List of empires

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

Empires and dynasties

Empire	Origin	Capital	From	To	Duration	Note
Abd al-Wadid Dynasty	Algeria	Tlemcen	1235	1556	321
Achaemenid Empire	Persia	Various, including Pasargadae, Ecbatana, Persepolis, Susa, Babylon	-550 BCE	-330 BC	220	Second Persian Empire, the largest Empire in Classical Antiquity, founded by Cyrus the Great.
Afsharid Dynasty	Persia	Mashhad	1736	1796	60
Akkadian Empire	Sumer	Akkad	-2300 BCE	-2200 BCE	100
Aksumite Empire	Ethiopia	Axum	150	940	790	Succeeded by the Ethiopian Empire.
Almohad Dynasty	Morocco	Marrakech, Seville	1121	1269	148
Almoravid Dynasty	Morocco	Aghmat (1040–1062) Marrakech, Córdoba (1062–1147)	1040	1147	107
Angevin Empire	England, France	No official capital. Court was generally held at Angers and Chinon	1154	1242	88
Armenian Empire	Armenia	Tigranakert	-190 BC	428	618	Tigranes the Great took the title king of kings.
Ashanti Empire	West Africa	Kumasi	1670+	1902	232
Assyrian Empire	Mesopotamia	Assur, later Nineveh	-1920 BC	-609 BC	1311	Exact origin at Upper Tigris river. See also Neo-Assyrian Empire.
Austrian Empire	Austria	Vienna	1804	1867	63	Preceded by the Holy Roman Empire.
Austro-Hungarian Empire	Austria, Hungary	Vienna and Budapest	1867	1918	51	Preceded by the Austrian Empire.
Ayyubid Dynasty[citation needed]	Middle East	Cairo, Damascus, Hama	1171	1341	170	Founded by Saladin, See also List of Muslim empires and dynasties.
Aztec Empire	Mesoamerica	Tenochtitlan	1428	1521	93	The capital of Mexico, Mexico City, is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan.
Babylonian Empire	Mesopotamia	Babylon	-1900 BC	-1600 BCE	300	See also Neo-Babylonian Empire.
Balhae Empire	Northern part of Korean Peninsula, Manchuria	Sanggyeong	698	926	228	Successor of the Goguryeo Empire.
Belgian Colonial Empire	Belgium	Brussels	1901	1962	61	Overseas possessions were referred to as "the colonies" rather than an empire.
Bornu Empire	Nigeria	Ngazargamu	1387	1893	506	The continuation of the Kanem Empire.
Empire of Brazil	Brazil	Rio de Janeiro	1822	1889	67	Established when the Portuguese Royal Family went into exile in Brazil after the French occupation of Portugal.
Britannic Empire	Britain	Londinium	286	296	10	Was a break-away state of the Roman Empire. See also Carausian Revolt.
British Empire	Britain	London	1603	1997	394	End of Empire was formally recognized with the end of British presence in Hong Kong. Was the largest Empire in world history.
Bruneian Empire	Borneo	Not specified, possibly Kota Batu	600	Unknown	Unknown
First Bulgarian Empire	Balkans	Pliska, (680-893) Preslav, (893-972) Skopie, (972-992) Ohrid (992-1018)	680	1018	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	1185	1422	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	934	1055	121
Byzantine Empire	Eastern Roman Empire (Greece, Anatolia, Africa, Palestine, Syria, Italy)	Constantinople	330	1453	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	756	1031	275	See also Islamic Empire.
Carthaginian Empire	North Africa	Carthage	-650 BCE	-146 BCE	504
Chagatai Khanate	Transoxania	Almalik, Qarshi	1225	1687	462	'Division of the Mongol Empire.
Chalukya Dynasty	India	Badami	543	753	210
Chera Dynasty	Southern India	Vanchi Muthur	-300 BCE	300	600	A Tamil Empire.
Chinese Empire	China	Various, including Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Luoyang, Xi'an, Kaifeng, Zhengzhou	-221 BCE	1912	2133	Weakened by Western Empires, and the court reluctance for reform, China became a republic in 1912, but continues to occupy most of the area occupied by the Qing dynasty.
Chola Dynasty	Southern India	Various, including Poompuhar, Urayur, Pazhaiyaarai, Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram	-350 BCE	1279	1600	A Tamil Empire.
Danish Colonial Empire	Denmark	Copenhagen	1350	1953	600	See also List of former Danish colonies.
Delhi Sultanate	Indian Subcontinent	Delhi	1206	1527	321
Durrani Empire	Afghanistan	Kandahar and Kabul	1747	1823	76
Dutch Colonial Empire	Netherlands	Amsterdam	1568	1975	407	See also Dutch East India Company and Dutch West India Company.
Egyptian Empire	Egypt	Various, including Thebes, Akhetaten, Pi-Ramesses, Memphis	-1570 BCE	-1070 BCE	500	See also 18th Dynasty, 19th Dynasty & 20th Dynasty.
Ethiopian Empire	Ethiopia	Addis Ababa	1137	1974	837
Fatimid Caliphate	Egypt	Mahdia, (909-969) Cairo (969-1171)	909	1171	262	See also Islamic Empire.
First French Empire	France	Paris	1804	1814	10
First French Colonial Empire	France	Paris	1546	1803	257
Second French Empire	France	Paris	1852	1870	18
Second French Colonial Empire	France	Paris	1803	1977	170	End of Empire was formally recognized with the end of French presence in Comores.
Frankish Empire	France	Various, including Soissons, Paris, Reims, Orléans, Metz & Aachen	250	950	700
Gallic Empire	Rhineland-Palatinate	Colonia Agrippina	260	274	14	Broke off from the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century.
German Empire	Germany	Berlin	1871	1918	47	See also German Colonial Empire.
Ghana Empire	Mauritania, and Western Mali	Koumbi Saleh	790	1240	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	963	1187	224
Ghurid Dynasty	Afghanistan	Firuzkuh	1148	1215	67
Goguryeo Empire	Northern part of Korean Peninsula, Manchuria	Jolbon, Gungnae, Pyongyang	-37 BCE	668	705	Predecessor of the Balhae Empire.
Goryeo Empire	part of Korean Peninsula	Gaegyeong, Ganghwa	918	1392	474	unification of the Korean Peninsula. Succeeded by Joseon Dynasty.
Göktürk Khaganate	Inner Asia	Ötüken	552	747	195	552-603 First empire, 603-658 Double empire, 658-681 Dark age, 681-747 Second empire.
Golden Horde	Central Asia	Sarai Batu	1240+	1502	260	Break-away state of the Mongol Empire.
Empire of Great Fulo	Senegal	Tekrur	1514	1776	262
Greater German Reich	Germany	Berlin, (1933–1945) Flensburg (1945)	1933	1945	12	Nazi Germany signed a treaty (Tripartite Pact) with the Japanese and Italian Empires.
Great Moravian Empire	Central Europe	Mikulčice-Valy	833	900	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	1037	1194	157	Turkish empire, Predessor of the Sultanate of Rum.
Gupta Empire	Indian Subcontinent	Pataliputra	320	550	230
Han Dynasty	China	Chang'an, Luoyang, Xuchang	-206 BCE	220	426
Empire of Harsha	Northern India	Kannauj	606	647	41	Founded by Harshavardhana, collapsed after his death.
Hephthalite Empire	Afghanistan	Kabul	420	567	147
Hittite Empire	Anatolia	Hattusa	-1460 BCE	-1180 BCE	280	See also Neo-Hittite.
Holy Roman Empire	Central Europe	Vienna	962	1806	844	Officially known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation from 1512 on.
Hotaki Dynasty	Afghanistan	Isfahan	1709	1738	29
Hoysala Empire	India	Belur, Halebidu	1026	1343	317
Hunnic Empire	Eurasia	Not specified	370	469	99
Ilkhanate	Persia	Maragheh, Tabriz, and Soltaniyeh	1256	1335	79	Division of the Mongol Empire.
Imperial State of Iran	Persia	Tehran	1925	1979	54	Was the last Imperial dynasty of Iran.
Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyo)	Andes (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, parts of Chile, Argentina and Colombia)	Cusco	1438	1533	95	The largest empire in pre-Columbian America.
Indian Empire	Indian Subcontinent	Calcutta, (1858–1912) New Delhi (1912–1947)	1858	1947	89	Queen Victora was proclaimed Empress of India in 1876.
Italian Colonial Empire	Italy	Rome	1885	1943	58	See also Greater Italy.
Japanese Empire	Japan	Tokyo	1868	1945	77	Emperor's government took control of the country in 1868. Regional hegemony in East Asia ended in 1945.
Jin Dynasty (265–420)	China	Luoyang, (265-311) Chang'an, (312-316) Jiankang (317-420)	265	420	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	1115	1234	119	Also known as the Jurchens, were the ancestors of the Manchus who established the Qing Dynasty.
Joseon Dynasty	Korean Peninsula	Hanseong	1392	1897	505	Preceded Goryeo Dynasty. Succeeded by Korean Empire.
Kanem Empire	Chad	Njimi	700	1387	687
Kara-Khanid Khanate	Turkistan	Kashgar	840	1212	372	First Turkic dynasty to embrace Islam.
Khazar Khaganate	Pontic steppe, North Caucasus	Balanjar, later Atil	700+	1000+	300	Founded by Western Turks, the members of the royal family embraced Judaism.
Khmer Empire	Cambodia	Hariharalaya, (802-889) Angkor (889-1431)	802	1431	629	Succeeded from the kingdom of Chenla.
Khilji Dynasty	Afghanistan	Kabul, and Delhi	1290	1320	30
Khwarezmid Dynasty	Persia	Urgench	1077	1221	144
Korean Empire	Korean Peninsula	Hanseong	1897	1910	13	Preceded by Joseon Dynasty.
Kushan Empire	Afghanistan	Various, including Mathura, Peshawar, Begram, Taxila	105	250	145
Kushite Empire	Egypt, Nubia	Not specified	-760 BCE	-656 BCE	104
Latin Empire	Thrace, Asia Minor	Constantinople	1204	1261	57	See also Latinokratia.
Liao Dynasty	China	Shangjing	915	1125	210
Lodi Sultanate	Afghanistan	Delhi	1451	1526	75
Macedonian Empire	Hellenistic Greece	Pella	-334 BCE	-323 BCE	11	Founded by Alexander the Great.
Majapahit Empire	Malay Archipelago	Majapahit, Wilwatikta	1293	1527	234
Mali Empire	West Africa	Niani later Ka-ba	1235	1610	375	A Mandinka empire founded by Sundiata Keita.
Mamluk Sultanate	Egypt, Syria	Cairo	1250	1517	267	See also Islamic Empire.
Manchukuo	Manchuria	Hsinking	1932	1945	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, then later Pune	1674	1818	144	Founded by Shivaji Maharaj, also known as the Maratha Confederacy.
Mauryan Empire	Ancient India	Pataliputra	-321 BCE	-185 BCE	136	Founded by Chandragupta Maurya. Ashoka the Great transformed it into the first Buddhist empire.
Mayan Empire	Yucatan	Tikal, (1000 BCE -800) Chichen Itza (800-1002) Mayapan (1002-1492)	-2000 BCE	1540	3540	Little is recorded from the first 3000 years of this period.[citation needed]
Median Empire	Persia	Ecbatana	-625 BCE	-549 BCE	76	First Persian Empire, Founded by Deioces.
First Mexican Empire	Mexico	Mexico City	1821	1823	2	Preceded the Second Mexican Empire which was short lived (1864–1867). See also Mexican Imperial Orders.
Second Mexican Empire	Mexico	Mexico City	1864	1867	3	Succeeded the First Mexican Empire which was short lived (1821–1823). See also Mexican Imperial Orders.
Micronesian Empire	Micronesia, Pacific Ocean	Yap	1000+	1500+	500	A decentralized chieftainship under the dominant influence of Gachapar village in Yap Island.
Ming Dynasty	China	Nanjing, (1368–1421) Beijing (1421–1644)	1368	1644	276
Mongol Empire	Mongolia	Karakorum	1206	1368	162	Split into four empires (Yuan Dynasty, Ilkhanate, Chagatai Khanate and Golden Horde).
Mughal Empire	India, Pakistan	Agra and Delhi	1526	1858	332	Founded by Babur. "Mughal" is a Persian word for the Mongols.
Nanda Empire	Indian Subcontinent	Pataliputra	-450 BCE	-350 BCE	100	Dravidian Empire.
Neo-Assyrian Empire	Mesopotamia	Assur, later Nineveh	-934 BCE	-609 BCE	325	See also Assyrian Empire.
Neo-Babylonian Empire	Mesopotamia	Babylon	-626 BCE	-539 BCE	87	See also Babylonian Empire.
Nguyễn Dynasty	Vietnam	Phú Xuân	1802	1945	143	Was the last ruling Vietnamese Dynasty.
Empire of Nicaea	Bithynia	Nicaea	1204	1261	57	Successor state of the Byzantine Empire.
Northern Yuan Dynasty	Mongolia	Shangdu, Yingchang, Karakorum	1368	1635	267	Created after the expulsion of the Yuan Dynasty from China in 1368.
Ottoman Empire	Anatolia	Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne and lastly Constantinople	1299	1922	623	Predecessor of the Republic of Turkey.
Oyo Empire	Southwestern Nigeria	Oyo-Ile	1400	1905	505
Pala Empire	Bengal	Pataliputra	750	1174	424
Palmyrene Empire	Syria	Palmyra	260	273	13	Broke off from the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century.
Pandyan Empire	India	Madurai	50+	1350+	1300	Considered by contemporary historians as being the richest country in the world.
Parthian Empire	Persia	Various, including Asaak, Hecatompylos, Ecbatana, Ctesiphon, Nisa	-247 BCE	224	471	Third Persian Empire, Founded by Arsaces I.|-
Portuguese Empire	Portugal	Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro (1815–1821)	1415	1999	584	Was 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	-305 BCE	-30 BCE	275	See also Diadochi.
Qajar Dynasty[citation needed]	Persia	Tehran	1794	1925	131
Qin Dynasty	China	Xianyang	-221 BCE	-206 BCE	15	First dynasty of the Imperial Period.
Qing Dynasty	China	Shenyang, Beijing	1644	1912	268	Last dynasty of the Imperial Period.
Rashidun Caliphate	Saudi Arabia	Medina later to Kufa	632	661	29	Predecessor of the Umayyad Caliphate, See also Islamic Empire.
Rashtrakuta Dynasty	India	Manyakheta	753	982	229
Roman Empire	Italy	Rome	-27 BCE	1453	1480	Eastern Roman Empire. 503 years for the Western Roman Empire, ending in 476.
Rouran Khaganate	Inner China	Not specified	330	555	225
Russian Empire	Russia	Saint Petersburg	1721	1917	196	Successor state of the Tsardom of Russia.
Safavid Dynasty	Persia	Tabriz, Qazvin, Esfahan	1501	1736	235
Saffarid Dynasty	Afghanistan	Zaranj	867	1002	135
Sassanid Dynasty	Persia	Ctesiphon	224	651	427	Fourth Persian Empire.
Satavahana Dynasty	India	Kotilingala	-230 BCE	220	450
Samanid Dynasty	Persia	Balkh, Bukhara	819	999	180
Scandinavian Empire	Scandinavia	Not specified	1016	1035	19	See also Viking expansion.
Seleucid Empire	Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria	Seleucia, then Antioch	-312 BCE	-63 BCE	249	See also Diadochi.
Serbian Empire	Serbia	Skopje, Prizren	1346	1371	25	Founded by Stephen Uroš IV (Dušan the Mighty), fell into feudal disarray after his death.
Shu Empire	China	Chengdu	221	263	42	See also Three Kingdoms.
Sikh Empire	Punjab region	Amritsar	1733	1849	116	Preceded the British Empire in the Indian subcontinent.
Silla Dynasty	South Korea	Gyeongju	-57 BCE	935	992	Preceded the Jinhan confederacy around Nakdong River Valley. Succeeded by Goryeo
Song Dynasty	China	Bianjing, (960-1127) Lin'an (1127–1279)	960	1279	319
Songhai Empire	West Africa	Gao	1340	1591	251	Former vassal of the Mali Empire which became one of the largest African empires in history.
Soviet Empire	Soviet Union	Moscow	1922	1989	67	Claimed to be Anti-Imperialist.
Spanish Empire	Iberian Peninsula	Madrid	1402	1975	573	Was founded with the recapture of the Canary Islands from the Moors. It was one of the first global empires.
Srivijaya Empire	Malay Archipelago	Palembang	683	1293	610	was a powerful ancient thalassocratic Malay empire based on the island of Sumatra
Sui Dynasty	China	Chang'an	581	618	37
Sunga Empire	Indian Subcontinent	Pataliputra, Vidisa	-185 BCE	-73 BCE	112	Magadha dynasty that controlled North-central and Eastern India.
Swedish Empire	Scandinavia	Stockholm	1611	1718	107	See also Swedish overseas colonies.
Tahirid Dynasty	Persia	Nishapur	821	873	52
Tang Dynasty	China	Chang'an, (618-904) Luoyang (904-907)	618	907	289	Founded By Li Yuan (aka. Emperor Gaozu of Tang).
Tay Son Dynasty	Vietnam	Thanglong	1778	1802	24
Tibetan Empire	Tibet	Lhasa	700+	1100+	400
Timurid Empire	Persia and Central Asia	Samarkand and later on Herat	1370	1526	156	Persianized form of the Mongolian word kürügän, Turko-Mongol Empire.
Turgesh Khaganate	Turkistan	Balasagun	699	766	67	Founded as a successor of West Turkish empire.
United States	North America	Washington, D.C.	1776	Present	235+	Broke off from British empire. Conquered large portions of Spanish empire.
Umayyad Caliphate	Syria	Damascus, Córdoba (Capital-in-exile)	661	750	89	Successor of the Rashidun Caliphate, See also Islamic Empire.
Uyghur Khaganate	Central Asia	Ordubaliq	742	848	106	742-848 Founded as a successor of Göktürk Khaganate, 848-1036 Gansu state, 856-1209 Turfan state.
Vijayanagara Empire	South India	Vijayanagara	1336	1646	310	The founding of the original kingdom was based on the principality of Anegondi.
Wari Empire	Peru, Bolivia	Huari/Tiwanaku	500+	1100+	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	220	265	45	See also Three Kingdoms.
Western Chalukya Empire	South India	Manyakheta, Basavakalyan	973	1189	216
Western Roman Empire	Italy	Mediolanum, Ravenna	395	476	81	The western half of the Roman Empire.
Eastern Wu	China	Wuchang, Jianye	229	280	51	See also Three Kingdoms.
Western Xia Dynasty	China	Xingqing	1038	1227	189	Also called the Tangut Dynasty.
Xin Dynasty	China	Chang'an	9	23	14	The Xin Dynasty had only one ruling Emperor.
Yuan Dynasty	China, Mongolia	Dadu	1271	1368	97	Division of the Mongol Empire. The Yuan emperors had nominal supremacy over western khanates..
Zand Dynasty	Persia	Shiraz	1750	1794	44
Zulu Empire	South Africa	KwaBulawayo later Ulundi	1818	1897	79

Possible empires

These governments and confederations have sometimes referred to as "empires". Some did not fit the modern definition of empire (the Delian League), others were self-proclaimed by their first and often last ruler, and others were efforts to turn an existing government into an empire, which failed.

"Empire"	Origin	Capital	From	To	Duration	Note
Athenian Empire (Delian League)	Ancient Greece	Delos island	-478 BCE	-404 BCE	74	Also known as Delian League. It was an association of Greek city-states.
Second Athenian Empire	Ancient Greece	Athens	-378 BCE	-355 BCE	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	1976	1979	3	President Jean-Bédel Bokassa declared himself Emperor Bokassa I.
Empire of China	China	Beijing	1915	1916	1	Was a short-lived attempt by Yuan Shikai to reinstate the Imperial Monarchy.
Empire of Haiti	North America	Port-au-Prince	1804	1806	2	First Haitian Empire, Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared himself Emperor Jacques I.
Empire of Haiti	North America	Port-au-Prince	1849	1859	10	Second Haitian Empire, Faustin Soulouque is proclaimed Emperor Faustin I.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania	Lithuania	Vilnius	1200+	1569	369	Was the largest state in Europe in the 15th century.
Empire of Trebizond	Black Sea	Trebizond	1204	1461	257	Successor state of the Byzantine Empire.
Tu'i Tonga Empire	Tonga, Pacific Ocean	Mu'a	900	1700	800	See History of Tonga.
Ur III Empire	Sumer	Ur	-2100 BCE	-2000 BCE	100	The dynasty/empire is also known as the Sumerian Renaissance.
Empire of Vietnam	Vietnam	Huế	1945	1945	0.45 years	Was a short-lived Puppet state of the Japanese Empire, from March 11 - August 23.
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth	Poland, Lithuania	Warsaw, Vilnius	1569	1795	226 years	Was formed by the Union of Lublin in 1569, between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

See also

• List of extinct states
• Fictional empires
• List of kingdoms
• List of historical countries and empires spanning more than one continent
• Historical powers
• List of largest empires
• Middle Eastern Empires

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.