The most powerful empire in history. Greatest empires in the history of the world
During the heyday of the Roman Empire, its dominion 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 occupies only nineteenth place.
What do you think is the first one?
Mongolian
Russian
Spanish
British
Qing Empire
Turkic kaganate
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 expansion. Great states arose, grew and collapsed, which changed (and some continue to change) the appearance of the modern world.
Empire is the most powerful type of state, where under the rule of a single monarch (emperor) are united different countries and peoples. Consider ten of the largest empires ever to emerge on the world stage. Oddly enough, but 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 El Kufa / 762 - 836 Baghdad / 836 - 892 Samarra / 892 - 1258 Baghdad
Start of reign: 632 g
Fall of an empire: 1258 g
The existence of this empire marked the so-called. "The golden era of Islam" - the period from the 7th to the 13th century AD. e. The Caliphate was founded immediately after the death of the creator of the Muslim faith, Muhammad in 632, and its core was the Medina community founded by the prophet. Centuries of Arab conquests increased the empire's area 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 weak 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
Start of reign: 1868
Fall of an empire: 1947
Japan is the only empire on the modern political map. Now this status is rather formal, but even 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 was the peak of the territorial scope of the empire, which controlled almost the entire sea 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 through Spanish isolation in the Iberian Peninsula. In 1497, they opened the sea route to India, which marked the beginning of the growth of the Portuguese colonial empire. Three years earlier, the Treaty of Tordesillas was concluded between the "sworn neighbors", which actually divided the world known at that time between the two countries, on the latter's 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 Portugal's colonial history.
7. Turkic kaganate
Area - 13 million km2
one of the largest ancient states in Asia in the history of mankind, created by the tribal union of the Turks (Turkuts), headed by rulers from the Ashina clan. During the period of its 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, Sassanid Iran, the Chinese states of Northern Zhou, Northern Qi from 576 and from the same year the Türkic Kaganate rejected from Byzantium were tributaries of the Kaganate. North Caucasus and Crimea.
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6. French Empire
Population: -
State area: 13.5 million sq. km
Capital: Paris
Beginning of reign: 1546
The fall of an empire: 1940
France became the third European power (after Spain and Portugal) to become interested in overseas territories. Since 1546 - the time of the founding of New France (now Quebec, Canada) - the formation of the Francophonie in the world begins. Having lost the American opposition to the Anglo-Saxons, as well as 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
State area: 14.7 million km2
Capital: Mukden (1636-1644), Beijing (1644-1912)
Beginning of reign: 1616
Fall of an empire: 1912
The oldest empire in Asia, the cradle of oriental culture. The first Chinese dynasties ruled from the 2nd millennium BC. e., but a single empire was created only in 221 BC. NS. During the Qing reign - 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 that of the modern Chinese state, mainly due to Mongolia, now independent. In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution broke out, ending the monarchy 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 an empire: 1898
The period of Spanish world domination began with the voyages of Columbus, who 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 one 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 before the conquistadors, and in their place predominantly Hispanic Latin America was formed.
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 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 geographic climax: 24.5 million square meters. km, about 130 million inhabitants, over 100 ethnic groups and nationalities. Russian possessions at one time were 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 (1,279)
State area: 38,000,000 sq. Km. (1279)
Capital: Karakorum, Khanbalik
Beginning of reign: 1206
Fall of an empire: 1368
The greatest empire of all times and peoples, whose raison d'être was one - war. The great Mongolian state was formed in 1206 under the leadership of Genghis Khan, having grown over several decades to 38 million square meters. km from Baltic Sea to Vietnam, and at the same time killing every tenth inhabitant of the Earth. By the end of the XIII century, its Ulus covered a quarter of the land and a third of the world'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 (approximately 24% of the world's population in 1922)
State area: 42.75 km2 (1922)
Capital London
Beginning of reign: 1497
Fall of an empire: 1949 (1997)
The British Empire is the largest state that ever existed in the history of mankind, with colonies on all inhabited continents.
For 400 years of its formation, it has withstood the 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 square kilometers) on all inhabited continents, as well as vast expanses of the ocean. Formally, it still exists in the form of the Commonwealth, and countries such as Canada and Australia, in fact, remain subject to the British crown.
International status of English language Is the main legacy of Pax Britannica. and
Highest flowering - 1918
The British Empire is the largest state that ever existed 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 over 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 (approximately one fourth of humanity). It is the legacy of Pax Britannica that explains the role of English as the most widely spoken language in the world in the fields of transport and commerce.
2. Mongol Empire (38.0 million km²)
The highest flowering - 1270-1368.
The Mongol Empire (Mongolian Mongolian ezent geren; middle Mongolian. ᠶᠡᠺᠡ ᠮᠣᠨᠭᠣᠯ ᠤᠯᠤᠰ, Yeke Mongγol ulus - the Great Mongol State, Mongolian Ikh Mongol ulus) is a state that emerged in the XIII century as a result of the conquests of Chinggis Khan and his successors and included the very the largest adjacent 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.
During its heyday, it included vast territories of Central Asia, Southern Siberia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, China and Tibet. In the second half of the 13th century, the empire began to disintegrate into uluses, headed by the Chingizids. The largest fragments of Great Mongolia were the Yuan Empire, Ulus Jochi ( Golden Horde), the state of the Hulaguids and the Chagatai ulus. Great Khan Khubilai, who (1271) accepted the title of Emperor Yuan and moved the capital to Khanbalik, claimed supremacy over all uluses. By the beginning of the 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 XIV century, the Mongol Empire ceased to exist.
3. Russian Empire (22.8 million km²)
Highest flowering - 1866
The Russian Empire (Russian pre-ref. Russian Empire; also the All-Russian Empire, the Russian state or Russia) is a state that existed from October 22 (2) November 1721 until the February Revolution and the proclamation of the republic in 1917 by the Provisional Government.
The empire was proclaimed on October 22 (2) November 1721 following the results of Northern War when, at the request of the senators, the Russian Tsar Peter I the Great accepted 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 Mongolian 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 the 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 legislative body of the empire - The State Duma- was dissolved only on October 6 (19), 1917.
The 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 management, supplying the army with provisions and recruits from the localities, and improving tax collection. Initially, the country is divided into 8 provinces, headed by governors, endowed with judicial and administrative powers.
The provincial reform of Catherine II divides the empire into 50 provinces, divided into counties (about 500 in total). State and judicial chambers, other state and social institutions have been created to help the governors. 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 was 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 (excluding the Memel region), several Turkish and Chinese regions. Some of the provinces and regions were united into a general governorship (Kiev, Caucasian, Siberian, Turkestan, East Siberian, Amur, Moscow). The Bukhara and Khiva khanates were official vassals, the Uryankhai region is under a protectorate. For 123 years (from 1744 to 1867), the Russian Empire also owned Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, as well as part of the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada.
According to the general census of 1897, the population was 129.2 million. The distribution of the population by territories was as follows: European Russia - 94,244.1 thousand people, Poland - 9456.1 thousand people, the Caucasus - 9354.8 thousand people, Siberia - 5784.5 thousand people, Average Asia - 7747.1 thousand people, Finland - 2555.5 thousand people.
4. Soviet Union (22.4 million km²)
The highest flowering - 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, part of Central and Eastern Asia. The USSR occupied almost 1/6 of the Earth's inhabited land area; at the time of the collapse, it was the largest country in the world in terms of 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 1977 Constitution, the USSR was proclaimed as a single union multinational socialist state.
After World War II, 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 uniting the RSFSR, the Ukrainian SSR, the Byelorussian SSR and the Transcaucasian SFSR into one state association with a uniform government, the capital in Moscow, executive and judicial authorities, legislative and legal systems. In 1941, the USSR entered the Second world war, and after that, along with the United States, 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 government and the newly elected local authorities (Supreme Soviets, presidents of the union republics). In 1989-1990, the "parade of sovereignties" began. On March 17, 1991, in 9 out of 15 republics of the USSR, an All-Union referendum on the preservation of the USSR was held, at which more than two-thirds of the citizens who voted spoke in favor of preserving 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, as stated in the Agreement on the establishment 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 a successor state USSR in international legal relations and took his place in the UN Security Council.
5. Spanish Empire (20.0 million km²)
The highest flowering - 1790
The Spanish Empire (Spanish Imperio Español) - a set 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 a union of Catholic kings: King of Aragon and 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 carried out the first Spanish exploratory expedition westward across the Atlantic Ocean, opening the New World to Europeans and creating the first overseas colonies of Spain there. From that moment on, the Western Hemisphere became the main target of Spanish exploration and colonization.
In the 16th century, the Spaniards established settlements on the islands Caribbean, and the conquistadors destroyed such states as the empires of the Aztecs and Incas on the mainland, respectively, of the Americas, 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 Islands or the Malvinas Islands. In 1519, the First began trip around the world, begun by Fernand Magellan in 1519 and completed by Juan Sebastian Elcano in 1522, aimed to achieve what Columbus had failed, namely the western route to Asia, and as a result included the Far East in Spain's sphere of influence. 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 this magnitude, and its parts were so far removed from each other that no one had been able to 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 Spain's European possessions were lost after the War of Spanish Succession in 1713, but Spain retained its overseas territories. In 1741, an important victory over Great Britain at Cartagena (present-day Colombia) extended Spanish hegemony in America into the 19th century. In the late 18th century, Spanish expeditions in the northwestern Pacific 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 colonies of Spain were cut off from the metropolis, and the subsequent movement for independence in 1810-1825 led to the creation of a number of new independent Spanish-American republics in South and Central America. Remnants of the Spanish 400-year-old empire, including Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Spanish East Indies, remained under Spanish control until the late 19th century, when most of these territories were annexed by the United States following the Spanish-American War. The remaining Pacific Islands were sold to Germany in 1899.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Spain still 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 Morocco, although technically, by the decision of the UN, this territory remains under control of the Spanish administration. Today, 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 daqing gurun, Chinese trad. 大 清 國, pall .: Da Qing Guo) is 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 clan Aisin Gioro in the territory of Manchuria, now called northeastern China. Less than 30 years later, the whole of China, part of Mongolia and part of Central Asia came under its rule.
Initially, the dynasty was called "Jin" (金 - gold), in traditional Chinese historiography "Hou Jin" (後 金 - Late Jin), after the Jin empire - the former state of the Jurchen, from which the Manchus derived themselves. In 1636 the name was changed to "Qing" (清 - "pure"). In the first half of the 18th century. The Qing government managed to establish effective governance of the country, one of the results of which was that in this century, the fastest growing population was observed in China. The Qing court pursued a policy of self-isolation, which ultimately 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 the Western powers allowed the dynasty to avoid collapse during the Taiping uprising, to carry out relatively successful modernization, etc. existed until the beginning of the 20th century, but it also served as the reason for the 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 people. Empress Dowager Longyu abdicated the throne in the name of the then-young 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 in this historical period. The name was also official.
In 1547 the sovereign of all Russia and the great prince of Moscow Ivan IV the Terrible was crowned tsar and took the full title: Vyattsky, Bulgarian and others ", later, with the expansion of the borders of the Russian state, the title was added" Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Siberia "," and the ruler of all 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 restoration Old Russian state was traced throughout the entire existence of the Russian state and was inherited by the Russian Empire.
8. Yuan Dynasty (14.0 million km²)
The highest flowering - 1310
Empire (in the Chinese tradition - dynasty) Yuan (Their Yuan ul.PNG Mong. Their Yuan Uls, Great Yuan State, Dai Ön Yeke Mongghul Ulus.PNG Dai Ön Yeke Mongghul Ulus; Chinese exercise 元朝, pinyin: Yuáncháo; Vietn. Nhà Nguyên (Nguyên triều), House (Dynasty) Nguyen) is a Mongol state, the main part of which was China (1271-1368). Founded by the grandson of Genghis Khan, the Mongol Khan Kublai, who completed the conquest of China in 1279. The dynasty fell as a result of the Red Armbands revolt in 1351-68. The official Chinese history of this dynasty was recorded during the subsequent Ming dynasty and is called "Yuan shi".
9. Umayyad Caliphate (13.0 million km²)
The highest flowering - 720-750 years.
The Umayyads (Arabic: الأمويون) or Banu Umayyah (Arabic: بنو أمية) were 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 8th 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 the caliph Hisham Abd al-Rahman, who founded the dynasty in Spain (the Kordovsky Caliphate). The ancestor of the dynasty was Omaya ibn Abdshams, the son of Abdshams ibn Abdmanaf and a cousin of Abdulmuttalib. Abdshams and Hashim were twin brothers.
10. Second French colonial empire (13.0 million km²)
Highest flowering - 1938
Evolution of the French Colonial Empire (the year is indicated in the upper left corner):
The French colonial empire (fr. L'Empire colonial français) - the totality of the colonial possessions of France in the period between 1546-1962. Like the British Empire, France had colonial territories in all regions of the world, but its colonial policy was significantly different from that of Britain. 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). The modern legacy of the French colonial era is also the union of the French-speaking countries (Francophonie).
The abstracts were prepared based on the materials of the German magazine "Illustrierte Wissenschaft".
From the school history course, we know about the emergence of the first states on earth with their peculiar way of life, culture and art. Distant and in many ways mysterious life people of the past times were excited and awakened by fantasy. And, probably, for many it would be interesting to see the 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. Largest size the empire reached in 1450 BC. NS.
Greece. Lands where Greek culture flourished are marked in dark on the map.
Persia. Empire territory in 500 BC NS.
India. The country's territory reached its largest size in 250 BC. NS.
China occupied such a territory in 221 BC. NS.
The Roman Empire at its peak - the beginning of the 2nd century new era.
Byzantium during its heyday - VI century.
Arab Caliphate. It reached its largest size in 632 AD. NS. A118 years later, the area of the Caliphate was significantly reduced (dark shading).
The state is an ancient public entity and means a territory occupied by a sedentary population subject to the same authority. Ancient thinkers already thought about the essence of the state structure. For example, the Greek philosopher Aristotle saw in the state the final natural form of community, important for a person who by nature is a "political being." Moreover, he considered the state "the environment of a completely happy life."
In the Middle Ages and at a later time, the concept of "state" began to include contractual principles between a person and the supreme power. In the natural state, a person lacks rights, the 17th century English thinkers John Milton and John Locke believed, but their provision, which he finds in a state approved by treaty for this very purpose.
A true son of the Age of Enlightenment, Jean-Jacques Rousseau saw the meaning of the formation of a state in the observance of 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 everyone, uniting with others, would obey only himself and remain as free as before." "Freedom is not alienable" - Rousseau's main position.
Even 8-9 thousand years ago, people began to move 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, led by the leaders who ruled the communities of people. Over time, there was a need for public buildings, and the construction of palaces, temples, fortresses began. Writing and the beginnings of arithmetic, astronomy and medicine emerged.
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 in those distant times people began to build canals and dams. But since the scattered tribes could not afford large reclamation buildings, the groups of farmers united. The first state formations arose in Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and the 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 according to specialties, so that everyone can no longer do everything for himself and his family. Thus, along with the priests and soldiers, there appeared artists, philosophers, builders, blacksmiths, weavers, potters, reapers, merchants, and so on.
The ancient empires that played their role in the history of mankind possessed all of the above conditions. But in addition, they were characterized by long-term political stability and well-established communications to the most distant 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 at times 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 (2686-2181) took place, the so-called Old Kingdom was formed. The whole life of the country was connected with the Nile River, with its fertile valley and delta by the Mediterranean Sea. Pharaoh ruled Egypt (this word means a food warehouse), governors and officials sat on the ground, and in general public life in the country was quite developed (see Science and Life, No. 1, 1997 - "It was not over yet stone Age"- and No. 5, 1997 -" Ancient Egypt. The pyramid of power "). Officers, scribes, land surveyors and local priests were ranked among the elite of society. Pharaoh was considered a living deity, and made all the most important sacrifices himself.
The Egyptians fanatically believed in the afterlife, cultural objects and magnificent buildings - pyramids and temples - were dedicated to it. The walls of the burial chambers interspersed 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 - from the foundation until 332 BC, when the country was conquered by Alexander the Great. And the second period - the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty - the descendants of one of the generals of 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 inhabited the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula tens of thousands of years ago. But only from the 7th century BC it is possible to speak of Greece as a large, culturally homogeneous formation, albeit with reservations: the country was a union of city-states united at the time of an 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 proceeded. In 510 BC, most of the cities were freed from the autocracy of the kings. Democracy soon began to rule in Athens, but only male citizens had the right to vote.
The state structure, culture and science of Greece became a model and an inexhaustible source of wisdom for almost all the later states of Europe. Already the Greek scientists asked themselves 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 its development when the country was conquered by the Romans. The decisive battle took place in 146 BC near the city of Corinth, when the troops of the Greek Achaean Union were defeated.
Dominion of the "King of Kings"
Persia. 600-331 BC
In the 7th century BC, the nomadic tribes of the Iranian highlands revolted against Assyrian rule. The victors founded the state of Media, which later, together with Babylonia and other neighboring countries, turned into a world power. By the end of the 6th century BC, it, led by Cyrus II, and then by his successors, who belonged to the Achaemenid dynasty, continued their conquests. In the west, the empire's lands reached the Aegean Sea, in the east, its border passed along the Indus River, in the south, in Africa, the 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 "King of kings", he stood at the head of the army and was the supreme judge. The possessions were divided into 20 satrapies, where the governor of the king 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
Traditions about the history of India and its rulers are very fragmentary. Few data refer to the time when the founder of the religious teachings Buddha lived (566-486 BC), the first real person in the history of India.
In the first half of the 1st millennium BC, many small states arose in the northeastern part of India. One of them - Magadha - has risen thanks to the successful wars of conquest. King Ashoka, who belonged to the Maurya dynasty, expanded his possessions so much that they already occupied almost all of today's India, Pakistan and part of Afghanistan. The tsar was obeyed by officials of the administration and a strong army. At first, Ashoka was known as a cruel commander, but after becoming a follower of the Buddha, he preached peace, love and tolerance and received the nickname "Converted." This king built hospitals, fought against deforestation, and pursued a soft policy towards his people. His decrees that have come down to us, carved on rocks, columns, are the oldest, accurately dated epigraphic monuments in 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 soldiers. The invasion of the Bactrian Greeks and internal strife in the country led the empire to collapse.
The beginning of more than two thousand years of history
China. 221-210 BC
During the period called Zhanyu in the history of China, the many years of struggle waged by many small kingdoms brought victory to the Qin kingdom. It united the conquered lands and in 221 BC formed the first Chinese empire led by Qin Shih 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, the same education was introduced for officials, and a single monetary system operated throughout the kingdom. The monarch approved an order in which people were obliged to work where the interests and needs of the state demanded. Even such an interesting law was introduced: all carts must have an equal distance between the wheels so that they move along the same tracks. In 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 Shih-huangdi died. But subsequent dynasties left the foundations of empire building, laid by its founder, intact. In any case, the last dynasty of the emperors of China ceased to exist at the beginning of our century, and the borders of the state remain practically unchanged to this day.
An army that protects order
Rome. 509 BC - 330 AD
In 509 BC, the Romans expelled the Etruscan king Tarquinius the Proud from Rome. Rome became a republic. By 264 BC, her troops captured the entire Apennine Peninsula. After that, 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 course of the Danube.
For 500 years, Rome was ruled by two annually elected consuls and a senate in charge of state property and finance, foreign policy, military affairs and religion.
In 30 BC, Rome becomes an empire led by a Caesar, and in essence - 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 is more than 80,000 kilometers. Excellent roads made the army very mobile and made it possible 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 to keep the country from disintegration. This was also facilitated by the settlements of soldiers who served their service, located in the conquered lands.
The Roman state, unlike many other giants of the past, fully met the concept of "empire". It also became a model for future contenders for world domination. European countries inherited much from the culture of Rome, as well as the principles of building parliaments and political parties.
The uprisings of peasants, slaves and urban plebs, the ever-increasing pressure of the Germanic and other barbarian tribes from the north forced the 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, which were ruled by two emperors.
Christianity - the stronghold of the empire
Byzantium. 330-1453 AD
Byzantium arose from the eastern remnants of the Roman Empire. The capital was Constantinople, founded by Emperor Constantine I in 324-330 on the site of the colony of Byzantium (hence the name of the state). From that moment on, the isolation of Byzantium began in the bowels of the Roman Empire. The Christian religion, which became the ideological foundation of the empire and the stronghold of Orthodoxy, played an important role in the life of this state.
Byzantium has existed for over 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, with a strong army, that Byzantium conquered the western and southern lands of the former Roman Empire. But within these limits, the empire did not last long. In 1204, under the blows of the crusaders, Constantinople fell, 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 a religious and political movement in Western Arabia. Called "Islam", it contributed to the creation of a centralized state in Arabia. Soon, however, as a result of successful conquests, a vast Muslim empire, the Caliphate, was born. This map shows the largest scale of conquests by the Arabs who fought under the green banner of Islam. In the East, the western part of India was part of the Caliphate. The Arab world has left indelible traces in the history of mankind, 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 subordinate to the Arabs, which had their own culture and traditions, did not contribute to unity. In 1258, the Mongols conquered Baghdad and the Caliphate split into several Arab states.
Empire- when one person (monarch) has power over a huge territory inhabited by numerous peoples of different nationalities. This ranking is based on the influence, longevity and might of various empires. The list is compiled on the assumption that an empire should, most of the time, be under the rule of an emperor or king, this excludes the modern so-called empires - the United States and the Soviet Union. Below is a ranking of the ten greatest empires in the world.
At the peak of its power (XVI-XVII), the Ottoman Empire was located on three continents at once, controlling most of Southeast Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. It consisted of 29 provinces and numerous vassal states, some of which were later absorbed by the empire. The Ottoman Empire was at the center of interaction between the eastern and western worlds for six centuries. In 1922, the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist.
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four Islamic Caliphates (system of government) created after the death of Muhammad. The empire, under the rule of the Umayyad dynasty, covered over five million square kilometers, making it one of the largest in the world, as well as the largest Muslim Arab empire ever created in history.
Persian Empire (Achaemenids)
The Persian Empire basically united the entire Central Asia which consisted of many different cultures, kingdoms, empires and tribes. It was the most big empire v ancient history... At the peak of its power, the empire covered about 8 million square kilometers.
The Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire was part of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages. Constantinople was the permanent capital and civilization center of the Byzantine Empire. During its existence (more than a thousand years), the empire remained one of the most powerful economic, cultural and military forces in Europe despite the setbacks and loss of territories, especially during the Roman-Persian and Byzantine-Arab wars. The empire suffered a fatal blow in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade.
The Han Dynasty is considered a golden age in Chinese history in terms of scientific achievement, technological progress, economic, cultural and political stability. Even to this day, most Chinese people refer to themselves as Han people. Today, the Han people are considered the largest ethnic group in the world. The dynasty ruled China for nearly 400 years.
The British Empire covered over 13 million square kilometers, which is roughly about a quarter of our planet's land mass. The population of the empire was equal to approximately 480 million people (approximately one fourth of humanity). The British Empire is by far one of the most influential empires ever to exist in human history.
In the Middle Ages, the Holy Roman Empire was considered the "superpower" of its time. It consisted of eastern France, all of Germany, northern Italy, and parts of western Poland. It was officially dissolved on August 6, 1806, after which Switzerland, Holland, the Austrian Empire, Belgium, the Prussian Empire, the principalities of Liechtenstein, the Rhine Union and the first French empire appeared.
The Russian Empire existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution in 1917. She was the heir to the kingdom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union. The Russian Empire was the third largest state that ever existed, second only to the British and Mongolian empires.
It all began when Temujin (later known as Genghis Khan, who is considered one of the most brutal rulers in history), vowed in his youth to bring the whole world to its knees. The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous empire in human history. The city of Karakorum became the capital of the state. The Mongols were fearless and ruthless warriors, but they had little experience in managing such a vast territory, which caused the Mongol Empire to fall quickly.
Ancient Rome made a great contribution to the development of law, art, literature, architecture, technology, religion and language in the Western world. In fact, many historians regard the Roman Empire as the "ideal empire" because it was powerful, fair, long-lasting, large, well-defended and economically developed. The calculation showed that from its foundation to its fall, a colossal 2214 years passed. It follows that the Roman Empire is the greatest empire the ancient world.
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In our world, nothing lasts forever: after birth and flowering, sunset inevitably follows. This rule also applies to states. Over the thousands of years of the historical era, hundreds of states were created and collapsed. Let's find out which of them existed on Earth the longest, until they broke up for one reason or another. Perhaps some of them did not amaze the world with their grandeur and splendor, but they were strong with their centuries-old history.
Portuguese Colonial Empire
560 years (1415 -1975)
The prerequisites for the creation of the Portuguese Colonial Empire appeared simultaneously with the beginning of the Great Geographical Discoveries. By 1415, Portuguese sailors, of course, had not yet reached the shores of America, but they were already actively exploring the African continent, starting to search for a short sea route to India. Open land the Portuguese declared their property, erecting forts and fortresses everywhere.
By its heyday, the Portuguese Colonial Empire had fortifications in West Africa, East and South Asia, India and the American continent. The Portuguese Empire became the first state in history to unite territories on four continents under its flag. Thanks to the trade in spices and jewelry, the Portuguese treasury was bursting with gold and silver, which allowed the state to exist for such a long time.
The Napoleonic wars, internal contradictions and external enemies nevertheless undermined the power of the state, and by the beginning of the 20th century, not a trace remained of the former greatness of the Portuguese Colonial Empire. The empire officially ceased to exist in 1975, when democracy was established in the metropolis.
624 years (1299 A.D. -1923 A.D.)
The state, founded by the Turkic tribes in 1299, reached its heyday in the 17th century. The huge multinational Ottoman Empire stretched from the borders of Austria to the Caspian Sea, owning territories in Europe, Africa and Asia. Wars with the Russian Empire, the loss of the First World War, internal conflicts and constant Christian uprisings undermined the forces of the Ottoman Empire. In 1923, the monarchy was abolished, and the Republic of Turkey was created in its place.
Khmer Empire
629 years old (802 AD -1431 AD)
Not everyone has heard of the existence of the Khmer Empire, which is one of the oldest state formations in history. The Khmer Empire was formed as a result of the unification of the Khmer tribes that lived in the 8th century AD. on the territory of Indochina. During its greatest power, the Khmer Empire included the territories of Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. But its rulers did not calculate the gigantic costs of building temples and palaces, which gradually devastated the treasury. The weakened state in the first half of the 15th century finally finished off the invasion of Thai tribes that had begun.
Kanem
676 years (700 AD -1376 AD)
Despite the fact that individually African tribes do not pose a danger, united, they can create a strong and warlike state. This is how the Kanem Empire was formed, which was located for almost 700 years on the territory of modern Libya, Nigeria and Chad.
Kanem Territory | commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kanem-Bornu.svg The reason for the fall of a strong empire was the internal strife after the death of the last emperor who had no heirs. Taking advantage of this, various tribes located on the borders with different sides invaded the empire, accelerating its fall. The surviving indigenous people were forced to leave the cities and return to a nomadic lifestyle.
Holy roman empire
844 AD (962 AD - 1806 AD)
The Holy Roman Empire is not the same Roman Empire, whose iron legions conquered almost the entire world known to ancient Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not even located in Italy, but on the territory of modern Germany, Austria, Holland, Czech Republic and part of Italy. The unification of the lands took place in 962, and the new Empire was intended to be a continuation of the Western Roman Empire. European order and discipline allowed this state to exist for eight and a half centuries, while a complex system government controlled, having degraded, weakened the central power, which led to the decline and collapse of the Holy Roman Empire.
Kingdom of Silla
992 years (57 BC - 935 AD)
At the end of the first century BC. on the Korean Peninsula, three kingdoms desperately fought for a place in the sun, one of which - Silla - managed to defeat her enemies, annexed their lands and founded a powerful dynasty that existed for almost a thousand years, which ingloriously disappeared in the fires civil war.
994 years (980 A.D. -1974 A.D.)
We often think that before the arrival of the European colonialists, Africa was a completely wilderness inhabited by primitive tribes. But on the African continent there was a place for an empire that had existed for almost a thousand years! Founded in 802 by the united Ethiopian tribes, the empire did not "hold out" 6 years before its millennium, having disintegrated as a result of a coup d'etat.
1100 years (697 AD - 1797 AD)
The Most Serene Republic of Venice with the capital Venice was founded in 697 thanks to the forced unification of communities against the troops of the Lombards - Germanic tribes who settled in the upper reaches of Italy during the Great Migration. Extremely successful geographical position at the intersection of most trade routes immediately made the Republic one of the richest and most influential states in Europe. However, the discovery of America and the sea route to India was the beginning of the end for this state. The volume of goods entering Europe through Venice decreased - merchants began to prefer more convenient and safer sea routes. The Republic of Venice finally ceased to exist in 1797, when the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte occupied Venice without resistance.
Papal States
1118 years (752 AD - 1870 AD)
Papal States | Wikipedia After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the influence of Christianity in Europe increased more and more: influential people adopted Christianity, whole lands were given to churches, donations were made. The day was not far off when the Catholic Church would gain political power in Europe: this happened in 752, when the Frankish king Pepin the Short gave the Pope a large area in the center of the Apennine Peninsula. Since then, the power of the popes fluctuated depending on the place of religion in European society: from absolute power in the Middle Ages, to the gradual loss of influence closer to the 18-19 centuries. In 1870, the lands of the Papal States came under the control of Italy, and only the Vatican, the city-state in Rome, remained for the Catholic Church.
Kingdom of Kush
about 1200 years (9th century BC - 350 AD)
The kingdom of Kush was always in the shadow of another state - Egypt, which at all times attracted the attention of historians and chroniclers. Located in the northern part of modern Sudan, the state of Kush posed a serious threat to its neighbors, and during its heyday it controlled almost the entire territory of Egypt. We do not know the detailed history of the kingdom of Kush, but in the annals it is noted that in 350, Kush was conquered by the Aksumite kingdom.
The Roman Empire
1480 years (27 BC - 1453 AD)
Rome is an eternal place on seven hills! At least that's what the inhabitants of the Western Roman Empire thought: it seemed that the eternal city would never fall to the onslaught of enemies. But times changed: after the civil war and the founding of the empire, 500 years passed, and Rome was conquered by the invading Germanic tribes, marking the fall of the western part of the empire. However, the Eastern Roman Empire, often called Byzantium, continued to exist until 1453, when Constantinople fell under the pressure of the Turks.
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