansion, helped introduce military technology to new lands, including their famed composite bow and stirrups.
From humble beginnings as a provincial principality in Anatolia (part of modern-day Turkey), the Ottoman Empire rose to become one of the most powerful and long-lasting empires in history, spanning an incredible six centuries from the early 1300s to the aftermath of World War I. The Islamic superpower ruled large swathes of the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and North Africa, and reached the height of its powers under the appropriately named Suleiman the Magnificent.
Suleiman, who ruled the empire from 1520 to 1566, brought about a golden age of geographic expansion, trade, economic growth, and huge cultural and artistic developments, while forging an empire that embraced ethnic diversity and religious tolerance.
The British Empire remains the largest empire the world has ever seen. Beginning with overseas colonies in the Americas in the 16th century, British expansion then accelerated in the 18th century, particularly in Asia. With the aid of the London-based East India Company, the empire established trading posts around the world, which in turn developed into a worldwide system of dependencies, including colonies and protectorates.
At its height in the early 20th century, the British Empire covered around 25% of the world’s land surface, including large parts of North America, Australia, Africa, and Asia. In 1913, it ruled over some 412 million inhabitants in its entirety — about 23% of the world’s population at the time.
Such a vast territory was unsustainable, however, and, as more and more nations fought for their independence, the empire began to crumble. But the influence of the British Empire upon the world was massive — and remains a hugely controversial subject. Once a source of pride in Britain, the nation’s imperial past is now more often seen as a dark and often brutal period of colonialism. Since the decline of the empire, more than 60 countries have gained their independence from the United Kingdom.
Interesting that Alexander only got passing mention at the end of the Persian Empire and no mention of his successors.
Just think: no Romans running Jerusalem when Christ was born; no Roman empire; no "Romance" languages (French, Italian, Spanish). There would have been no Roman Vatican.
A fundamental determination of history.
I would of said:
Egypt
Greece
Roman
England
Spain
US
Because he and they only build on what the Achaemenids had created
Yes I would say your list is far better.
anything promulgating BCE/CE is woke bullSchiff
you’ve got England/Spain reversed
Some contrast!
“The Ottoman Empire (under Suleiman)...embraced ethnic diversity and religious tolerance.”
“The British Empire is now more often seen as a dark and often brutal period of colonialism.”
Gee whiz,
I just read BCE as Before Christian Era
and CE as Christian Era
So I have no problem with it.
It is interesting that the majority of the former colonies of GB have done far better than other former colonies.
Egypt
Greece
Rome
Viking
Portugal
Spain
England
France
US
BCE and CE are BeforeCurrentEra and Current Era.
They are ENTIRELY designed and promulgated to replace BeforeChrist and AnnoDomini by Christian hating revisionists
Very interesting. Thanks to all posters. History BUMP. The forward operating bases (mosques) of Islam are in practically every country in the world. The number of mosques in Bangladesh stands at more than 250,000.
Are they kidding? Seizing children from Christian families and training them as Janissaries indoctrinated in the Islamic tenets of jihad and then sending them to war against Christian lands is about as far from religious tolerance as I can imagine.
Put Alexander’s very short lived empire in there, too.
The Ottoman Empire engaged in Genocide against Armenian Christians. The German empire, and it was a short lived Empire, not outlasting the war that created it, changed civilization, too, occasioning the metamorphosis of the Bolshevik staggering economy into the Stalin Soviet Empire that did, I believe, have some effect on the course of Western Civilization.
I was limiting myself to the 6 originally mentioned, obviously if you want to make a longer list, then yes. But if you had to pick only 6.. it makes a difference
The Mongol Empire influenced modern day Russia. You can see that they were not quite inspired by the ideals of the Englitenment in Western Europe. So basically the Russian are a bunch of brutes. They had to be because they had to fight off the Mongols.
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