From school course history, we know about the emergence of the first states on earth with their unique way of life, culture and art. Distant and in many ways mysterious life people of past times were excited and aroused their imagination. And, probably, for many it would be interesting to see maps of the greatest empires of antiquity, placed side by side. This comparison makes it possible to feel the size of the once gigantic state entities and the place they occupy on Earth and in human history.
Ancient empires were characterized by long-term political stability and well-established communications to the most remote outskirts, without which it was impossible to manage vast territories. All great empires had large armies: the passion for conquest was almost manic. And the rulers of such states sometimes achieved impressive successes, subjugating vast lands, on which giant empires arose. But time passed, and the giant left the historical stage.
First Empire
Egypt. 3000-30 years before new era
This empire lasted three millennia - longer than any other. The state arose more than 3000 BC. e., and when the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt took place (2686-2181), the so-called Ancient kingdom. The whole life of the country was connected with the Nile River, with its fertile valley and delta at Mediterranean Sea. Egypt was ruled by a pharaoh; governors and officials sat in the seats. The elite of society included officers, scribes, surveyors and local priests. The pharaoh was considered a living deity, and performed all the most important sacrifices himself.
The Egyptians fanatically believed in afterlife, cultural objects and majestic buildings - pyramids and temples - were dedicated to her. The walls of the burial chambers covered with hieroglyphs told about life the most ancient state more than other archaeological finds.
The history of Egypt falls into two periods. The first is from its foundation until 332 BC, when the country was conquered by Alexander the Great. And the second period is the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty - the descendants of one of the generals Alexander the Great. In 30 BC, Egypt was conquered by a younger and more powerful empire - the Roman Empire.
Cradle of Western Culture
Greece. 700-146 BC 
Southern part People settled the Balkan Peninsula tens of thousands of years ago. But only from the 7th century BC can we talk about Greece as a large, homogeneous culturally formation, albeit with reservations: the country was a union of city-states united for a time external threat, as, for example, to repel Persian aggression.
Culture, religion and, above all, language were the framework within which the history of this country took place. In 510 BC, most cities were freed from the autocracy of the kings. Athens was soon ruled by democracy, but only male citizens had the right to vote.
State structure, the culture and science of Greece became a model and an inexhaustible source of wisdom for almost all later states of Europe. Already Greek scientists wondered about life and the Universe. It was in Greece that the foundations of such sciences as medicine, mathematics, astronomy and philosophy were laid. Greek culture ceased to develop when the Romans conquered the country. The decisive battle took place in 146 BC near the city of Corinth, when the troops of the Greek Achaean League were defeated.
The Dominion of the "King of Kings" 
Persia. 600-331 BC
In the 7th century BC, the nomadic tribes of the Iranian Highlands rebelled against Assyrian rule. The winners founded the state of Media, which later, together with Babylonia and others neighboring countries became a world power. By the end of the 6th century BC, it, led by Cyrus II and then his successors belonging to the Achaemenid dynasty, continued its conquests. In the west, the lands of the empire faced the Aegean Sea, in the east its border ran along the Indus River, in the south, in Africa, its possessions reached the first rapids of the Nile. (Most of Greece was occupied during the Greco-Persian War by the troops of the Persian king Xerxes in 480 BC.)
The monarch was called the "King of Kings", he stood at the head of the army and was the supreme judge. The domains were divided into 20 satrapies, where the king's viceroy ruled in his name. The subjects spoke four languages: Old Persian, Babylonian, Elamite and Aramaic.
In 331 BC, Alexander the Great defeated the hordes of Darius II, the last of the Achaemenid dynasty. Thus ended the history of this great empire.
Peace and love - for everyone
India. 322-185 BC 
Legends, dedicated to history India and its rulers are very sketchy. Little information dates back to the time when the founder lived religious teaching Buddha (566-486 BC), the first real person in Indian history.
In the first half of the 1st millennium BC, many small states. One of them - Magadha - rose to prominence thanks to successful wars of conquest. King Ashoka, who belonged to the Maurya dynasty, expanded his possessions so much that they occupied almost all of present-day India, Pakistan and part of Afghanistan. Administrative officials and a strong army obeyed the king. At first, Ashoka was known as a cruel commander, but, becoming a follower of the Buddha, he preached peace, love and tolerance and received the nickname “The Convert.” This king built hospitals, fought deforestation, and pursued a soft policy towards his people. His decrees that have reached us, carved on rocks and columns, are the oldest, precisely dated epigraphic monuments of India, telling about the management of the state, social relations, religion and culture.
Even before his rise, Ashoka divided the population into four castes. The first two were privileged - priests and warriors. The invasion of the Bactrian Greeks and internal strife in the country led to the collapse of the empire.
The beginning of more than two thousand years of history
China. 221-210 BC
During the period called Zhanyu in the history of China, many years of struggle waged by many small kingdoms brought victory to the kingdom of Qin. It united the conquered lands and in 221 BC formed the first Chinese empire led by Qin Shi Huang. The emperor carried out reforms that strengthened the young state. The country was divided into districts, military garrisons were established to maintain order and tranquility, a network of roads and canals was built, equal education was introduced for officials, and a single system operated throughout the kingdom. monetary system. The monarch established an order in which people were obliged to work where the interests and needs of the state required it. Even such a curious law was introduced: all carts must have an equal distance between the wheels so that they move along the same tracks. During the same reign the Great Empire was created Chinese Wall: it connected separate sections of defensive structures built earlier by the northern kingdoms.
In 210, Qing Shi Huang died. But subsequent dynasties left intact the foundations for building an empire laid by its founder. In any case, the last dynasty of Chinese emperors ceased to exist at the beginning of this century, and the borders of the state remain practically unchanged to this day.
An army that maintains order
Rome. 509 BC - 330 AD 
In 509 BC, the Romans expelled the Etruscan king Tarquin the Proud from Rome. Rome became a republic. By 264 BC, her troops captured the entire Apennine Peninsula. After this, expansion began in all directions of the world, and by 117 AD the state stretched its borders from west to east - from the Atlantic Ocean to the Caspian Sea, and from south to north - from the rapids of the Nile and the coast of the entire North Africa to the Scottish borders and along the lower Danube.
For 500 years, Rome was ruled by two consuls elected annually and a Senate in charge of state property and finances, foreign policy, military affairs and religion.
In 30 BC, Rome became an empire led by Caesar, and essentially a monarch. The first Caesar was Augustus. A large and well-trained army participated in the construction of a huge network of roads, their total length being more than 80,000 kilometers. Excellent roads made the army very mobile and allowed it to quickly reach the most remote corners of the empire. The proconsuls appointed by Rome in the provinces - governors and officials loyal to Caesar - also helped keep the country from collapse. This was facilitated by the settlements of soldiers who had served in the conquered lands.
The Roman state, unlike many other giants of the past, fully corresponded to the concept of “empire”. It also became a model for future applicants for world domination. European countries much was inherited from the culture of Rome, as well as the principles of building parliaments and political parties.
Uprisings of peasants, slaves and urban plebs, and the increasing pressure of Germanic and other barbarian tribes from the north forced Emperor Constantine I to move the capital of the state to the city of Byzantium, later called Constantinople. This happened in 330 AD. After Constantine, the Roman Empire was actually divided into two - Western and Eastern, ruled by two emperors.
Christianity is the stronghold of the empire 
Byzantium. 330-1453 AD
Byzantium arose from the eastern remnants of the Roman Empire. The capital became Constantinople, founded by Emperor Constantine I in 324-330 on the site of the Byzantine colony (hence the name of the state). From that moment on, the isolation of Byzantium in the bowels of the Roman Empire began. Played a major role in the life of this state christian religion, which became the ideological foundation of the empire and the stronghold of Orthodoxy.
Byzantium existed for more than a thousand years. It reached its political and military power during the reign of Emperor Justinian I, in the 6th century AD. It was then, having strong army, Byzantium conquered Western and southern lands former Roman Empire. But within these limits the empire did not last long. In 1204, Constantinople fell to the attacks of the crusaders, which never rose again, and in 1453 the capital of Byzantium was captured by the Ottoman Turks.
In the name of Allah
Arab Caliphate. 600-1258 AD 
The sermons of the Prophet Muhammad laid the foundation for the religious and political movement in Western Arabia. Called "Islam", it contributed to the creation of a centralized state in Arabia. However, soon as a result of successful conquests, a vast Muslim empire was born - the Caliphate. The presented map shows the greatest scope of the conquests of the Arabs, who fought under the green banner of Islam. In the East, the Caliphate included the western part of India. Arab world left indelible marks in the history of mankind, in literature, mathematics and astronomy.
From the beginning of the 9th century, the Caliphate gradually began to fall apart - weakness economic ties, the vastness of the territories subjugated by the Arabs, which had their own culture and traditions, did not contribute to unity. In 1258, the Mongols conquered Baghdad and the Caliphate broke up into several Arab states.
At the time of the greatest prosperity of the Roman Empire, its dominion extended over vast territories - their total area was about 6.51 million square kilometers. However, in the list largest empires in history, Rimskaya ranks only nineteenth.
What do you think, which one is the first?
The largest empire in the world in history
Mongolian
294 (21.8 % )
Russian
213 (15.8 % )
Spanish
48 (3.6 % )
British
562 (41.6 % )
Mongolian
118 (8.7 % )
Turkic Khaganate
18 (1.3 % )
Japanese
5 (0.4 % )
Arab Caliphate
18 (1.3 % )
Macedonian
74 (5.5 % )
Now we find out the correct answer...
Thousands of years of human existence have passed under the sign of wars and expansions. Great states arose, grew and collapsed, which changed (and some continue to change) the face of the modern world.
Empire is the most powerful type of state, where people are united under the rule of a single monarch (emperor). various countries and peoples. Let's look at the ten largest empires that have ever appeared on the world stage. Oddly enough, in our list you will not find either the Roman, or the Ottoman, or even the empire of Alexander the Great - history has seen more.
10. Arab Caliphate
Population: -
State area: - 6.7
Capital: 630-656 Medina / 656 - 661 Mecca / 661 - 754 Damascus / 754 - 762 Al-Kufa / 762 - 836 Baghdad / 836 - 892 Samarra / 892 - 1258 Baghdad
Beginning of rule: 632
Fall of an Empire: 1258
The existence of this empire marked the so-called. “The Golden Era of Islam” - the period from the 7th to the 13th centuries AD. e. The caliphate was founded immediately after the death of the creator of the Muslim faith, Muhammad in 632, and the Medina community founded by the prophet became its core. Centuries of Arab conquests increased the area of the empire to 13 million square meters. km, covering territories in all three parts Old World. By the middle of the 13th century, the Caliphate, torn apart internal conflicts, was so weakened that it was easily captured first by the Mongols, and then by the Ottomans, the founders of another great Central Asian empire.
9. Japanese Empire
Population: 97,770,000
State area: 7.4 million km2
Capital: Tokyo
Beginning of rule: 1868
Fall of the Empire: 1947
Japan is the only empire in modern times political map. Now this status is rather formal, but 70 years ago it was Tokyo that was the main center of imperialism in Asia. Japan, an ally of the Third Reich and fascist Italy, then tried to establish control over the west coast Pacific Ocean, sharing a vast front with the Americans. This time marked the peak of the territorial scope of the empire, which controlled almost the entire maritime space and 7.4 million square meters. km of land from Sakhalin to New Guinea.
8. Portuguese Empire
Population: 50 million (480 BC) / 35 million (330 BC)
State area: - 10.4 million km2
Capital: Coimbra, Lisbon
Since the 16th century, the Portuguese have been looking for ways to break Spanish isolation on the Iberian Peninsula. In 1497, they discovered a sea route to India, which marked the beginning of the expansion of the Portuguese colonial empire. Three years earlier, the Treaty of Tordesillas was concluded between the “sworn neighbors,” which actually divided the then-known world between the two countries, on unfavorable terms for the Portuguese. But this did not stop them from collecting more than 10 million square meters. km of land, most of which was occupied by Brazil. The handover of Macau to the Chinese in 1999 completed colonial history Portugal.
7. Turkic Khaganate
Area - 13 million km2
one of the largest ancient states in Asia in the history of mankind, created by a tribal union of Turks (Turkuts) led by rulers from the Ashina clan. During the period of greatest expansion (end of the 6th century) it controlled the territories of China (Manchuria), Mongolia, Altai, East Turkestan, West Turkestan (Central Asia), Kazakhstan and the North Caucasus. In addition, the tributaries of the Kaganate were Sasanian Iran, the Chinese states of Northern Zhou, Northern Qi from 576 and from the same year the Turkic Kaganate was torn away from Byzantium North Caucasus and Crimea.
6. French Empire
Population: -
State area: 13.5 million square meters. km
Capital: Paris
Beginning of rule: 1546
Fall of the Empire: 1940
France became the third European power (after Spain and Portugal) to become interested overseas territories. Since 1546 - the time of foundation New France(now Quebec, Canada) - begins the formation of Francophonie in the world. Having lost the American confrontation with the Anglo-Saxons, and also inspired by the conquests of Napoleon, the French occupied almost all of West Africa. In the middle of the twentieth century, the area of the empire reached 13.5 million square meters. km, more than 110 million people lived in it. By 1962 most of French colonies became independent states.
Chinese Empire
5. Chinese Empire (Qing Empire)
Population: 383,100,000 people
State area: 14.7 million km2
Capital: Mukden (1636–1644), Beijing (1644–1912)
Beginning of rule: 1616
Fall of the Empire: 1912
The most ancient empire of Asia, the cradle of oriental culture. The first Chinese dynasties ruled from the 2nd millennium BC. e., but a unified empire was created only in 221 BC. e. During the reign of the Qing, the last monarchical dynasty of the Celestial Empire, the empire occupied a record area of 14.7 million square meters. km. This is 1.5 times more than the modern Chinese state, mainly due to Mongolia, now independent. In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution broke out, putting an end to the monarchical system in China, turning the empire into a republic.
4. Spanish Empire
Population: 60 million
State area: 20,000,000 km2
Capital: Toledo (1492-1561) / Madrid (1561-1601) / Valladolid (1601-1606) / Madrid (1606-1898)
Fall of the Empire: 1898
The period of world domination of Spain began with the voyages of Columbus, which opened new horizons for Catholic missionary work and territorial expansion. In the 16th century, almost the entire Western Hemisphere was “at the feet” of the Spanish king with his “invincible armada.” It was at this time that Spain was called “the country where the sun never sets,” because its possessions covered a seventh of the land (about 20 million sq. km) and almost half of the sea routes in all corners of the planet. Greatest Empires The Incas and Aztecs fell to the conquistadors, and in their place a predominantly Spanish-speaking Latin America emerged.
3. Russian Empire
Population: 60 million
Population: 181.5 million (1916)
State area: 23,700,000 km2
Capital: St. Petersburg, Moscow
Fall of the Empire: 1917
The largest continental monarchy in human history. Its roots reach back to the times of the Moscow principality, then the kingdom. In 1721, Peter I proclaimed the imperial status of Russia, which owned vast territories from Finland to Chukotka. IN late XIX century, the state reached its geographical apogee: 24.5 million square meters. km, about 130 million inhabitants, over 100 ethnic groups and nationalities. Russian possessions at one time included the lands of Alaska (before its sale by the Americans in 1867), as well as part of California.
2. Mongol Empire
Population: more than 110,000,000 people (1279)
State area: 38,000,000 sq. km. (1279)
Capital: Karakorum, Khanbalik
Beginning of rule: 1206
Fall of the Empire: 1368
The greatest empire of all times and peoples, whose raison d'être was one thing - war. The Great Mongolian State was formed in 1206 under the leadership of Genghis Khan, expanding over several decades to 38 million square meters. km, from Baltic Sea to Vietnam, and thus killing every tenth inhabitant of the Earth. By the end of the 13th century, its Uluses covered a quarter of the land and a third of the planet's population, which then numbered almost half a billion people. The ethnopolitical framework of modern Eurasia was formed on the fragments of the empire.
1. British Empire
Population: 458,000,000 people (approximately 24% of the world's population in 1922)
State area: 42.75 km2 (1922)
Capital London
Beginning of rule: 1497
Fall of the Empire: 1949 (1997)
British Empire- the largest state that has ever existed in the entire history of mankind with colonies on all inhabited continents.
Over the 400 years of its formation, it withstood competition for world domination with other “colonial titans”: France, Holland, Spain, Portugal. During its heyday, London controlled a quarter of the world's landmass (over 34 million sq. km) on all inhabited continents, as well as vast expanses of ocean. Formally, it still exists in the form of the Commonwealth, and countries such as Canada and Australia actually remain subject to the British crown.
International status in English is the main legacy of Pax Britannica.
Something else interesting for you from history: remember, or for example. Here you go. maybe you didn't know that there was
The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -
It is in history that answers to many modern questions can be found. Do you know about the largest empire that ever existed on the planet? TravelAsk will tell you about two world giants of the past.
Largest empire by area
The British Empire is the largest state that has ever existed in the history of mankind. Of course here we're talking about not only about the continent, but also about colonies on all inhabited continents. Just think: this was even less than a hundred years ago. IN different time The area of Britain varied, but the maximum was 42.75 million square meters. km (of which 8.1 million sq. km are territories in Antarctica). This is two and a half times larger than the current territory of Russia. This is 22% of land. The British Empire reached its peak in 1918.
The total population of Britain at its peak was about 480 million (about one-quarter of humanity). This is why English is so widespread. This is a direct legacy of the British Empire.
How the state was born
The British Empire grew during long period: approximately 200 years. The 20th century marked the culmination of its growth: at this time the state possessed various territories on all continents. For this, it is called the empire “on which the sun never sets.”
And it all started in the 18th century quite peacefully: with trade and diplomacy, occasionally with colonial conquests.
The Empire helped spread British technology, trade, the English language, and its form of government throughout the world. Of course, the basis of power was Navy, which was used everywhere. He ensured freedom of navigation, fought against slavery and piracy (slavery was abolished in Britain in early XIX century). This made the world safer. It turns out that rather than seeking power over a vast interior for the sake of resources, the empire relied on trade and control over strategic points. It was this strategy that made the British Empire the most powerful.
The British Empire was very diverse, containing territories on every continent, creating a great diversity of cultures. The state included a very heterogeneous population, thanks to which it was able to govern different regions either directly or through local rulers, these are excellent skills for government. Just think: British power extended to India, Egypt, Canada, New Zealand and many other countries.
When the decolonization of the United Kingdom began, the British tried to introduce parliamentary democracy and the rule of law in the former colonies, but this was not successful everywhere. Great Britain's influence on its former territories noticeable even today: the majority of the colonies decided that the Commonwealth of Nations replaced the Empire for them psychologically. Members of the Commonwealth are all former dominions and colonies of the state. Today it includes 17 countries, including the Bahamas and others. That is, they in fact recognize the monarch of Great Britain as their monarch, but locally his power is represented by the governor general. But it is worth saying that the title of monarch does not imply any political power over the Commonwealth Kingdoms.
Mongol Empire
Second in area (but not in power) - Mongol Empire. It was formed as a result of the conquests of Genghis Khan. Its area is 38 million square meters. km: this is slightly less than the area of Britain (and if you consider that Britain owned 8 million sq. km in Antarctica, the figure looks even more impressive). The territory of the state stretched from the Danube to Sea of Japan and from Novgorod to Cambodia. This is the largest continental state in the history of mankind.
The state did not last long: from 1206 to 1368. But this empire greatly influenced modern world: It is believed that 8% of the world's population are descendants of Genghis Khan. And this is quite likely: Temujin’s eldest son alone had 40 sons.
At its height, the Mongol Empire included vast areas of Central Asia, Southern Siberia, of Eastern Europe, Middle East, China and Tibet. It was the world's largest land empire.
Its rise is astonishing: a group of Mongol tribes that numbered no more than a million people managed to conquer empires that were literally hundreds of times larger. How did they achieve this? Well-thought-out tactics of action, high mobility, the use of technical and other achievements of the captured peoples, as well as the correct organization of rear and supply.
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But here, of course, there could be no talk of any diplomacy. The Mongols completely slaughtered cities that did not want to obey them. More than one city was wiped off the face of the earth. Moreover, Temujin and his descendants destroyed great and ancient states: the state of the Khorezmshahs, the Chinese Empire, the Baghdad Caliphate, Volga Bulgaria. Modern historians it is said that up to 50% of the total population died in the occupied territories. Thus, the population of the Chinese dynasties was 120 million people, after the Mongol invasion it decreased to 60 million.
Consequences of the Great Khan's invasions
By 1206, the commander Temujin united all the Mongol tribes and was proclaimed great khan over all tribes, receiving the title “Genghis Khan”. He captured northern China and devastated Central Asia, conquered the whole Central Asia and Iran, ravaging the entire region.
The descendants of Genghis Khan ruled an empire that captured most of Eurasia, including almost the entire Middle East, parts of Eastern Europe, China and Rus'. Despite all its power, the real threat to the dominance of the Mongol Empire was the enmity between its rulers. The empire split into four khanates. The largest fragments of Great Mongolia were the Yuan Empire, Ulus Jochi ( Golden Horde), the Hulaguid state and the Chagatai ulus. They, in turn, also failed or were conquered. IN last quarter XIV century the Mongol Empire ceased to exist.
However, despite such a short reign, the Mongol Empire influenced the unification of many regions. For example, the eastern and western parts of Russia and the western regions of China remain united to this day, albeit under different forms of government. Rus' has also gained strength: Moscow during Tatar-Mongol yoke was granted the status of tax collector for the Mongols. That is, Russian residents collected tribute and taxes for the Mongols, while the Mongols themselves visited Russian lands extremely rarely. In the end, the Russian people gained military power, which allowed Ivan III overthrow the Mongols under the leadership of the Moscow Principality.
At the height of the Roman Empire, its rule extended over vast territories - their total area was about 2.51 million square kilometers. However, in the list of the largest empires in history, the Roman Empire ranks only nineteenth.
What do you think, which one is the first?
Mongolian
Russian
Spanish
British
Qing Empire
Turkic Khaganate
Empire of Japan
Arab Caliphate
Macedonian Empire
Now we will find out the correct answer...-
Thousands of years of human existence have passed under the sign of wars and expansions. Great states arose, grew and collapsed, which changed (and some continue to change) the face of the modern world.
An empire is the most powerful type of state, where various countries and peoples are united under the rule of a single monarch (emperor). Let's look at the ten largest empires that have ever appeared on the world stage. Oddly enough, in our list you will not find either the Roman, or the Ottoman, or even the empire of Alexander the Great - history has seen more.
10. Arab Caliphate
Population: -
State area: - 6.7
Capital: 630-656 Medina / 656 - 661 Mecca / 661 - 754 Damascus / 754 - 762 Al-Kufa / 762 - 836 Baghdad / 836 - 892 Samarra / 892 - 1258 Baghdad
Beginning of rule: 632
Fall of an Empire: 1258
The existence of this empire marked the so-called. “The Golden Era of Islam” - the period from the 7th to the 13th centuries AD. e. The caliphate was founded immediately after the death of the creator of the Muslim faith, Muhammad in 632, and the Medina community founded by the prophet became its core. Centuries of Arab conquests increased the area of the empire to 13 million square meters. km, covering territories in all three parts of the Old World. By the middle of the 13th century, the Caliphate, torn apart by internal conflicts, was so weakened that it was easily captured first by the Mongols and then by the Ottomans, the founders of another great Central Asian empire.
9. Japanese Empire
Population: 97,770,000
State area: 7.4 million km2
Capital: Tokyo
Beginning of rule: 1868
Fall of the Empire: 1947
Japan is the only empire on the modern political map. Now this status is rather formal, but 70 years ago it was Tokyo that was the main center of imperialism in Asia. Japan, an ally of the Third Reich and fascist Italy, then tried to establish control over the western coast of the Pacific Ocean, sharing a vast front with the Americans. This time marked the peak of the territorial scope of the empire, which controlled almost the entire maritime space and 7.4 million square meters. km of land from Sakhalin to New Guinea.
8. Portuguese Empire
Population: 50 million (480 BC) / 35 million (330 BC)
State area: - 10.4 million km2
Capital: Coimbra, Lisbon
Fall of the Empire: October 5, 1910
Since the 16th century, the Portuguese have been looking for ways to break Spanish isolation on the Iberian Peninsula. In 1497, they discovered a sea route to India, which marked the beginning of the expansion of the Portuguese colonial empire. Three years earlier, the Treaty of Tordesillas was concluded between the “sworn neighbors,” which actually divided the then-known world between the two countries, on unfavorable terms for the Portuguese. But this did not stop them from collecting more than 10 million square meters. km of land, most of which was occupied by Brazil. The handover of Macau to the Chinese in 1999 ended Portugal's colonial history.
7. Turkic Khaganate
Area - 13 million km2
one of the largest ancient states in Asia in the history of mankind, created by a tribal union of Turks (Turkuts) led by rulers from the Ashina clan. During the period of greatest expansion (end of the 6th century) it controlled the territories of China (Manchuria), Mongolia, Altai, East Turkestan, West Turkestan (Central Asia), Kazakhstan and the North Caucasus. In addition, the tributaries of the Kaganate were Sasanian Iran, the Chinese states of Northern Zhou, Northern Qi from 576, and from the same year the Turkic Kaganate seized the Northern Caucasus and Crimea from Byzantium.
-
6. French Empire
Population: -
State area: 13.5 million square meters. km
Capital: Paris
Beginning of rule: 1546
Fall of the Empire: 1940
France became the third European power (after Spain and Portugal) to become interested in the overseas territories. Since 1546, the time of the founding of New France (now Quebec, Canada), the formation of Francophonie in the world began. Having lost the American confrontation with the Anglo-Saxons, and also inspired by the conquests of Napoleon, the French occupied almost all of West Africa. In the middle of the twentieth century, the area of the empire reached 13.5 million square meters. km, more than 110 million people lived in it. By 1962, most of the French colonies had become independent states.
Chinese Empire
5. Chinese Empire (Qing Empire)
Population: 383,100,000 people
State area: 14.7 million km2
Capital: Mukden (1636–1644), Beijing (1644–1912)
Beginning of rule: 1616
Fall of the Empire: 1912
The most ancient empire of Asia, the cradle of oriental culture. The first Chinese dynasties ruled from the 2nd millennium BC. e., but a unified empire was created only in 221 BC. e. During the reign of the Qing, the last monarchical dynasty of the Celestial Empire, the empire occupied a record area of 14.7 million square meters. km. This is 1.5 times more than the modern Chinese state, mainly due to Mongolia, now independent. In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution broke out, putting an end to the monarchical system in China, turning the empire into a republic.
4. Spanish Empire
Population: 60 million
State area: 20,000,000 km2
Capital: Toledo (1492-1561) / Madrid (1561-1601) / Valladolid (1601-1606) / Madrid (1606-1898)
Fall of the Empire: 1898
The period of world domination of Spain began with the voyages of Columbus, which opened new horizons for Catholic missionary work and territorial expansion. In the 16th century, almost the entire Western Hemisphere was “at the feet” of the Spanish king with his “invincible armada.” It was at this time that Spain was called “the country where the sun never sets,” because its possessions covered a seventh of the land (about 20 million sq. km) and almost half of the sea routes in all corners of the planet. The greatest empires of the Incas and Aztecs fell to the conquistadors, and in their place a predominantly Spanish-speaking Latin America emerged.
3. Russian Empire
Population: 60 million
Population: 181.5 million (1916)
State area: 23,700,000 km2
Capital: St. Petersburg, Moscow
Fall of the Empire: 1917
The largest continental monarchy in human history. Its roots reach back to the times of the Moscow principality, then the kingdom. In 1721, Peter I proclaimed the imperial status of Russia, which owned vast territories from Finland to Chukotka. At the end of the 19th century, the state reached its geographical apogee: 24.5 million square meters. km, about 130 million inhabitants, over 100 ethnic groups and nationalities. Russian possessions at one time included the lands of Alaska (before its sale by the Americans in 1867), as well as part of California.
2. Mongol Empire
Population: more than 110,000,000 people (1279)
State area: 38,000,000 sq. km. (1279)
Capital: Karakorum, Khanbalik
Beginning of rule: 1206
Fall of the Empire: 1368
The greatest empire of all times and peoples, whose raison d'être was one thing - war. The Great Mongolian State was formed in 1206 under the leadership of Genghis Khan, expanding over several decades to 38 million square meters. km, from the Baltic Sea to Vietnam, killing every tenth inhabitant of the Earth. By the end of the 13th century, its Uluses covered a quarter of the land and a third of the planet's population, which then numbered almost half a billion people. The ethnopolitical framework of modern Eurasia was formed on the fragments of the empire.
1. British Empire
Population: 458,000,000 people (approximately 24% of the world's population in 1922)
State area: 42.75 km2 (1922)
Capital London
Beginning of rule: 1497
Fall of the Empire: 1949 (1997)
The British Empire is the largest state that has ever existed in the history of mankind, with colonies on all inhabited continents.
Over the 400 years of its formation, it withstood competition for world domination with other “colonial titans”: France, Holland, Spain, Portugal. During its heyday, London controlled a quarter of the world's landmass (over 34 million sq. km) on all inhabited continents, as well as vast expanses of ocean. Formally, it still exists in the form of the Commonwealth, and countries such as Canada and Australia actually remain subject to the British crown.
The international status of the English language is the main legacy of Pax Britannica. And
Abstracts were prepared based on materials from the German magazine "Illustrierte Wissenschaft".
From the school history course we know about the emergence of the first states on earth with their unique way of life, culture and art. The distant and largely mysterious life of people of past times excited and awakened imagination. And, probably, for many it would be interesting to see maps of the greatest empires of antiquity, placed side by side. Such a comparison makes it possible to feel the size of the once gigantic state formations and the place they occupied on Earth and in the history of mankind.
Egypt. Nai large sizes the empire reached in 1450 BC. e.
Greece. The dark areas on the map indicate the lands where Greek culture flourished.
Persia. The territory of the empire in 500 BC. e.
India. Largest sizes The territory of the country reached in 250 BC. e.
China occupied such territory in 221 BC. e.
The Roman Empire at its peak - the beginning of the 2nd century AD.
Byzantium in its heyday - VI century.
Arab Caliphate. It reached its greatest size in 632 AD. e. A118 years later, the area of the Caliphate was significantly reduced (dark shading).
The state is ancient public education and means a territory occupied by a settled population subject to the same authority. Ancient thinkers already thought about the essence of government. For example, the Greek philosopher Aristotle saw in the state the final natural form of community life, important for man, who by nature is a “political being.” Moreover, he considered the state “an environment for a completely happy life.”
In the Middle Ages and later, the concept of “state” began to include contractual principles between a person and the supreme power. In the state of nature, a person lacks not rights, the English thinkers of the 17th century John Milton and John Locke believed, but their security, which he finds in a state established by agreement precisely for this purpose.
A true son of the age of enlightenment, Jean-Jacques Rousseau saw the meaning of the formation of a state in respecting the interests of each of its citizens. People need it in order to “find a form of union that would protect and ensure the personality and property of each member of society so that each, connecting with others, would obey only himself and would remain as free as before.” “Freedom is not alienable” is the main position of Rousseau.
Even 8-9 thousand years ago, people began to switch to a sedentary lifestyle. Agriculture and the first domestic animals appeared. The so-called Neolithic revolution took place, which brought people to new living conditions. Agriculture could already provide a person with sufficient food, so hunting and gathering receded into the background. There was a division of labor between members of the same group, with leaders who governed communities of people. Over time, the need for public buildings arose, and the construction of palaces, temples, and fortresses began. Writing and the beginnings of arithmetic, astronomy and medicine appeared.
Rivers played a huge role in the formation of early civilizations. A river is not only a waterway, but also a stable harvest; it is no coincidence that it was in those distant times that people began to build canals and dams. But since the scattered tribes could not afford large reclamation buildings, groups of farmers united. The first state formations arose in Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates, where a flourishing culture developed.
Modern archaeologists and historians identify several conditions that give the right to call ancient communities of people a state. The first of them is no less than five thousand people who worship the same gods. Power is equipped with an apparatus of officials, and writing is indispensable, existing in any form. Large buildings - palaces and temples - are also an obligatory attribute of statehood. The population is divided into specialties so that everyone can no longer do everything for themselves and their family. So, along with priests and soldiers, artists, philosophers, builders, blacksmiths, weavers, potters, reapers, merchants and so on appeared.
The ancient empires that played their role in human history had all of the above conditions. But in addition, they were characterized by long-term political stability and well-established communications to the most remote outskirts, without which it is impossible to manage vast territories. All great empires had large armies: the passion for conquest was almost manic. And the rulers of such states sometimes achieved impressive successes, subjugating vast lands on which giant empires arose. But time passed, and the giant left the historical stage.
First Empire
Egypt. 3000-30 BC
This empire lasted three millennia - longer than any other. The state arose, according to the latest data, more than 3000 years BC, and when the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt took place (2686-2181), the so-called Old Kingdom was formed. The entire life of the country was connected with the Nile River, with its fertile valley and delta near the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt was ruled by a pharaoh (the word means food warehouse), governors and officials were in place, and in general social life in the country was quite developed (see “Science and Life” No. 1, 1997 - “It’s not over yet” stone Age" - and No. 5, 1997 - " Ancient Egypt. Pyramid of Power"). The elite of society included officers, scribes, surveyors and local priests. The pharaoh was considered a living deity, and he performed all the most important sacrifices himself.
The Egyptians fanatically believed in the afterlife; cultural objects and majestic buildings - pyramids and temples - were dedicated to it. The walls of the burial chambers, covered with hieroglyphs, told more about the life of the ancient state than other archaeological finds.
The history of Egypt falls into two periods. The first is from its foundation until 332 BC, when the country was conquered by Alexander the Great. And the second period is the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty - the descendants of one of the generals Alexander the Great. In 30 BC, Egypt was conquered by a younger and more powerful empire - the Roman Empire.
Cradle of Western Culture
Greece. 700-146 BC
People settled the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula tens of thousands of years ago. But only from the 7th century BC can we talk about Greece as a large, culturally homogeneous entity, although with reservations: the country was a union of city-states that united during times of external threat, such as, for example, to repel Persian aggression.
Culture, religion and, above all, language were the framework within which the history of this country took place. In 510 BC, most cities were freed from the autocracy of the kings. Athens was soon ruled by democracy, but only male citizens had the right to vote.
The polity, culture and science of Greece became a model and an inexhaustible source of wisdom for almost all later European states. Already Greek scientists wondered about life and the Universe. It was in Greece that the foundations of such sciences as medicine, mathematics, astronomy and philosophy were laid. Greek culture ceased to develop when the Romans conquered the country. The decisive battle took place in 146 BC near the city of Corinth, when the troops of the Greek Achaean League were defeated.
The Dominion of the "King of Kings"
Persia. 600-331 BC
In the 7th century BC, the nomadic tribes of the Iranian Highlands rebelled against Assyrian rule. The winners founded the state of Media, which later, together with Babylonia and other neighboring countries, became a world power. By the end of the 6th century BC, it, led by Cyrus II and then his successors belonging to the Achaemenid dynasty, continued its conquests. In the west, the lands of the empire faced the Aegean Sea, in the east its border ran along the Indus River, in the south, in Africa, its possessions reached the first rapids of the Nile. (Most of Greece was occupied during the Greco-Persian War by the troops of the Persian king Xerxes in 480 BC.)
The monarch was called the "King of Kings", he stood at the head of the army and was the supreme judge. The domains were divided into 20 satrapies, where the king's viceroy ruled in his name. The subjects spoke four languages: Old Persian, Babylonian, Elamite and Aramaic.
In 331 BC, Alexander the Great defeated the hordes of Darius II, the last of the Achaemenid dynasty. Thus ended the history of this great empire.
Peace and love - for everyone
India. 322-185 BC
The legends dedicated to the history of India and its rulers are very fragmentary. Little information dates back to the time when the founder of the religious teaching, Buddha (566-486 BC), the first real person in the history of India, lived.
In the first half of the 1st millennium BC, many small states arose in the northeastern part of India. One of them - Magadha - rose to prominence thanks to successful wars of conquest. King Ashoka, who belonged to the Maurya dynasty, expanded his possessions so much that they occupied almost all of present-day India, Pakistan and part of Afghanistan. Administrative officials and a strong army obeyed the king. At first, Ashoka was known as a cruel commander, but, becoming a follower of the Buddha, he preached peace, love and tolerance and received the nickname “The Convert.” This king built hospitals, fought deforestation, and pursued a soft policy towards his people. His decrees that have reached us, carved on rocks and columns, are the oldest, accurately dated epigraphic monuments of India, telling about government, social relations, religion and culture.
Even before his rise, Ashoka divided the population into four castes. The first two were privileged - priests and warriors. The invasion of the Bactrian Greeks and internal strife in the country led to the collapse of the empire.
The beginning of more than two thousand years of history
China. 221-210 BC
During the period called Zhanyu in the history of China, many years of struggle waged by many small kingdoms brought victory to the kingdom of Qin. It united the conquered lands and in 221 BC formed the first Chinese empire led by Qin Shi Huang. The emperor carried out reforms that strengthened the young state. The country was divided into districts, military garrisons were established to maintain order and tranquility, a network of roads and canals was built, equal education was introduced for officials, and a single monetary system operated throughout the kingdom. The monarch established an order in which people were obliged to work where the interests and needs of the state required it. Even such a curious law was introduced: all carts must have an equal distance between the wheels so that they move along the same tracks. During the same reign, the Great Wall of China was created: it connected separate sections of defensive structures built earlier by the northern kingdoms.
In 210, Qing Shi Huang died. But subsequent dynasties left intact the foundations for building an empire laid by its founder. In any case, the last dynasty of Chinese emperors ceased to exist at the beginning of this century, and the borders of the state remain practically unchanged to this day.
An army that maintains order
Rome. 509 BC - 330 AD
In 509 BC, the Romans expelled the Etruscan king Tarquin the Proud from Rome. Rome became a republic. By 264 BC, her troops captured the entire Apennine Peninsula. After this, expansion began in all directions of the world, and by 117 AD the state stretched its borders from west to east - from the Atlantic Ocean to the Caspian Sea, and from south to north - from the rapids of the Nile and the coast of all of North Africa to the borders with Scotland and along the lower reaches of the Danube.
For 500 years, Rome was governed by two annually elected consuls and a senate, which was in charge of state property and finances, foreign policy, military affairs and religion.
In 30 BC, Rome became an empire led by Caesar, and essentially a monarch. The first Caesar was Augustus. A large and well-trained army participated in the construction of a huge network of roads, their total length being more than 80,000 kilometers. Excellent roads made the army very mobile and allowed it to quickly reach the most remote corners of the empire. The proconsuls appointed by Rome in the provinces - governors and officials loyal to Caesar - also helped keep the country from collapse. This was facilitated by the settlements of soldiers who had served in the conquered lands.
The Roman state, unlike many other giants of the past, fully corresponded to the concept of “empire”. It also became a model for future contenders for world domination. European countries inherited a lot from the culture of Rome, as well as the principles of building parliaments and political parties.
Uprisings of peasants, slaves and urban plebs, and the increasing pressure of Germanic and other barbarian tribes from the north forced Emperor Constantine I to move the capital of the state to the city of Byzantium, later called Constantinople. This happened in 330 AD. After Constantine, the Roman Empire was actually divided into two - Western and Eastern, ruled by two emperors.
Christianity is the stronghold of the empire
Byzantium. 330-1453 AD
Byzantium arose from the eastern remnants of the Roman Empire. The capital became Constantinople, founded by Emperor Constantine I in 324-330 on the site of the Byzantine colony (hence the name of the state). From that moment on, the isolation of Byzantium in the bowels of the Roman Empire began. The Christian religion played a major role in the life of this state, becoming the ideological foundation of the empire and the stronghold of Orthodoxy.
Byzantium existed for more than a thousand years. It reached its political and military power during the reign of Emperor Justinian I, in the 6th century AD. It was then that, having a strong army, Byzantium conquered the western and southern lands of the former Roman Empire. But within these limits the empire did not last long. In 1204, Constantinople fell to the attacks of the crusaders, which never rose again, and in 1453 the capital of Byzantium was captured by the Ottoman Turks.
In the name of Allah
Arab Caliphate. 600-1258 AD
The sermons of the Prophet Muhammad laid the foundation for the religious and political movement in Western Arabia. Called "Islam", it contributed to the creation of a centralized state in Arabia. However, soon as a result of successful conquests, a vast Muslim empire was born - the Caliphate. The presented map shows the greatest scope of the conquests of the Arabs, who fought under the green banner of Islam. In the East, the Caliphate included the western part of India. The Arab world has left indelible marks on human history, in literature, mathematics and astronomy.
From the beginning of the 9th century, the Caliphate gradually began to fall apart - the weakness of economic ties, the vastness of the territories subjugated by the Arabs, which had their own culture and traditions, did not contribute to unity. In 1258, the Mongols conquered Baghdad and the Caliphate broke up into several Arab states.
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