8 of the Largest Empires in History

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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div></div> </div> <article class="topic-content content"><div class="topic-paragraph font-serif md-list-intro pt-15 pb-20"><figure class="md-assembly md-feature-assembly print-false" data-type="1" data-descid="1"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/11/191611-131-E5041420/Watercolour-uprising-Decembrist-Karl-Ivanovich-Kollmann-St-1825.jpg" target="_blank" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center " data-href="*0"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/11/191611-131-E5041420/Watercolour-uprising-Decembrist-Karl-Ivanovich-Kollmann-St-1825.jpg?w=1000" alt="Title: Senate Square, St. Petersburg, December 14, 1825: repression of the troop mutiny - watercolor by Carl Ivanovitch Kollman, 1825 depicts Decembrist uprising clashing with cavalry, with spectators watching. (new style December 26, 1825) Europe. Saint" data-width="900" data-height="675" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class=""><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif "><span></span></div><cite class="credit d-block mt-5">Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University Library</cite></figcaption></figure><p class="topic-paragraph"></p><span class="MOD"></span></div><ul class="list-unstyled md-mendel-list"><li><h2>Persian empire</h2><div><p class="topic-paragraph">Also known as the Achaemenian Empire, the kingdom created under <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cyrus-the-Great" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cyrus the Great</a> stretched from Iran into Central Asia and Egypt.</p><span class="MOD"></span></div><span class="LIST-ITEM-1"></span></li><li><h2>Han dynasty</h2><div><p class="topic-paragraph">Established in 206 BCE, China鈥檚 <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Han-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Han dynasty</a> lasted more than 400 years and expanded from China into Vietnam and Korea.</p><span class="MOD"></span></div><span class="LIST-ITEM-2"></span></li><li><h2>Umayyad Caliphate</h2><div><p class="topic-paragraph">Established following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE, the vast <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Umayyad-dynasty-Islamic-history" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Umayyad dynasty</a> comprised over 4 million square miles, making its empire one of the largest in history.</p><span class="MOD"></span></div><span class="LIST-ITEM-3"></span></li><li><h2>Mongol empire</h2><div><p class="topic-paragraph">One of the largest contiguous land empires in history, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mongol-empire" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mongol empire</a> spread throughout the 13th and 14th centuries CE. It rose from a collection of nomadic tribes in central Asia and at its height extended from Central Asia to Central Europe and to the Sea of Japan. The empire鈥檚 best-known leader was <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Genghis-Khan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Genghis Khan</a>, who founded the empire in 1206 CE.</p><span class="MOD"></span></div><span class="LIST-ITEM-4"></span></li><li><h2>Ottoman Empire</h2><div><p class="topic-paragraph">At its height, between the 16th and 17th centuries CE, the Islamic empire of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Suleyman-the-Magnificent" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">S眉leyman the Magnificent</a> covered portions of three continents: Southeastern Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ottoman-Empire" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ottoman Empire</a> collapsed in the early years of the 20th century.</p><span class="MOD"></span></div><span class="LIST-ITEM-5"></span></li><li><h2>Spanish empire</h2><div><p class="topic-paragraph">At its height, in the late 1700s, the Spanish empire comprised 5.3 million square miles and wielded tremendous economic and military power.</p><span class="MOD"></span></div><span class="LIST-ITEM-6"></span></li><li><h2>Russian Empire</h2><div><p class="topic-paragraph">At its greatest extent, in 1895, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Russian-Empire" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Russian Empire</a> reached 8.9 million square miles. Because of its size and influence, the empire had played an integral role in halting <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Napoleon-I" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Napoleon</a>鈥檚 conquest of Europe.</p><span class="MOD"></span></div><span class="LIST-ITEM-7"></span></li><li><h2>British Empire</h2><div><p class="topic-paragraph">At its greatest extent, early in the 20th century, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/British-Empire" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">British Empire</a> comprised nearly a quarter of the planet and an equal percentage of its population. Many of the territories it colonized have since gained independence, though several remain part of what is known as the Commonwealth of Nations today.</p><span class="MOD"></span></div><span class="LIST-ITEM-8"></span></li></ul><span class="AM-END-OF-ARTICLE am-inline"></span></article> </div> </div> </div> <aside class="cm-rightrail d-none d-md-block ad-rail"></aside> </div> </div> </div> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col"> <div class="md-loading hidden display-4 font-weight-normal"></div> <div class="text-center my-20 mb-100"> <button class="md-infinite-load-next btn btn-blue" data-value="next-page">Load More</button> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-da-320 hidden-xs"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"List","templateName":null,"pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":11,"pageId":8946,"pageLength":null,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.48"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/list-page.js?v=3.133.48' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"List","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":null,"gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false,"hasAiTopQuestions":false,"hasSimplifyButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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8 of the Largest Empires in History | Britannica