List of longest empires

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This is a list of empires according to their length of existence.

Contents

[edit] Less than a decade in existence

Empire Origin Existence From To Demise Note
Serbian Modern-day northern Vojvodina, Serbia 1 year 1526 1527 state of a mercenary, Jovan Nenad
First Mexican Empire Modern-day Mexico 1 year 1822 1823 Preceded the Second Mexican Empire which was short lived (1864-1867). See also Mexican Imperial Orders
Haitian North America 2 years 1804 1806 Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared himself Emperor
Central African Central African Republic 2 years 1977 1979 Jean-Bédel Bokassa declared himself Emperor Bokassa in 1977
Second Mexican Empire Modern-day Mexico 3 years 1864 1867 Succeeded the First Mexican Empire which was short lived (1822-1823). See also Mexican Imperial Orders
Irish Ireland 9 years 1005 1014 Brian Boru, a High King, briefly conquered most of Ireland, but his "Empire" fragmented after his death.

[edit] More than a decade in existence

Empire Origin Existence From To Demise Note
First French Empire France 10 years 1804 1814
Colombian Colombia 12 years 1819 1831 see Gran Colombia
Third Reich Germany 12 years 1933 1945 Destroyed by invasion of Allied forces in WWII Nazi Germany signed a treaty (Tripartite Pact) with the Japanese and Italian Empires
Palmyrene Syria (Roman province) 13 years 260 273 broke off the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century
Korean Korean Peninsula 13 years 1897 1910 See also Korean Empire
Gallic Rhineland-Palatinate 14 years 260 274 In Latin, Imperium Galliarum
Second French Empire France 18 years 1852 1870
Serbian Serbian Kingdom 26 years 1345 1371 fell into feudal disarray
Macedonian Greece 29 years 338 BC 309 BC Founded by Alexander the Great
Rashidun Saudi Arabia 29 years 632 661
Armenian modern day Armenia 35 years 95 BC 60 BC

Tigranes was named as the king of kings.
Harsha India 41 years 606 647
Athenian Ancient Greece 46 years 477 BC 431 BC Also known as Delian League. It was an association of Greek city-states
German Germany 47 years 1871 1918
Sikh Punjab region 48 years 1801 1849 Preceded the British Empire in the Indian subcontinent
Austro-Hungarian Central Europe 51 years 1867 1918 Replaced the Austrian Empire
Nicaean Anatolia 57 years 1204 1261
Latin Asia Minor 57 years 1204 1261 See also Crusader states
Belgian Belgium 61 years 1901 1962 overseas possessions were referred to as "the colonies" rather than as an empire
Zulu South Africa 62 years 1817 1879 Powerful bantu kingdom founded by Shaka
Austrian Modern day Austria 63 years 1804 1867 Replaced the Holy Roman Empire
Great Moravia Mitteleuropa/Central Europe 67 years 833 900 The word "Moravia" did not refer only to present-day Moravia
Brazilian Brazil 67 years 1822 1889 Established by the Portuguese royal family went into exile in Brazil after Napoleonic occupation of Portugal
Soviet Russia 69 years 1922 1991 Not a de jure empire. It referred to economic and cultural influence
Almoravid Morocco 74 years 1073 1147 See also Almohads
Incan Peru 95 years 1438 1533

[edit] More than a century in existence

Empire Origin Existence From To Demise Note
Abbasid Modern-day Iraq 508 years 750 1258 See also Umayyad Empire
Achaemenid Persia (Iran) 220 years 550 BC 330 BC aka Persian Empire
Akkadian Sumer 200 years 2350 BC 2150 BC
Almohad Morocco 115 years 1147 1262 See also Almoravids
Axumite Ethiopia 300 years 400 C.BC 100 C.BC
Aztec Mesoamerica 146 years 1375 1521 Destroyed by invasion of Spanish Empire The capital of Mexico, Mexico City, is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan.
Babylonian Mesopotamia 300 years 1900 BC 1600 BC See also Neo-Babylonian Empire
Bornu Niger 497 years 1396 1893 Second empire of the Sayfawa Dynasty
British Britain 414 years 1583 present It refers to economic and cultural influence, and holds many overseas territories. Largest Empire in world history
First Bulgarian Empire Danube delta 337 years 681 1018 Founded by the Bulgar ruler Asparukh. Under Tsar Simeon I became the first powerful Slavic Empire. Falls to the Byzantine Empire under Basil the Bulgar-Slayer
Second Bulgarian Empire Veliko Tarnovo 237 years 1185 1422 Destroyed by invasion of Ottoman Empire Successor of the First Bulgarian Empire. Under the Tsars Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II became the most powerful state on the Balkans
Chalukya India 600 years 600 1200 see Chalukya dynasty
Chera Southern India 500 years c. 300 BC c. 200 A Tamil empire
Chola Southern India 429 years c. 850 1279 A Tamil empire
Dutch Netherlands 352 years 1602 1954 See also Dutch East India Company
Ethiopian Ethiopia 666 years 1270 1936
Egyptian Empire Egypt, Africa 500 years 1570 BC 1070 BC
First Colonial France 198 years 1605 1803
Fatimid Egypt 261 years 910 1171
Second Colonial French France 130 years 1830 1960
Frankish Gaul 500 years 5th century 10th century
Ghana Mauritania 326 years 750 1076 See also Wagadou Empire
Ghaznavid Empire Greater Iran 224 years 963 1187 See also Persian Empire
Golden Horde Central Asia 124 years 1378 1502 Broke up of the Mongol Empire
Gupta Empire Indian subcontinent 310 years 240 550
Han China 426 years 206 BC 220
Hebrew Israel 130 years 1050 BC 920 BC aka "United Kingdom of Israel and Judah" later divided to Kingdom of Israel until 720 BC and Kingdom of Judah until 586 BC.
Hittite Anatolia 280 years 1460 BC 1180 BC See also Neo-Hittite
Hoysala India 400 years 1000 1400
Italian Modern day Italy 56 years 1885 1941
Joseon Korea 518 years 1392 1910 Annexed by the Japanese Joseon was known as the Korean Empire from 1897-1910, but the dynasty remained intact until full Japanese annexation in 1910.
Kanem Chad 676 years 700 1376 First empire in one of the longest dynasties in African history
Khmer Nowadays Cambodia 630 years 802 1432 seceded from the kingdom of Chenla
Kongo Southwest Africa 488 years 1400 1888 BaKongo kingdom that dominated West Central Africa and included parts of modern day Angola, Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Khwar Afghanistan 200 years 11th Century 1220
Magadhan Ancient India 225 years 545 BC 320 BC See also Mahajanapadas and Maurya Empire
Mali West Africa 375 years 1235 1610 A Mandinka empire founded by Sundiata Keita
Maratha Indian subcontinent 144 years 1674 1818 Also known as the Maratha Confederacy.
Mauryan Ancient India 136 years 321 BC 185 BC Founded by Chandragupta Maurya. Ashoka the Great transformed it into the first Buddhist empire
Ming China 276 years 1368 1644
Mitanni Southern Asia 300 years c. 1500 BC c. 1200 BC Founded by Indo-Aryans
Mongol Mongolia 162 years 1206 1368 split into four parts (Yuan Dynasty, Il-Khanate, Chagatai Khanate and Golden Horde)
Mughal India,Pakistan 331 years 1526 1857 Founded by Babur. "Mughal" is a Persian word for the Mongols
Neo-Assyrian Mesopotamia 334 years 943 BC 609 BC Exact origin at Upper Tigris river
Ottoman Anatolia 623 years 1299 1922 Capitals were Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne and lastly Istanbul
Pala Bengal 424 years 750 1174
First Pandyan India 360 years 560 920 Considered by contemporary historians as being the richest country in the world
Second Pandyan India 95 years 1250 1345 During revival period
Parthian Persia 471 years 247 BC 224 See Persian Empire
Portuguese Portugal 584 years 1415 1999 Was the earliest and longest lived of the colonial Western European empires
Qing China 276 years 1636 1912 Last dynasty of the Imperial Period
Holy Roman Central Europe 844 years 962 1806 Also known as The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. See also Roman Empire
Roman Modern Italy 503 years 27 BC 476 See also Roman Republic and Imperium
Russian Russia 196 years 1721 1917 formed from the powerful medieval state of Muscovy
Sassanid Persia (Iran) 437 years 205 651 Second Persian Empire
Satavahana India 429 years 230 BC 199 Indian Middle Kingdoms Middle kingdoms of India
Seleucid Persia (Iran) 263 years 323 BC 60 BC
Seljuk Aral Sea, Asia Minor 157 years 1037 1194
Siam Thailand 564 years 1345 1909
Song China 319 years 960 1279
Songhai West Africa 216 years 1375 1591 Former vassal of the Mali Empire which became one of the largest African empires in history.
Spanish Iberian peninsula 516 years 1492 Present Was the first truly global empire
Swedish Scandinavia 107 years 1611 1718
Tang China 289 years 618 907
Tibetan Tibet 400 years 7th century 11th century
Timurid Persia and Central Asia 105 years 1401 1506 Persianized form of the Mongolian word kürügän
Trebizond Black Sea 257 years 1204 1461 Successor state of the Byzantine Empire
Tu'i Tongan Tonga, Pacific Ocean 550 years 950 AD 1500 AD See History of Tonga
Umayyad Syria 90 years 660 750 Descendants of Prophet Muhammad
Ur III Sumer 100 years 2100 BC 2000 BC The dynasty/empire is also known as the Sumerian Renaissance
Vedic India 600 years 600 BC 1200 See Kingdoms of ancient India and Mahajanapadas
Vijayanagara South India 324 years 1336 1660 The founding of the original kingdom was based on the principality of Anegondi

[edit] More than a millennium in existence

Empire Origin Existence From To Demise Note
Venetian Northeast Italy 1100 years 697 1797 More a republic than an empire. Also known as The Most Serene Republic of Venice
Byzantine Asia Minor 1123 years 330 1453 Ceased after the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans Term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Total Roman Empire (East and West) 1906 years: 473BC - 1453 AD
Islamic Mecca 1313 years 610 1923 It Started form the Prophet and down to the Caliphs then to the Ummayads then to the Abbasids then to the Seljuk Turks then to the Ottamans Turks.

[edit] More than two millennia in existence

Empire Origin Existence From To
Elamite Ilam Province, Persia (Iran) 2161 years 2700 BC 539 BC
Chinese Empire China 2132 years 221 BC 1911
Japanese Japan 2668 years 660 BC [[Currently (Despite popular belief, Japan is still an empire since it has an emperor. Many people believe that is stopped being an empire after the WW2, but the only thing that happened then was that the Emperor proclaimed that he was not the descendant of Amaterasu Omikami)]]

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] See also