The British Empire
- The British Empire is known to be the Greatest empire ever in the history as during the period of British colonisation, it covered a quarter of the planet’s area, that is, approximately, 26.35% of the world was ruled by Great Britain. In the 19th & 20th century, it was the Greatest global power of the world.
- It spread it’s control over 35.5 million square kilometers and was renowned as the empire where “The sun never sets”, meaning the empire which could never be defeated as there would be atleast one country where it would be ruling.
- Battle of Plassey, 172 : The start of the British Rule occurred in the 16th century. When Spain & Portugal were busy expanding their territories, the British became envious of their ruling and thus, decided to start to rule over the rest of the world. This also led to the start of rule in India by the East India Company. The Battle of Plassey, 1772 was fought in order to establish ruling over India. This battle was fought between the East India with the support of Mughals who together defeated Bengal. Mir Jafar was bribed and they resolved a treaty to hand over the throne to Mir Jafar by destructing the empire of the then ruler Siraj.
- The American War of Independence was fought which led to the loss of many colonies for the British and thus, it turned it’s heads to Asia. The start of the First British Empire was during the 18th century, when The Great Britain surpassed the Dutch in terms of transport, import, export in textiles and spices. It was here when the decline of Mughal Empire in India started and the British signed many treaties to remain in power.
- During the Second British Empire, 1783 – 1815, that is, during the mid eighteenth century, Spain sought to defeat Britain, however, France was in support with Britain so it stepped aback. 4 major Anglo-Mysore wars were held in Southern India between the sultanate of Mysore headed by Tipu Sultan and Britain. The first two wars were won by Mysore, however the other two were won by the British, which paved the way for their rule and regime as it led to the death of Tipu Sultan.
- Even in the nineteenth century, the defeat of Napolean Bonaparte left no stone unturned for the British as they had no rivalries left except for Russia. The Government of India Act, 1858 established British Raj in India and the ruled over India until the mid of twentieth century, when the British empire started to decline severely due to decolonisation and unity of Indians. The Great Britain empire was also left in debt and became bankrupt. And India became a free country in 1947 from the British Regime.
Greatest Empires in the World History
The Greatest empires of the world have been those that have established severe autocratic rule over people of all countries. The Greatest empires are defined using the areas they covered and the land they occupied during their rule. This article covers 5 major empires that set their ruling in the history of regimes and how the world witnessed their rise and fall. The top 5 Great Empires in World History that have ruled over the world are the British Empire, Mongol Empire, Russian Empire, Spanish Empire & Ottoman Empire.
Table of Content
- Greatest Empires in the World History
- 1. The British Empire
- 2. The Mongol Empire
- 3. The Russian Empire
- 4. The Spanish Empire
- 5. The Ottoman Empire
- FAQs on Greatest Empires in the World History