List of empires

For list of empires by size, see list of largest empires.

This is an alphabetical list of empires. The table may be resorted by other columns if your browser supports this function.

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Empires and dynasties

Empire	Origin	Capital	From	To	Duration	Note
Achaemenid Empire	Persia	Various, including Pasargadae, Ecbatana, Persepolis, Susa, Babylon	-999999999450-01-01-0000550 BC	-999999999670-01-01-0000330 BC	220	The first Persian Empire, and the largest one in Classical Antiquity, founded by Cyrus the Great.
Afsharid Dynasty	Persia	Mashhad	000000001736-01-01-00001736	000000001796-01-01-00001796	60
Akkadian Empire	Sumer	Akkad	-999999997700-01-01-00002300 BC	-999999997800-01-01-00002200 BC	100
Aksumite Empire	Ethiopia	Axum	000000000150-01-01-0000150	000000000940-01-01-0000940	790	Succeeded by the Ethiopian Empire.
Almohad Dynasty	Morocco	Marrakech, Seville	000000001121-01-01-00001121	000000001269-01-01-00001269	148
Almoravid Dynasty	Morocco	Aghmat (1040–1062), Marrakech (1062–1147)	000000001040-01-01-00001040	000000001147-01-01-00001147	107
Angevin Empire	England, France	No official capital. Court was generally held at Angers and Chinon	000000001154-01-01-00001154	000000001242-01-01-00001242	88
Armenian Empire	Armenia	Tigranakert	-999999999810-01-01-0000190 BC	000000000428-01-01-0000428	618	Tigranes the Great took the title king of kings.
Ashanti Empire	West Africa	Kumasi	000000001670-01-01-00001670	000000001902-01-01-00001902	232
Austrian Empire	Austria	Vienna	000000001804-01-01-00001804	000000001867-01-01-00001867	63	Preceded by the Holy Roman Empire.
Austro-Hungarian Empire	Austria, Hungary	Vienna, Budapest	000000001867-01-01-00001867	000000001918-01-01-00001918	51	Preceded by the Austrian Empire.
Ayyubid Dynasty	Middle East	Cairo, Damascus, Hama	000000001171-01-01-00001171	000000001341-01-01-00001341	170	Founded by Saladin, See also List of Muslim empires and dynasties.
Aztec Empire	Mesoamerica	Tenochtitlan	000000001428-01-01-00001428	000000001521-01-01-00001521	93	The capital of Mexico, Mexico City, is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan.
Babylonian Empire	Mesopotamia	Babylon	-999999998100-01-01-00001900 BC	-999999998400-01-01-00001600 BC	300	See also Neo-Babylonian Empire.
Balhae	Northern part of Korean Peninsula, Manchuria	Sanggyeong	000000000698-01-01-0000698	000000000926-01-01-0000926	228	Successor of the Goguryeo.
Belgian Colonial Empire	Belgium	Brussels	000000001901-01-01-00001901	000000001962-01-01-00001962	61	Overseas possessions were referred to as "the colonies" rather than an empire.
Benin Empire	Nigeria	Benin City	000000001440-01-01-00001440	000000001897-01-01-00001897	457
Bornu Empire	Nigeria	Ngazargamu	000000001387-01-01-00001387	000000001893-01-01-00001893	506	The continuation of the Kanem Empire.
Empire of Brazil	Brazil	Rio de Janeiro	000000001822-01-01-00001822	000000001889-01-01-00001889	67	Established after Pedro I of Brazil declared the independence of Brazil from Portugal.
Britannic Empire	Britain	Londinium	000000000286-01-01-0000286	000000000296-01-01-0000296	10	Was a break-away state of the Roman Empire. See also Carausian Revolt.
British Colonial Empire	United Kingdom	London	000000001603-01-01-00001603	000000001997-01-01-00001997	394	The largest Empire in world history. Precursor to the modern Commonwealth of Nations.
British Raj	Indian Subcontinent	Calcutta (1858–1912), New Delhi (1912–1947)	000000001858-01-01-00001858	000000001947-01-01-00001947	89	Governed by the Crown and part of the British Empire. Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1876.
Bruneian Empire	Borneo	Not specified, possibly Kota Batu	000000001368-01-01-00001368	000000001888-01-01-00001888	520	Lasted until it became a British protectorate in 1888.
First Bulgarian Empire	Balkans	Pliska (680–893), Preslav (893–972), Skopie (972–992), Ohrid (992–1018)	000000000680-01-01-0000680	000000001018-01-01-00001018	338	Founded by Khan Asparukh. Under Tsar Simeon I became the first powerful Slavic Empire. Falls to the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Basil II.
Second Bulgarian Empire	Balkans	Tarnovo	000000001185-01-01-00001185	000000001422-01-01-00001422	237	Successor of the First Bulgarian Empire. Under the Tsars Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II became the most powerful state in the Balkans.
Buyid Dynasty	Persia	Shiraz	000000000934-01-01-0000934	000000001055-01-01-00001055	121
Byzantine Empire	Eastern Roman Empire (Greece, Anatolia, Africa, Palestine, Syria, Italy)	Constantinople	000000000330-01-01-0000330	000000001453-01-01-00001453	1123	Term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.
Caliphate of Córdoba	Iberian Peninsula	Córdoba	000000000756-01-01-0000756	000000001031-01-01-00001031	275	See also Islamic Empire.
Carthaginian Empire	North Africa	Carthage	-999999999350-01-01-0000650 BC	-999999999854-01-01-0000146 BC	504
Chagatai Khanate	Transoxania	Almaliq, Qarshi	000000001225-01-01-00001225	000000001687-01-01-00001687	462	Division of the Mongol Empire.
Chalukya Dynasty	India	Badami	000000000543-01-01-0000543	000000000753-01-01-0000753	210
Chera Dynasty	Southern India	Vanchi Muthur	-999999999700-01-01-0000300 BC	000000000300-01-01-0000300	600	A Tamil Empire.
Chola Dynasty	Southern India	Various, including Poompuhar, Urayur, Pazhaiyaarai, Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram	-999999999650-01-01-0000350 BC	000000001279-01-01-00001279	1629	A Tamil Empire.
Danish colonial empire	Denmark	Copenhagen	000000001350-01-01-00001350	000000001953-01-01-00001953	600	See also List of former Danish colonies.
Delhi Sultanate	Indian Subcontinent	Delhi	000000001206-01-01-00001206	000000001527-01-01-00001527	321
Durrani Empire	Afghanistan	Kandahar, Kabul	000000001747-01-01-00001747	000000001823-01-01-00001823	76
Dutch Empire	Netherlands	Amsterdam	000000001568-01-01-00001568	000000001975-01-01-00001975	407	See also Dutch East India Company and Dutch West India Company.
Egyptian Empire	Egypt	Various, including Thebes, Akhetaten, Pi-Ramesses, Memphis	-999999996900-01-01-00003100 BC	-999999999970-01-01-000030 BC	3070	See also 18th Dynasty, 19th Dynasty & 20th Dynasty.
Ethiopian Empire	Ethiopia	Addis Ababa	000000001137-01-01-00001137	000000001974-01-01-00001974	837
Fatimid Caliphate	Egypt	Mahdia (909–969), Cairo (969–1171)	000000000909-01-01-0000909	000000001171-01-01-00001171	262	See also Islamic Empire.
First French empire	France	Paris	000000001804-01-01-00001804	000000001814-01-01-00001814/000000001815-01-01-00001815	10
Second French Empire	France	Paris	000000001852-01-01-00001852	000000001870-01-01-00001870	18
French colonial empires	France	Paris	000000001534-01-01-00001534	000000001980-01-01-00001980	446	End of Empire was formally recognized with the end of French presence in condominium of Vanuatu (see New Hebrides).
Frankish Empire	Western Europe	Various, including Soissons, Paris, Reims, Orléans, Metz & Aachen	000000000250-01-01-0000250	000000000950-01-01-0000950	700
Gallic Empire	Rhineland-Palatinate	Colonia Agrippina	000000000260-01-01-0000260	000000000274-01-01-0000274	14	Broke off from the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century.
Georgian Empire	Georgia	Kutaisi, Tbilisi	000000001008-01-01-00001008	000000001490-01-01-00001490	482	Enstablished at 1008 as an unified kingdom. Georgian kings took title "King of Kings", which ruled over large territory consisted by Georgian, Armenian and Muslim areas, as well as numerous client states. Officially dissolved at 1490 .
German Empire	Germany	Berlin	000000001871-01-01-00001871	000000001918-01-01-00001918	47	See also German Colonial Empire.
Ghana Empire	Mauritania, and Western Mali	Koumbi Saleh	000000000790-01-01-0000790	000000001240-01-01-00001240	450	The Empire became known in Europe and Arabia as the "Ghana Empire" by the title of its ruler (meaning "Warrior King").
Ghaznavid Dynasty	Afghanistan	Ghazni later Lahore	000000000963-01-01-0000963	000000001187-01-01-00001187	224
Ghurid Dynasty	Afghanistan	Firuzkuh	000000001148-01-01-00001148	000000001215-01-01-00001215	67
Goguryeo	Northern part of Korean Peninsula, Manchuria	Jolbon, Gungnae City, Pyongyang	-999999999963-01-01-000037 BC	000000000668-01-01-0000668	705	Predecessor of the Balhae.
Goryeo	Korean Peninsula	Gaegyeong, Ganghwa	000000000918-01-01-0000918	000000001392-01-01-00001392	474	unification of the Korean Peninsula. State had maintain as empire between 918 and 1274.
Gorkha Empire	Greater Nepal		000000001600-01-01-00001600	000000001850-01-01-00001850	250	unification of Greater Nepal. State had maintain as empire between 1600 and 1840.
Göktürk Khaganate	Inner Asia	Ötüken	000000000552-01-01-0000552	000000000747-01-01-0000747	195	552–603 First empire, 603–658 Double empire, 658–681 Dark age, 681–747 Second empire.
Golden Horde	Central Asia	Sarai Batu	000000001240-01-01-00001240	000000001502-01-01-00001502	260	Break-away state of the Mongol Empire.
Empire of Great Fulo	Senegal	Tekrur	000000001514-01-01-00001514	000000001776-01-01-00001776	262
Great Moravian Empire	Central Europe	Mikulčice-Valy	000000000833-01-01-0000833	000000000900-01-01-0000900	67	The word "Moravia" did not refer only to present-day Moravia.
Great Seljuq Empire	Aral Sea, Asia Minor, Persia	Nishapur and later on Rey	000000001037-01-01-00001037	000000001194-01-01-00001194	157	Turkish empire, Predecessor of the Sultanate of Rum.
Gurjara-Pratihara	Indian Subcontinent	Kannauj	000000000600-01-01-0000600	000000001136-01-01-00001136	660	.founded by great king of Gujjars
Gupta Empire	Indian Subcontinent	Pataliputra	000000000320-01-01-0000320	000000000550-01-01-0000550	230	founded by of Sri Gupta
Han Dynasty	China	Chang'an, Luoyang, Xuchang	-999999999794-01-01-0000206 BC	000000000220-01-01-0000220	426
Empire of Harsha	Northern India	Kannauj	000000000606-01-01-0000606	000000000647-01-01-0000647	41	Founded by Harshavardhana, collapsed after his death.
Hephthalite Empire	Afghanistan	Kabul	000000000420-01-01-0000420	000000000567-01-01-0000567	147
Hittite Empire	Anatolia	Hattusa	-999999998540-01-01-00001460 BC	-999999998820-01-01-00001180 BC	280	See also Neo-Hittite.
Holy Roman Empire	Central Europe	no capital city	000000000962-01-01-0000962	000000001806-01-01-00001806	844	Officially known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation* from 1512 on.*
Hotaki Dynasty	Afghanistan	Isfahan	000000001709-01-01-00001709	000000001738-01-01-00001738	29
Hoysala Empire	India	Belur, Halebidu	000000001026-01-01-00001026	000000001343-01-01-00001343	317
Hunnic Empire	Eurasia	Not specified	000000000370-01-01-0000370	000000000469-01-01-0000469	99
Idrisid dynasty	Morocco	Fes	000000000788-01-01-0000788	000000000974-01-01-0000974	186	Founders of the first Moroccan state.
Ilkhanate	Persia	Maragheh, Tabriz, Soltaniyeh	000000001256-01-01-00001256	000000001335-01-01-00001335	79	Division of the Mongol Empire.
Imperial State of Iran	Persia	Tehran	000000001925-01-01-00001925	000000001979-01-01-00001979	54	Was the last Imperial dynasty of Iran.
Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyo)	Andes (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, parts of Chile, Argentina and Colombia)	Cusco	000000001438-01-01-00001438	000000001533-01-01-00001533	95	The largest empire in pre-Columbian America.
Italian Colonial Empire	Italy	Rome	000000001885-01-01-00001885	000000001943-01-01-00001943	58	See also Imperial Italy (fascist).
Empire of Japan	Japan	Tokyo	000000001868-01-01-00001868	000000001947-01-01-00001947	79	Emperor's government took control of the country in 1868. Regional hegemony in East Asia ended in 1945. The new constitution of 1947 formally abolished the empire.^[1]
Jin dynasty (265–420)	China	Luoyang (265–311), Chang'an (312–316), Jiankang (317–420)	000000000265-01-01-0000265	000000000420-01-01-0000420	155	Subdivided into two dynasties. Western Jìn Dynasty, (265–316) Eastern Jìn Dynasty (317–420).
Jin dynasty (1115–1234)	Northern China, Manchuria	Huining, Zhongdu, Kaifeng	000000001115-01-01-00001115	000000001234-01-01-00001234	119	Also known as the Jurchens, were the ancestors of the Manchus who established the Qing Dynasty.
Kanem Empire	Chad	Njimi	000000000700-01-01-0000700	000000001387-01-01-00001387	687
Kara-Khanid Khanate	Turkistan	Kashgar	000000000840-01-01-0000840	000000001212-01-01-00001212	372	First Turkic dynasty to embrace Islam.
Khazar Khaganate	Pontic steppe, North Caucasus	Balanjar, later Atil	000000000700-01-01-0000700	000000001000-01-01-00001000	300	Founded by Western Turks, the members of the royal family embraced Judaism.
Khmer Empire	Cambodia	Hariharalaya (802–889), Angkor (889–1431)	000000000802-01-01-0000802	000000001431-01-01-00001431	629	Succeeded from the kingdom of Chenla.
Khilji Dynasty	Afghanistan	Kabul, Delhi	000000001290-01-01-00001290	000000001320-01-01-00001320	30
Khwarezmid Dynasty	Persia	Urgench	000000001077-01-01-00001077	000000001221-01-01-00001221	144
Korean Empire	Korean Peninsula	Hanseong	000000001897-01-01-00001897	000000001910-01-01-00001910	13	Was the last ruling Korean dynasties.
Kushan Empire	Afghanistan	Various, including Mathura, Peshawar, Begram, Taxila	000000000030-01-01-000030	000000000345-01-01-0000345	315
Kushite Empire	Egypt, Nubia	Not specified	-999999999240-01-01-0000760 BC	-999999999344-01-01-0000656 BC	104
Latin Empire	Thrace, Asia Minor	Constantinople	000000001204-01-01-00001204	000000001261-01-01-00001261	57	See also Latinokratia.
Later Lê dynasty	Vietnam	Thang Long,Hanoi	000000001428-01-01-00001428	000000001789-01-01-00001789	361
Liao Dynasty	China	Shangjing	000000000915-01-01-0000915	000000001125-01-01-00001125	210
Lodi Sultanate	Afghanistan	Delhi	000000001451-01-01-00001451	000000001526-01-01-00001526	75
Macedonian Empire	Macedonian Kingdom	Pella	-999999999666-01-01-0000334 BC	-999999999677-01-01-0000323 BC	11	Founded by Alexander the Great.
Majapahit Empire	Malay Archipelago	Majapahit, Wilwatikta	000000001293-01-01-00001293	000000001527-01-01-00001527	234
Mali Empire	West Africa	Niani, later Ka-ba	000000001235-01-01-00001235	000000001610-01-01-00001610	375	A Mandinka empire founded by Sundiata Keita.
Mamluk Sultanate	Egypt, Syria	Cairo	000000001250-01-01-00001250	000000001517-01-01-00001517	267	See also Islamic Empire.
Manchukuo	Manchuria	Hsinking	000000001932-01-01-00001932	000000001945-01-01-00001945	13	Created as a Puppet state of the Japanese Empire, with Emperor Puyi (the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty) installed as nominal regent and emperor.
Maratha Empire	Indian Subcontinent	Raigad, later Pune	000000001674-01-01-00001674	000000001818-01-01-00001818	144	Founded by Shivaji Maharaj, also known as the Maratha Confederacy.
Marinid dynasty	Morocco	Fes	000000001244-01-01-00001244	000000001465-01-01-00001465	221
Mauryan Empire	Ancient India	Pataliputra	-999999999679-01-01-0000321 BC	-999999999815-01-01-0000185 BC	136	Founded by Chandragupta Maurya. Ashoka the Great transformed it into the first Buddhist empire.
Median Empire	Persia	Ecbatana	-999999999375-01-01-0000625 BC	-999999999451-01-01-0000549 BC	76	First Persian Empire, Founded by Deioces.
First Mexican Empire	Mexico	Mexico City	000000001821-01-01-00001821	000000001823-01-01-00001823	2	Preceded the Second Mexican Empire which was short lived (1864–1867). See also Mexican Imperial Orders.
Second Mexican Empire	Mexico	Mexico City	000000001864-01-01-00001864	000000001867-01-01-00001867	3	Succeeded the First Mexican Empire which was short lived (1821–1823). See also Mexican Imperial Orders.
Ming Dynasty	China	Nanjing (1368–1421), Beijing (1421–1644)	000000001368-01-01-00001368	000000001644-01-01-00001644	276
Mongol Empire	Mongolia	Karakorum	000000001206-01-01-00001206	000000001368-01-01-00001368	162	Split into four empires (Yuan Dynasty, Ilkhanate, Chagatai Khanate and Golden Horde). Largest contiguous land empire.
Mughal Empire	India	Agra, Delhi	000000001526-01-01-00001526	000000001858-01-01-00001858	332	Founded by Babur. "Mughal" is a Persian word for the Mongols.
Nanda Empire	Indian Subcontinent	Pataliputra	-999999999550-01-01-0000450 BC	-999999999650-01-01-0000350 BC	100	Dravidian Empire.
Neo-Assyrian Empire	Mesopotamia	Assur, later Nineveh	-999999999066-01-01-0000934 BC	-999999999391-01-01-0000609 BC	325	See also Assyrian Empire.
Neo-Babylonian Empire	Mesopotamia	Babylon	-999999999374-01-01-0000626 BC	-999999999461-01-01-0000539 BC	87	See also Babylonian Empire.
Nguyễn Dynasty	Vietnam	Phú Xuân	000000001802-01-01-00001802	000000001945-01-01-00001945	143	Was the last ruling Vietnamese Dynasty.
Norwegian Empire	Norway	Trondheim, Sarpsborg, Kungahälla, Bergen, Oslo	000000000872-01-01-0000872	000000001397-01-01-00001397	423	See also Greater Norway.
Empire of Nicaea	Bithynia	Nicaea	000000001204-01-01-00001204	000000001261-01-01-00001261	57	Successor state of the Byzantine Empire.
Northern Yuan Dynasty	Mongolia	Shangdu, Yingchang, Karakorum	000000001368-01-01-00001368	000000001635-01-01-00001635	267	Created after the expulsion of the Yuan Dynasty from China in 1368.
Omani Empire	Oman	Muscat	000000001698-01-01-00001698	000000001958-01-01-00001958	260	See Oman.
Ottoman Empire	Anatolia	Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople	000000001299-01-01-00001299	000000001922-01-01-00001922	623	Predecessor of the Republic of Turkey.
Oyo Empire	Southwestern Nigeria	Oyo-Ile	000000001400-01-01-00001400	000000001905-01-01-00001905	505
Pala Empire	Bengal, East India	Pataliputra	000000000750-01-01-0000750	000000001174-01-01-00001174	424
Palmyrene Empire	Syria	Palmyra	000000000260-01-01-0000260	000000000273-01-01-0000273	13	Broke off from the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century.
Pandyan Empire	Southern India	Madurai . Also Tirunelveli, Korkai for few years	-999999999500-01-01-0000500 BC	000000001350-01-01-00001350	1850	A Tamil Empire.'
Parthian Empire	Persia	Various, including Asaak, Hecatompylos, Ecbatana, Ctesiphon, Nisa	-999999999753-01-01-0000247 BC	000000000224-01-01-0000224	471	Third Persian Empire, Founded by Arsaces I.
Pontic Empire	Pontus	Amaseia, Sinope	-999999999880-01-01-0000120 BC	-999999999953-01-01-000047 BC	73	Mithridates VI had the title: King of Kings.
Portuguese Empire	Portugal	Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro (1815–1821)	000000001415-01-01-00001415	000000001999-01-01-00001999	584	Was the first global empire and the earliest and longest lived of the colonial Western European empires. See also United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves.
Ptolemaic Empire	Egypt	Alexandria	-999999999695-01-01-0000305 BC	-999999999970-01-01-000030 BC	275	See also Diadochi.
Qajar Dynasty	Persia	Tehran	000000001794-01-01-00001794	000000001925-01-01-00001925	131
Qin Dynasty	China	Xianyang	-999999999779-01-01-0000221 BC	-999999999794-01-01-0000206 BC	15	First dynasty of the Imperial Period.
Qing Dynasty	China	Shenyang, Beijing	000000001644-01-01-00001644	000000001912-01-01-00001912	268	Last dynasty of the Imperial Period.
Rashidun Caliphate	Saudi Arabia	Medina, Kufa	000000000632-01-01-0000632	000000000661-01-01-0000661	29	Predecessor of the Umayyad Caliphate, See also Islamic Empire.
Rashtrakuta Dynasty	India	Manyakheta	000000000753-01-01-0000753	000000000982-01-01-0000982	229
Roman Empire	Greece, Italy	Rome	-999999999973-01-01-000027 BC	000000000476-01-01-0000476	503	Together with The Roman Republic and Byzantine Empire, direct Roman states lasted from 509 BC until 1453 AD, 1962 years.
Rouran Khaganate	Inner China	Not specified	000000000330-01-01-0000330	000000000555-01-01-0000555	225
Russian Empire (Romanov)	Russia	Saint Petersburg	000000001721-01-01-00001721	000000001917-01-01-00001917	196	Successor state of the Tsardom of Russia.
Saadi dynasty	Morocco	Marrakech	000000001554-01-01-00001554	000000001659-01-01-00001659	105	Destroyed and colonized the Songhai Empire.
Safavid Dynasty	Persia	Tabriz, Qazvin, Esfahan	000000001501-01-01-00001501	000000001736-01-01-00001736	235
Saffarid Dynasty	Afghanistan	Zaranj	000000000867-01-01-0000867	000000001002-01-01-00001002	135
Sassanid Dynasty	Persia	Ctesiphon	000000000224-01-01-0000224	000000000651-01-01-0000651	427	Fourth Persian Empire.
Satavahana Dynasty	India	Amaravathi village, Guntur district Dharanikota	-999999999770-01-01-0000230 BC	000000000220-01-01-0000220	450	An Andhra Dynasty which preceded the Vengi Dynasty of Andhra.
Samanid Dynasty	Persia	Balkh, Bukhara	000000000819-01-01-0000819	000000000999-01-01-0000999	180
North Sea Empire	Denmark	Ribe	000000001016-01-01-00001016	000000001035-01-01-00001035	19	See also Viking expansion.
Seleucid Empire	Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria	Seleucia, Antioch	-999999999688-01-01-0000312 BC	-999999999937-01-01-000063 BC	249	See also Diadochi.
Serbian Empire	Serbia	Skopje, Prizren	000000001346-01-01-00001346	000000001371-01-01-00001371	25	Founded by Stephen Uroš IV (Dušan the Mighty), fell into feudal disarray after his death.
Shu Han	China	Chengdu	000000000221-01-01-0000221	000000000263-01-01-0000263	42	See also Three Kingdoms.
Siam Empire	Thailand	Bangkok	000000001782-01-01-00001782	000000001932-01-01-00001932	150
Sikh Empire	Punjab region, India	Amritsar	000000001733-01-01-00001733	000000001849-01-01-00001849	116	Preceded the British Empire in the Indian subcontinent.
Song Dynasty	China	Bianjing (960–1127), Lin'an (1127–1279)	000000000960-01-01-0000960	000000001279-01-01-00001279	319
Songhai Empire	West Africa	Gao	000000001340-01-01-00001340	000000001591-01-01-00001591	251	Former vassal of the Mali Empire which became one of the largest African empires in history.
Spanish Empire	Iberian Peninsula	Madrid	000000001402-01-01-00001402	000000001975-01-01-00001975	573	Was founded with the conquer of the Canary Islands. It was one of the first global empires.
Srivijaya Empire	Malay Archipelago	Palembang, Mataram	000000000683-01-01-0000683	000000001293-01-01-00001293	610	was a powerful ancient thalassocratic Malay empire based on the island of Sumatra, then based on Mataram (Medang Kingdom) under Sailendra's Dynasty
Sui Dynasty	China	Chang'an	000000000581-01-01-0000581	000000000618-01-01-0000618	37
Shunga Empire	Indian Subcontinent	Pataliputra, Vidisa	-999999999815-01-01-0000185 BC	-999999999927-01-01-000073 BC	112	Magadha dynasty that controlled North-central and Eastern India.
Swedish Empire	Scandinavia	Stockholm	000000001611-01-01-00001611	000000001718-01-01-00001718	107	See also Swedish overseas colonies.
Tahirid Dynasty	Persia	Nishapur	000000000821-01-01-0000821	000000000873-01-01-0000873	52
Tang Dynasty	China	Chang'an (618–904), Luoyang (904–907)	000000000618-01-01-0000618	000000000907-01-01-0000907	289	Founded By Li Yuan (aka. Emperor Gaozu of Tang).
Tay Son Dynasty	Vietnam	Phú Xuân	000000001778-01-01-00001778	000000001802-01-01-00001802	24
Empire of Thessalonica	Epirus, Kingdom of Thessalonica	Thessaloniki	000000001224-01-01-00001224	000000001246-01-01-00001246	42	Evolved from the Despotate of Epirus.
Third Reich	Germany	Berlin (1933–1945), Flensburg (1945)	000000001933-01-01-00001933	000000001945-01-01-00001945	12	Nazi Germany signed a treaty (Tripartite Pact) with the Japanese and Italian Empires.
Tibetan Empire	Tibet	Lhasa	000000000755-01-01-0000755	000000000870-01-01-0000870	115
Tondo Dynasty	Philippines	Tondo	000000000900-01-01-0000900	000000001587-01-01-00001587	687
Timurid Empire	Persia and Central Asia	Samarkand, Herat	000000001370-01-01-00001370	000000001526-01-01-00001526	156	Persianized form of the Mongolian word kürügän, Turko-Mongol Empire.
Tlemcen	Algeria	Tlemcen	000000001235-01-01-00001235	000000001556-01-01-00001556	321	Zayyanid dynasty
Empire of Trebizond	Pontus	Trebizond	000000001204-01-01-00001204	000000001461-01-01-00001461	257	Successor state of the Byzantine Empire and client state of Kingdom of Georgia
Toltec Empire	Mesoamerica	Tollan-Xicocotitlan	000000000496-01-01-0000496	000000001122-01-01-00001122	626
Tu'i Tonga Empire	Tonga, Pacific Ocean	Mu'a	000000000950-01-01-0000950	000000001865-01-01-00001865	915	See History of Tonga.
Turgesh Khaganate	Turkistan	Balasagun	000000000699-01-01-0000699	000000000766-01-01-0000766	67	Founded as a successor of West Turkish empire.
Umayyad Caliphate	Syria	Damascus, Córdoba (Capital-in-exile)	000000000661-01-01-0000661	000000000750-01-01-0000750	89	Successor of the Rashidun Caliphate, See also Islamic Empire.
Uyunid dynasty	Arabian	Al-Hasa, Qatif	000000001076-01-01-00001076	000000001253-01-01-00001253	163	The Uyunids, were a Sunni Arab dynasty that ruled Bahrain for 163 years, from the 11th to the 13th centuries.
Uyghur Khaganate	Central Asia	Ordubaliq	000000000742-01-01-0000742	000000000848-01-01-0000848	106	742–848 Founded as a successor of Göktürk Khaganate, 848–1036 Gansu state, 856–1209 Turfan state.
Vijayanagara Empire	South India	Vijayanagara	000000001336-01-01-00001336	000000001646-01-01-00001646	310	The founding of the original kingdom was based on the principality of Anegondi.
Wari Empire	Peru, Bolivia	Huari/Tiwanaku	000000000500-01-01-0000500	000000001100-01-01-00001100	600	It is a matter of conflict as to whether it was a real organized state that could be called an empire. If so, it would be considered the first empire in the Americas.
Wei Empire	China	Luoyang	000000000220-01-01-0000220	000000000265-01-01-0000265	45	See also Three Kingdoms.
Western Chalukya Empire	South India	Manyakheta, Basavakalyan	000000000973-01-01-0000973	000000001189-01-01-00001189	216
Western Roman Empire	Italy	Mediolanum, Ravenna	000000000395-01-01-0000395	000000000476-01-01-0000476	81	The western half of the Roman Empire.
Eastern Wu	China	Wuchang, Jianye	000000000229-01-01-0000229	000000000280-01-01-0000280	51	See also Three Kingdoms.
Western Xia Dynasty	China	Xingqing	000000001038-01-01-00001038	000000001227-01-01-00001227	189	Also called the Tangut Dynasty.
Xin Dynasty	China	Chang'an	000000000009-01-01-00009	000000000023-01-01-000023	14	The Xin Dynasty had only one ruling Emperor.
Yuan Dynasty	China, Mongolia	Dadu	000000001271-01-01-00001271	000000001368-01-01-00001368	97	Division of the Mongol Empire. The Yuan emperors had nominal supremacy over western khanates.
Zand Dynasty	Persia	Shiraz	000000001750-01-01-00001750	000000001794-01-01-00001794	44
Zulu Empire	South Africa	KwaBulawayo, Ulundi	000000001818-01-01-00001818	000000001897-01-01-00001897	79

Possible and informal empires

These governments, confederations and other entities have sometimes been informally referred to as "empires". Some did not fit the modern definition of empire (e.g. the Delian League), some were self-proclaimed by their first and often last ruler, others were short-lived attempts to turn an existing government into an empire, and there are also instances of the word "empire" being used to refer to unofficial spheres of influence which do not consider themselves empires.

"Empire"	Origin	Capital	From	To	Duration	Note
American Empire	United States	Washington, D.C.	000000001776-01-01-00001776	Present	240	The concept of an American Empire was first popularized during the presidency of James K. Polk who led the United States into the Mexican–American War of 1846. In recent times the concept has been revived to refer to the sphere of influence of the United States by critics of the United States.
Athenian Empire (Delian League)	Ancient Greece	Delos island	-999999999522-01-01-0000478 BC	-999999999596-01-01-0000404 BC	74	Also known as Delian League. It was an association of Greek city-states.
Second Athenian Empire	Ancient Greece	Athens	-999999999622-01-01-0000378 BC	-999999999645-01-01-0000355 BC	23	Second Athenian Empire, headed by Athens primarily for self-defense against the growth of Sparta and the Persian Empire.
Central African Empire	Central African Republic	Bangui	000000001976-01-01-00001976	000000001979-01-01-00001979	3	President Jean-Bédel Bokassa declared himself Emperor Bokassa I.
Empire of China	China	Beijing	000000001915-01-01-00001915	000000001916-01-01-00001916	1	Was a short-lived attempt by Yuan Shikai to reinstate the Imperial Monarchy.
First Empire of Haiti	North America	Port-au-Prince	000000001804-01-01-00001804	000000001806-01-01-00001806	2	First Haitian Empire, Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared himself Emperor Jacques I.
Second Empire of Haiti	North America	Port-au-Prince	000000001849-01-01-00001849	000000001859-01-01-00001859	10	Second Haitian Empire, Faustin Soulouque is proclaimed Emperor Faustin I.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania	Lithuania	Vilnius	000000001200-01-01-00001200	000000001569-01-01-00001569	369	It was the largest state in Europe in the 15th century.
Mayan Empire	Central America	Not specified	000000000250-01-01-0000250	000000000900-01-01-0000900	650
Norwegian Empire	Norway	Trondheim, Sarpsborg, Kungahälla, Bergen, Oslo	000000000872-01-01-0000872	000000001814-01-01-00001814	942	See also List of possessions of Norway The empire was under Danish control from the Kalmar Union and forward, but the possessions remained Norwegian until the end of the Danish rule of Norway. See also Danish colonial empire.
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth	Poland, Lithuania	Kraków	000000001569-01-01-00001569	000000001795-01-01-00001795	226	It was formed by the Union of Lublin in 1569, between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was one of the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th and 17th-century Europe, with some 390,000 square miles (1,000,000 km2) and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]
Roman Republic	Italy	Rome	-999999999491-01-01-0000509 BC	-999999999973-01-01-000027 BC	482	Predecessor of the Roman Empire. Technically a Republic, had imperial holdings throughout its existence.
Soviet Empire	Soviet Union	Moscow	000000001922-01-01-00001922	000000001991-01-01-00001991	69	A political term for the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union used by its critics.
Ur III Empire	Sumer	Ur	-999999997900-01-01-00002100 BC	-999999998000-01-01-00002000 BC	100	The dynasty/empire is also known as the Sumerian Renaissance.
Empire of Vietnam	Vietnam	Huế	000000001945-01-01-00001945	000000001945-01-01-00001945	0.45	A short-lived (March 11 – August 23) puppet state of the Japanese Empire.

References

↑ "Chronological table 5 1 December 1946 – 23 June 1947". National Diet Library. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
↑ Davies, Norman (1996). Europe: a history. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 554. ISBN 9780198201717. Poland-Lithuania was another country which experienced its 'Golden Age' during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The realm of the last Jagiellons was absolutely the largest state in Europe.
↑ Wandycz, Piotr Stefan (2001). The price of freedom: a history of East Central Europe from the Middle Ages to the present (2nd ed.). London [u.a.]: Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-415-25491-5. The multinational character of the Habsburg monarchy was comparable to that of the Commonwealth [...]
↑ McKenna, Amy, ed. (2014). Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Britannica guide to countries of the European Union. Chicago: Britannica Educational Publishing. p. 203. ISBN 9781615309917. Lithuania was also a powerful empire and dominated much of eastern Europe in the 14th–16th centuries in close alignment with Poland; then, from 1569, it was part of a confederation with Poland [...]
↑ Lozny, Ludomir (2005). "Poland". In Skutsch, Carl. Encyclopedia of the world's minorities. 3. New York [u.a.]: Routledge. p. 963. ISBN 9781135193881. It was indeed an Eastern European empire, a multiethnic and multicultural state with great economic strength and strong military power, controlling most of central and eastern European politics.
↑ Kupisz, Dariusz (2012). "The Polish-Lithuanian army in the reign of King Stefan Bathory (1576–1586)". In Davies, Brian L. Warfare in Eastern Europe, 1500-1800. History of warfare. 72. Boston: Brill. p. 63. ISBN 9789004221963. In terms of territorial expanse in Europe the Polish-Lithuanian state was surpassed only by Russia and the Ottoman Empire and in respect to population was behind only France, Spain, and the German Empire.
↑ Davies, Brian L. (2011). Empire and military revolution in Eastern Europe: Russia's Turkish wars in the eighteenth century. Continuum studies in military history. London [u.a.]: Continuum. p. 29. ISBN 9781441170040. Poland-Lithuania had entered the seventeenth century as one of the great powers in Eastern Europe.

Empires

Ancient	Akkadian Egyptian Hittite Carthaginian Phoenician Assyrian Babylonian Kushite Aksumite Iranian Median Achaemenid Parthian Sasanian Kushan Tuoba Hellenistic Macedon Ptolemaic Seleucid Indian Nanda Maurya Satavahana Shunga Gupta Harsha Chinese Qin Han Jin Roman Western Eastern Teotihuacan Xianbei Xiongnu

Medieval	Byzantine Nicaea Trebizond Georgian Hunnic Arab Rashidun Umayyad Abbasid Fatimid Córdoban Moroccan Idrisid Almoravid Almohad Marinid Iranian Tahirid Samanid Buyid Sallarid Ziyarid Turko-Persian Ghaznavid Great Seljuk Khwarezmian Timurid Somali Ajuran Ifatite Adalite Mogadishan Warsangali Bulgarian First Second Aragonese Benin Latin Oyo Bornu Indian Chola Gurjara-Pratihara Pala Eastern Ganga dynasty Delhi Mongol Yuan Golden Horde Chagatai Khanate Ilkhanate Kanem Serbian Songhai Khmer Carolingian Holy Roman North Sea Angevin Mali Chinese Sui Tang Song Yuan Wagadou Aztec Inca Srivijaya Majapahit Tondo Malaccan Bruneian Ethiopian Zagwe Solomonic Tibetan

Modern	Tongan Ashanti Indian Maratha Sikh Mughal British Raj Chinese Ming Qing Yuan Shikai Turkish Ottoman Karaman Ramazan Iranian Safavid Afsharid Zand Qajar Pahlavi Moroccan Saadi Alaouite Ethiopian Somali Gobroon Majeerteen Hobyo Dervish French First Second Austrian Austro-Hungarian German Second Reich Third Reich Russian Swedish Mexican First Second Brazilian Korean Japanese Haitian First Second Central African

Colonial	American Belgian British English Danish Dutch French German Italian Japanese Norwegian Portuguese Spanish Swedish

Lists	Empires largest ancient great powers medieval great powers modern great powers

External links

Pella, John & Erik Ringmar, History of International Relations Open Textbook Project, Cambridge: Open Book, forthcoming.

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List of empires

Empires and dynasties

Possible and informal empires

See also

References

External links