This is an alphabetical list of empires that stretched far beyond their geographical and cultural limits to govern other parts of the world. The list includes empires that may only have had cultural and economic influences. Some historians may consider some of the empires listed below as dynasties instead.
A
| Empire |
Origin |
Capital |
From |
To |
Demise |
Note |
| Abbasid |
Iraq |
Baghdad |
750 |
1517 |
|
See also Umayyad Empire |
| Achaemenid |
Persia (Iran) |
Anshan |
550 BC |
330 BC |
|
Second Persian Empire,The largest in Classical Antiquity,Founded by Cyrus the great |
| Afsharid empire |
Persia |
Mashhad |
1736 |
1796 |
|
see Persian empire |
| Akkadian |
Sumer |
Akkad |
2350 BC |
2150 BC |
|
| Almohad |
Morocco |
Marrakech and later on Seville, Spain |
1147 |
1262 |
|
See also Almoravids |
| Almoravid |
Morocco |
Marrakech |
1073 |
1147 |
|
See also Almohads |
| Angevin |
England and France |
London and Poitiers |
1154 |
1453 |
Hundred Years war |
|
| American |
United States of America |
Washington, DC |
1898 |
Present |
|
Starting with the Spanish-American War war, the United States has held hegemony over foreign lands, mainly for the natural resources they possess. This hegemony expanded, as neocolonialism by proxy, after the Second World War and again after the demise of the Soviet Union. |
| Armenian |
modern day Armenia |
Tigranakert |
95 BC |
60 BC |
|
Tigranes was named as the king of kings.
|
| Assyrian |
Mesopotamia |
Assur, then Nineveh |
1920 BC |
609 BC |
|
Exact origin at Upper Tigris river |
| Athenian |
Ancient Greece |
Delos island |
477 BC |
431 BC |
|
Also known as Delian League. It was an association of Greek city-states |
| Austrian |
Modern day Austria |
Vienna |
1804 |
1867 |
|
Replaced the Holy Roman Empire |
| Austro-Hungarian |
Central Europe |
Vienna |
1867 |
1918 |
|
Replaced the Austrian Empire |
| Axumite |
Ethiopia |
Axum |
c. 100 |
c. 950 |
|
Succeeded by Ethiopian Empire |
| Aztec |
Mesoamerica |
Tenochtitlan |
1375 |
1521 |
Destroyed by invasion of Spanish Empire |
The capital of Mexico, Mexico City, is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan. |
B
C
| Empire |
Origin |
Capital |
From |
To |
Note |
| Central African |
Central African Republic |
Bangui |
1977 |
1979 |
Jean-Bédel Bokassa declared himself Emperor Bokassa in 1977 |
| Chalukya |
India |
Vatapi |
600 |
1200 |
see Chalukya dynasty |
| Chera |
Southern India |
Vanchi Muthur |
300 B.C. |
300 A.D. |
A Tamil empire |
| Chinese Empire |
China |
Various, including Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Luoyang, Xi'an, Kaifeng, Zhengzhou |
221 BC |
1912 |
Weakened by Western Empires, and the court reluctance for reform, China became a republic in 1912, but continues to occupy most of the area ocuppied by the Qing dynasty |
| Chola |
Southern India |
Thanjavur and later Gangaikonda Cholapuram |
850 |
1279 |
A Tamil empire |
| Gran Colombian |
South America |
Bogotá |
1819 |
1831 |
see Gran Colombia |
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
| Empire |
Origin |
Capital |
From |
To |
Note |
| Qing |
China |
Beijing |
1636 |
1912 |
Last dynasty of the Imperial Period |
R
S
T
U
V
W
| Empire |
Origin |
Capital |
From |
To |
Note |
| Wari |
Peru, Bolivia |
Huari/Tiwanaku |
700 |
1100 |
It is a matter of conflict as to whether it was a real organized state that ccould be called an empire. If so, it would be considered the first empire in the Americas. |
X
| Empire |
Origin |
Capital |
From |
To |
Note |
|
|
|
|
|
Y
| Empire |
Origin |
Capital |
From |
To |
Note |
|
|
|
|
|
Z
| Empire |
Origin |
Capital |
From |
To |
Note |
| Zulu |
West Zimbabwe and South Africa |
Kwa Buluwayo |
1817 |
1879 |
|
| Zapotecs |
Oaxaca Valley |
Monte Albán |
500BC |
1502 |
|
See also
References
- Hunt, L. et al. (1995). Challenge of the West: Peoples & Cultures from the Stone Age to the Global Age. D. C. Heath and Company: Lexington, MA.
- Black, J. et al. (2004). World History Atlas: Mapping the Human Journey. Dorling Kindersley: New York, NY.
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