Empire Definition

Characteristics of an Empire

Many characteristics determine the success of an empire, an empire's growth and maintenance in power are one of the most important factors to ensure its lifespan is lengthy. Alongside this, sharing a common enemy with the other nations within your empire seems to be the key to an empire with a united sense of identity and power.

Central Power

An empire is one state dominating others. When a region becomes very prosperous and expands, it is almost certainly expanding to take over another region. Absorbing other states is a steppingstone to forming a larger unified state, but the state needs to control and hold its central power over other states in one way or another.

• The influence the central state has over its territories can greatly vary.
• Some empires utilize the central state as a leader but otherwise allow the other regions under its dominion to self-manage.
• In Augustus Caesar's Rome, most periphery states were delegated self-management governmental tasks. This allowed the empire to function smoothly on a smaller municipal scale, as well as a larger global scale.
• Other empires were characterized by a more interventional and controlling central power.

Once gained, how does the central power remain? The most common resources employed to exert control are the military, culture, religion, and economy.

Military

With military power, a state can fight to take over another region, and then subsequently maintain control with the promise of continued military action. Especially in ancient times, this was the pre-eminent method for the occupation and expansion of territory.

Fig. 1 Ottoman Empire at the height of its power

Culture and Religion

Empires could exert influence through the use of culture and belief systems. This way the daily lives of those in occupied provinces could be manipulated by the central power. Some major ways culture can be influenced within empires is through the use of language, faith, and customs.

Fig. 2 British Empire WWI Poster

Economy

Economic control has always been the main factor in imperialism, stemming back to the use of land and supplies to gain power. Trade and commerce can also massively affect an empire's livelihood. It is indicative of a more modern era; however, economic influence can be the main vehicle through which empires establish and maintain power.

Fig. 3 1771 Middle British Colonies in USA

A Shared Enemy

Regions within an empire are more likely to band together when a common enemy is threatening them. This unites the central and periphery powers together. While the common enemy is often another state threatening war or invasion, it can also be environmental factors such as disease or natural disaster.

Fig. 4 American Empire Banner

Types of Empires

With over 270 Empires existing throughout history, it is expected that these differed in their practices, leadership, and expansions. The four main types of Empires that we see throughout history are: colonial, maritime, land-based, and ideological.

Empire Definitions

What makes each Empire different? And what resources, geographical characteristics, and leadership qualities can we use to define each type of Empire?

Colonial Empire Definition

The occupation of external land by a central state is at the core of any empire. However, colonial (or settler) empires take this to the extreme. Occupied states are harvested for resources, and oftentimes slavery is deployed in these areas to speed up resource extraction and production, thereby increasing the wealth of the central power.

Maritime Empire Definition

This type of empire can also go by the title "Mercantile Empire" because of its heavy reliance on travel and trade. The use of waterways was a staple in these empires, as water allowed for the easy formation of trade routes. Using ports and coasts, an empire could maintain influence over several areas and dominate trade industries. Notably, many European empires are maritime based.

Land Based Empire Definition

This is also sometimes referred to as a "Classical Empire". It is characterized by the occupation of land and its corresponding agriculture and wildlife. The processes of the empire revolve around the land it occupies: the style of government used, the type of trade and economic policies, and the socialization that emerges amongst its people all hinge on the empire's core territory and resources.

Ideological Empire:

This is the newest form of an empire, which has emerged mostly in the last century. Rather than using resources, territory, and military, an empire can influence other regions with ideology (information, philosophy, and diplomacy).

Empire Examples

In this chart, you will find some of the world's most influential empires organized in approximate chronological order. Many of these empires took place in different areas and overlapped chronologically. This list is intended to provide examples of different empires and is by no means a complete compilation.