Human history is a continuous struggle for territorial domination. Great empires appeared on the political map of the world, then disappeared from it. Some of them were destined to leave an indelible mark behind them.
Persian Empire (Achaemenid Empire, 550 - 330 BC)
Cyrus II is considered the creator of the Persian Empire. He began his conquests in 550 BC. e. from the submission of Media, after which Armenia, Parthia, Cappadocia and the Lydian kingdom were conquered. Did not become an obstacle to the expansion of the empire of Cyrus and Babylon, whose powerful walls fell in 539 BC. e.
Conquering neighboring territories, the Persians tried not to destroy the conquered cities, but, if possible, preserve them. Cyrus restored captured Jerusalem, like many Phoenician cities, facilitating the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity.
The Persian Empire under Cyrus spread its possessions from Central Asia to the Aegean Sea. Only Egypt remained unconquered. The land of the pharaohs submitted to the heir of Cyrus Kambiz II. However, the empire reached its heyday under Darius I, who switched from conquests to domestic politics. In particular, the king divided the empire into 20 satrapies, which completely coincided with the territories of the captured states.
In 330 BC. e. The weakening Persian Empire fell under the onslaught of the troops of Alexander the Great.
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Roman Empire (27 BC - 476)
Ancient Rome was the first state in which the ruler received the title of emperor. Beginning with Octavian Augustus, the 500-year history of the Roman Empire had the most direct impact on European civilization, and also left a cultural mark in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East.
The uniqueness of Ancient Rome is that it was the only state whose possessions included the entire Mediterranean coast.
During the heyday of the Roman Empire, its territories stretched from the British Isles to the Persian Gulf. According to historians, by 117, the population of the empire reached 88 million people, which was approximately 25% of the total population of the planet.
Architecture, construction, art, law, economics, military affairs, the principles of state structure of Ancient Rome - this is what the foundation of the entire European civilization is based on. It was in imperial Rome that Christianity assumed the status of a state religion and began to spread throughout the world.
Byzantine Empire (395 - 1453)
The Byzantine Empire has no equal in the length of its history. Born at the end of antiquity, it lasted until the end of the European Middle Ages. For more than a thousand years, Byzantium was a kind of connecting link between the civilizations of the East and West, influencing both the states of Europe and Asia Minor.
But if the Western European and Middle Eastern countries inherited the richest material culture of Byzantium, then the Old Russian state turned out to be the successor of its spirituality. Constantinople fell, but the Orthodox world found its new capital in Moscow.
Located at the crossroads of trade routes, wealthy Byzantium was a coveted land for neighboring states. Having reached its maximum borders in the first centuries after the collapse of the Roman Empire, then it was forced to defend its possessions. In 1453, Byzantium could not resist a more powerful enemy - the Ottoman Empire. With the capture of Constantinople, the road to Europe was opened for the Turks.
Arab Caliphate (632-1258)
As a result of Muslim conquests in the 7th-9th centuries, the theocratic Islamic state of the Arab Caliphate arose on the territory of the entire Middle East region, as well as certain regions of the Caucasus, Central Asia, North Africa and Spain. The period of the Caliphate went down in history as the "Golden Age of Islam" as the time of the highest flourishing of Islamic science and culture.
One of the caliphs of the Arab state, Umar I, purposefully consolidated the character of a militant church for the Caliphate, encouraging religious zeal in his subordinates and forbidding them to own land property in the conquered countries. Umar motivated this by the fact that "the interests of the landowner are more attracting him to peaceful activities than to war."
In 1036, the invasion of the Seljuk Turks turned out to be disastrous for the Caliphate, but the Mongols completed the defeat of the Islamic state.
Caliph An-Nasir, wishing to expand his possessions, turned to Genghis Khan for help, and unknowingly opened the way for the ruin of the Muslim East of the many-thousand Mongol horde.
Mongol Empire (1206-1368)
The Mongol Empire is the largest state entity in history by territory.
During the period of its power - by the end of the XIII century, the empire stretched from the Sea of Japan to the banks of the Danube. The total area of the Mongols' possessions reached 38 million square meters. km.
Given the immense size of the empire, it was almost impossible to rule from the capital - Karakorum. It is no coincidence that after the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, the process of gradual division of the conquered territories into separate uluses began, the most significant of which was the Golden Horde.
The economic policy of the Mongols in the occupied lands was primitive: its essence boiled down to imposing tribute on the conquered peoples. Everything collected went to support the needs of a huge army, according to some sources, reaching half a million people. The Mongol cavalry was the most deadly weapon of the Chingizids, before which not many armies could resist.
The empire was destroyed by inter-dynastic strife - it was they who stopped the expansion of the Mongols to the West. This was soon followed by the loss of the conquered territories and the capture of Karakorum by the Ming dynasty.
Holy Roman Empire (962-1806)
The Holy Roman Empire is an interstate entity that existed in Europe from 962 to 1806. The core of the empire was Germany, which was joined by the Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, as well as some regions of France during the period of the highest prosperity of the state.
For almost the entire period of the empire's existence, its structure had the character of a theocratic feudal state, in which emperors claimed supreme power in the Christian world. However, the struggle with the papal throne and the desire to control Italy significantly weakened the central authority of the empire.
In the 17th century, Austria and Prussia moved to the leading positions in the Holy Roman Empire. But very soon the antagonism of the two influential members of the empire, resulting in a policy of conquest, threatened the integrity of their common home. The end of the empire in 1806 was laid by a growing France led by Napoleon.
Ottoman Empire (1299-1922)
In 1299, in the Middle East, Osman I created a Turkic state, which was destined to exist for more than 600 years and radically influence the fate of the countries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 was the date when the Ottoman Empire finally took root in Europe.
The period of the greatest power of the Ottoman Empire falls on the XVI-XVII centuries, but the state achieved the greatest conquests under the Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
The borders of the empire of Suleiman I stretched from Eritrea in the south to the Commonwealth in the north, from Algeria in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east.
The period from the end of the 16th to the beginning of the 20th century was marked by bloody military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and Russia. Territorial disputes between the two states mainly developed around the Crimea and Transcaucasia. They ended with the First World War, as a result of which the Ottoman Empire, divided between the Entente countries, ceased to exist.
British Empire (1497¬ – 1949)
The British Empire is the largest colonial power in terms of both territory and population.
The empire reached its largest scale by the 30s of the XX century: the land area of the United Kingdom, together with the colonies, totaled 34 million 650 thousand square meters. km., which was approximately 22% of the earth's land. The total population of the empire reached 480 million people - every fourth inhabitant of the Earth was a subject of the British crown.
Many factors contributed to the success of British colonial policy: a strong army and navy, developed industry, and the art of diplomacy. The expansion of the empire had a significant impact on world geopolitics. First of all, this is the spread of British technology, trade, language, and also forms of government throughout the world.
Decolonization of Britain took place after the end of World War II. Although the country was among the winning states, it was on the verge of bankruptcy. Thanks to an American loan of 3.5 billion dollars alone, Great Britain was able to overcome the crisis, but at the same time it lost its world domination and all its colonies.
Russian Empire (1721-1917)
The history of the Russian Empire dates back to October 22, 1721 after Peter I accepted the title of the All-Russian Emperor. From that time until 1905, the monarch who became the head of the state was endowed with absolute power.
In terms of area, the Russian Empire was second only to the Mongol and British empires - 21,799,825 sq. km, and was the second (after the British) in terms of population - about 178 million people.
Constant expansion of the territory is a characteristic feature of the Russian Empire. But if the advance to the east was mostly peaceful, then in the west and south Russia had to prove its territorial claims through numerous wars - with Sweden, the Commonwealth, the Ottoman Empire, Persia, the British Empire.
The growth of the Russian Empire has always been viewed with particular caution by the West. The negative perception of Russia was promoted by the appearance of the so-called "Testament of Peter the Great" - a document fabricated in 1812 by French political circles. “The Russian state must establish power over the whole of Europe” - this is one of the key phrases of the Testament, which will excite the minds of Europeans for a long time to come.