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	-9450-01-01-0000550 BC	-9670-01-01-0000330 BC	220	The first Persian Empire, and the largest one in Classical Antiquity, founded by Cyrus the Great.
Afsharid Dynasty	Persia	Mashhad	01736-01-01-00001736	01796-01-01-00001796	60
Akkadian Empire	Sumer	Akkad	-7700-01-01-00002300 BC	-7800-01-01-00002200 BC	100
Aksumite Empire	Ethiopia	Axum	00150-01-01-0000150	00940-01-01-0000940	790	Succeeded by the Ethiopian Empire.
Almohad Dynasty	Morocco	Marrakech, Seville	01121-01-01-00001121	01269-01-01-00001269	148
Almoravid Dynasty	Morocco	Aghmat (1040–1062), Marrakech (1062–1147)	01040-01-01-00001040	01147-01-01-00001147	107
Angevin Empire	England, France	No official capital. Court was generally held at Angers and Chinon	01154-01-01-00001154	01242-01-01-00001242	88
Armenian Empire	Armenia	Tigranakert	-9810-01-01-0000190 BC	00428-01-01-0000428	618	Tigranes the Great took the title king of kings.
Ashanti Empire	West Africa	Kumasi	01670-01-01-00001670	01902-01-01-00001902	232
Austrian Empire	Austria	Vienna	01804-01-01-00001804	01867-01-01-00001867	63	Preceded by the Holy Roman Empire.
Austro-Hungarian Empire	Austria, Hungary	Vienna, Budapest	01867-01-01-00001867	01918-01-01-00001918	51	Preceded by the Austrian Empire.
Ayyubid Dynasty	Middle East	Cairo, Damascus, Hama	01171-01-01-00001171	01341-01-01-00001341	170	Founded by Saladin, See also List of Muslim empires and dynasties.
Aztec Empire	Mesoamerica	Tenochtitlan	01428-01-01-00001428	01521-01-01-00001521	93	The capital of Mexico, Mexico City, is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan.
Babylonian Empire	Mesopotamia	Babylon	-8100-01-01-00001900 BC	-8400-01-01-00001600 BC	300	See also Neo-Babylonian Empire.
Baekje	Korea	Wiryeseong	-9982-01-01-000018 BC	00660-01-01-0000660	678
Balhae	Northern part of Korean Peninsula, Manchuria	Sanggyeong	00698-01-01-0000698	00926-01-01-0000926	228	Successor of the Goguryeo.
Belgian Colonial Empire	Belgium	Brussels	01901-01-01-00001901	01962-01-01-00001962	61	Overseas possessions were referred to as "the colonies" rather than an empire.
Benin Empire	Nigeria	Benin City	01440-01-01-00001440	01897-01-01-00001897	457
Bornu Empire	Nigeria	Ngazargamu	01387-01-01-00001387	01893-01-01-00001893	506	The continuation of the Kanem Empire.
Empire of Brazil	Brazil	Rio de Janeiro	01822-01-01-00001822	01889-01-01-00001889	67	Established after Pedro I of Brazil declared the independence of Brazil from Portugal.
Britannic Empire	Britain	Londinium	00286-01-01-0000286	00296-01-01-0000296	10	Was a break-away state of the Roman Empire. See also Carausian Revolt.
British Empire	Britain	London	01603-01-01-00001603	01997-01-01-00001997	394	The largest Empire in world history. Today it is known as the British Commonwealth..
British Raj	Indian Subcontinent	Calcutta (1858–1912), New Delhi (1912–1947)	01858-01-01-00001858	01947-01-01-00001947	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	00600-01-01-0000600	01888-01-01-00001888	1288	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)	00680-01-01-0000680	01018-01-01-00001018	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	01185-01-01-00001185	01422-01-01-00001422	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	00934-01-01-0000934	01055-01-01-00001055	121
Byzantine Empire	Eastern Roman Empire (Greece, Anatolia, Africa, Palestine, Syria, Italy)	Constantinople	00330-01-01-0000330	01453-01-01-00001453	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	00756-01-01-0000756	01031-01-01-00001031	275	See also Islamic Empire.
Carthaginian Empire	North Africa	Carthage	-9350-01-01-0000650 BC	-9854-01-01-0000146 BC	504
Chagatai Khanate	Transoxania	Almaliq, Qarshi	01225-01-01-00001225	01687-01-01-00001687	462	Division of the Mongol Empire.
Chalukya Dynasty	India	Badami	00543-01-01-0000543	00753-01-01-0000753	210
Chera Dynasty	Southern India	Vanchi Muthur	-9700-01-01-0000300 BC	00300-01-01-0000300	600	A Tamil Empire.
Chola Dynasty	Southern India	Various, including Poompuhar, Urayur, Pazhaiyaarai, Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram	-9650-01-01-0000350 BC	01279-01-01-00001279	1629	A Tamil Empire.
Danish colonial empire	Denmark	Copenhagen	01350-01-01-00001350	01953-01-01-00001953	600	See also List of former Danish colonies.
Delhi Sultanate	Indian Subcontinent	Delhi	01206-01-01-00001206	01527-01-01-00001527	321
Durrani Empire	Afghanistan	Kandahar, Kabul	01747-01-01-00001747	01823-01-01-00001823	76
Dutch Empire	Netherlands	Amsterdam	01568-01-01-00001568	01975-01-01-00001975	407	See also Dutch East India Company and Dutch West India Company.
Egyptian Empire	Egypt	Various, including Thebes, Akhetaten, Pi-Ramesses, Memphis	-8430-01-01-00001570 BC	-8930-01-01-00001070 BC	500	See also 18th Dynasty, 19th Dynasty & 20th Dynasty.
Ethiopian Empire	Ethiopia	Addis Ababa	01137-01-01-00001137	01974-01-01-00001974	837
Fatimid Caliphate	Egypt	Mahdia (909-969), Cairo (969-1171)	00909-01-01-0000909	01171-01-01-00001171	262	See also Islamic Empire.
Second French Empire	France	Paris	01852-01-01-00001852	01870-01-01-00001870	18
French colonial empires	France	Paris	01534-01-01-00001534	01980-01-01-00001980	446	End of Empire was formally recognized with the end of French presence in condominium of Vanuatu (see New Hebrides).
Frankish Empire	Central Europe	Various, including Soissons, Paris, Reims, Orléans, Metz & Aachen	00250-01-01-0000250	00950-01-01-0000950	700
Gallic Empire	Rhineland-Palatinate	Colonia Agrippina	00260-01-01-0000260	00274-01-01-0000274	14	Broke off from the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century.
German Empire	Germany	Berlin	01871-01-01-00001871	01918-01-01-00001918	47	See also German Colonial Empire.
Ghana Empire	Mauritania, and Western Mali	Koumbi Saleh	00790-01-01-0000790	01240-01-01-00001240	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	00963-01-01-0000963	01187-01-01-00001187	224
Ghurid Dynasty	Afghanistan	Firuzkuh	01148-01-01-00001148	01215-01-01-00001215	67
Goguryeo	Northern part of Korean Peninsula, Manchuria	Jolbon, Gungnae, Pyongyang	-9963-01-01-000037 BC	00668-01-01-0000668	705	Predecessor of the Balhae.
Goryeo	Korean Peninsula	Gaegyeong, Ganghwa	00918-01-01-0000918	01392-01-01-00001392	474	unification of the Korean Peninsula. State had maintain as empire between 918 and 1274.
Gorkha Empire	Greater Nepal		01600-01-01-00001600	01850-01-01-00001850	474	unification of Greater Nepal. State had maintain as empire between 1600 and 1840.
Göktürk Khaganate	Inner Asia	Ötüken	00552-01-01-0000552	00747-01-01-0000747	195	552-603 First empire, 603-658 Double empire, 658-681 Dark age, 681-747 Second empire.
Golden Horde	Central Asia	Sarai Batu	01240-01-01-00001240	01502-01-01-00001502	260	Break-away state of the Mongol Empire.
Empire of Great Fulo	Senegal	Tekrur	01514-01-01-00001514	01776-01-01-00001776	262
Greater German Reich	Germany	Berlin (1933–1945), Flensburg (1945)	01933-01-01-00001933	01945-01-01-00001945	12	Nazi Germany signed a treaty (Tripartite Pact) with the Japanese and Italian Empires.
Great Moravian Empire	Central Europe	Mikulčice-Valy	00833-01-01-0000833	00900-01-01-0000900	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	01037-01-01-00001037	01194-01-01-00001194	157	Turkish empire, Predecessor of the Sultanate of Rum.
Gupta Empire	Indian Subcontinent	Pataliputra	00320-01-01-0000320	00550-01-01-0000550	230
Han Dynasty	China	Chang'an, Luoyang, Xuchang	-9794-01-01-0000206 BC	00220-01-01-0000220	426
Empire of Harsha	Northern India	Kannauj	00606-01-01-0000606	00647-01-01-0000647	41	Founded by Harshavardhana, collapsed after his death.
Hephthalite Empire	Afghanistan	Kabul	00420-01-01-0000420	00567-01-01-0000567	147
Hittite Empire	Anatolia	Hattusa	-8540-01-01-00001460 BC	-8820-01-01-00001180 BC	280	See also Neo-Hittite.
Holy Roman Empire	Central Europe	no capital city	00962-01-01-0000962	01806-01-01-00001806	844	Officially known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation* from 1512 on.*
Hotaki Dynasty	Afghanistan	Isfahan	01709-01-01-00001709	01738-01-01-00001738	29
Hoysala Empire	India	Belur, Halebidu	01026-01-01-00001026	01343-01-01-00001343	317
Hunnic Empire	Eurasia	Not specified	00370-01-01-0000370	00469-01-01-0000469	99
Ilkhanate	Persia	Maragheh, Tabriz, Soltaniyeh	01256-01-01-00001256	01335-01-01-00001335	79	Division of the Mongol Empire.
Imperial State of Iran	Persia	Tehran	01925-01-01-00001925	01979-01-01-00001979	54	Was the last Imperial dynasty of Iran.
Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyo)	Andes (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, parts of Chile, Argentina and Colombia)	Cusco	01438-01-01-00001438	01533-01-01-00001533	95	The largest empire in pre-Columbian America.
Italian Colonial Empire	Italy	Rome	01885-01-01-00001885	01943-01-01-00001943	58	See also Imperial Italy (fascist).
Empire of Japan	Japan	Tokyo	01868-01-01-00001868	01947-01-01-00001947	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)	00265-01-01-0000265	00420-01-01-0000420	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	01115-01-01-00001115	01234-01-01-00001234	119	Also known as the Jurchens, were the ancestors of the Manchus who established the Qing Dynasty.
Kanem Empire	Chad	Njimi	00700-01-01-0000700	01387-01-01-00001387	687
Kara-Khanid Khanate	Turkistan	Kashgar	00840-01-01-0000840	01212-01-01-00001212	372	First Turkic dynasty to embrace Islam.
Khazar Khaganate	Pontic steppe, North Caucasus	Balanjar, later Atil	00700-01-01-0000700	01000-01-01-00001000	300	Founded by Western Turks, the members of the royal family embraced Judaism.
Khmer Empire	Cambodia	Hariharalaya (802-889), Angkor (889-1431)	00802-01-01-0000802	01431-01-01-00001431	629	Succeeded from the kingdom of Chenla.
Khilji Dynasty	Afghanistan	Kabul, Delhi	01290-01-01-00001290	01320-01-01-00001320	30
Khwarezmid Dynasty	Persia	Urgench	01077-01-01-00001077	01221-01-01-00001221	144
Korean Empire	Korean Peninsula	Hanseong	01897-01-01-00001897	01910-01-01-00001910	13	Preceded by Joseon Dynasty.
Kushan Empire	Afghanistan	Various, including Mathura, Peshawar, Begram, Taxila	00105-01-01-0000105	00250-01-01-0000250	145
Kushite Empire	Egypt, Nubia	Not specified	-9240-01-01-0000760 BC	-9344-01-01-0000656 BC	104
Latin Empire	Thrace, Asia Minor	Constantinople	01204-01-01-00001204	01261-01-01-00001261	57	See also Latinokratia.
Later Lê dynasty	Vietnam	Thang Long,Hanoi	01428-01-01-00001428	01789-01-01-00001789	361
Liao Dynasty	China	Shangjing	00915-01-01-0000915	01125-01-01-00001125	210
Lodi Sultanate	Afghanistan	Delhi	01451-01-01-00001451	01526-01-01-00001526	75
Macedonian Empire	Macedonian Kingdom	Pella	-9666-01-01-0000334 BC	-9677-01-01-0000323 BC	11	Founded by Alexander the Great.
Majapahit Empire	Malay Archipelago	Majapahit, Wilwatikta	01293-01-01-00001293	01527-01-01-00001527	234
Mali Empire	West Africa	Niani, later Ka-ba	01235-01-01-00001235	01610-01-01-00001610	375	A Mandinka empire founded by Sundiata Keita.
Mamluk Sultanate	Egypt, Syria	Cairo	01250-01-01-00001250	01517-01-01-00001517	267	See also Islamic Empire.
Manchukuo	Manchuria	Hsinking	01932-01-01-00001932	01945-01-01-00001945	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	01674-01-01-00001674	01818-01-01-00001818	144	Founded by Shivaji Maharaj, also known as the Maratha Confederacy.
Mauryan Empire	Ancient India	Pataliputra	-9679-01-01-0000321 BC	-9815-01-01-0000185 BC	136	Founded by Chandragupta Maurya. Ashoka the Great transformed it into the first Buddhist empire.
Median Empire	Persia	Ecbatana	-9375-01-01-0000625 BC	-9451-01-01-0000549 BC	76	First Persian Empire, Founded by Deioces.
First Mexican Empire	Mexico	Mexico City	01821-01-01-00001821	01823-01-01-00001823	2	Preceded the Second Mexican Empire which was short lived (1864–1867). See also Mexican Imperial Orders.
Second Mexican Empire	Mexico	Mexico City	01864-01-01-00001864	01867-01-01-00001867	3	Succeeded the First Mexican Empire which was short lived (1821–1823). See also Mexican Imperial Orders.
Micronesian Empire	Micronesia, Pacific Ocean	Yap	01000-01-01-00001000	01500-01-01-00001500	500	A decentralized chieftainship under the dominant influence of Gachapar village in Yap Island.
Ming Dynasty	China	Nanjing (1368–1421), Beijing (1421–1644)	01368-01-01-00001368	01644-01-01-00001644	276
Mongol Empire	Mongolia	Karakorum	01206-01-01-00001206	01368-01-01-00001368	162	Split into four empires (Yuan Dynasty, Ilkhanate, Chagatai Khanate and Golden Horde).
Mughal Empire	India	Agra, Delhi	01526-01-01-00001526	01858-01-01-00001858	332	Founded by Babur. "Mughal" is a Persian word for the Mongols.
Nanda Empire	Indian Subcontinent	Pataliputra	-9550-01-01-0000450 BC	-9650-01-01-0000350 BC	100	Dravidian Empire.
Neo-Assyrian Empire	Mesopotamia	Assur, later Nineveh	-9066-01-01-0000934 BC	-9391-01-01-0000609 BC	325	See also Assyrian Empire.
Neo-Babylonian Empire	Mesopotamia	Babylon	-9374-01-01-0000626 BC	-9461-01-01-0000539 BC	87	See also Babylonian Empire.
Nguyễn Dynasty	Vietnam	Phú Xuân	01802-01-01-00001802	01945-01-01-00001945	143	Was the last ruling Vietnamese Dynasty.
Empire of Nicaea	Bithynia	Nicaea	01204-01-01-00001204	01261-01-01-00001261	57	Successor state of the Byzantine Empire.
Northern Yuan Dynasty	Mongolia	Shangdu, Yingchang, Karakorum	01368-01-01-00001368	01635-01-01-00001635	267	Created after the expulsion of the Yuan Dynasty from China in 1368.
Omani Empire	Oman	Muscat	01698-01-01-00001698	01958-01-01-00001958	260	See Oman.
Ottoman Empire	Anatolia	Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople	01299-01-01-00001299	01922-01-01-00001922	623	Predecessor of the Republic of Turkey.
Oyo Empire	Southwestern Nigeria	Oyo-Ile	01400-01-01-00001400	01905-01-01-00001905	505
Pala Empire	Bengal, East India	Pataliputra	00750-01-01-0000750	01174-01-01-00001174	424
Palmyrene Empire	Syria	Palmyra	00260-01-01-0000260	00273-01-01-0000273	13	Broke off from the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century.
Pandyan Empire	Southern India	Madurai	-9500-01-01-0000500 BC	01350-01-01-00001350	1850	A Tamil Empire. Considered by contemporary historians as being the richest country in the world.
Parthian Empire	Persia	Various, including Asaak, Hecatompylos, Ecbatana, Ctesiphon, Nisa	-9753-01-01-0000247 BC	00224-01-01-0000224	471	Third Persian Empire, Founded by Arsaces I.\|-
Pontic Empire	Pontus	Amaseia, Sinope	-9880-01-01-0000120 BC	-9953-01-01-000047 BC	73	Mithridates VI had the title: King of Kings.
Portuguese Empire	Portugal	Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro (1815–1821)	01415-01-01-00001415	01999-01-01-00001999	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	-9695-01-01-0000305 BC	-9970-01-01-000030 BC	275	See also Diadochi.
Qajar Dynasty	Persia	Tehran	01794-01-01-00001794	01925-01-01-00001925	131
Qin Dynasty	China	Xianyang	-9779-01-01-0000221 BC	-9794-01-01-0000206 BC	15	First dynasty of the Imperial Period.
Qing Dynasty	China	Shenyang, Beijing	01644-01-01-00001644	01912-01-01-00001912	268	Last dynasty of the Imperial Period.
Rashidun Caliphate	Saudi Arabia	Medina, Kufa	00632-01-01-0000632	00661-01-01-0000661	29	Predecessor of the Umayyad Caliphate, See also Islamic Empire.
Rashtrakuta Dynasty	India	Manyakheta	00753-01-01-0000753	00982-01-01-0000982	229
Roman Empire	Italy	Rome	-9973-01-01-000027 BC	00476-01-01-0000476	503
Rouran Khaganate	Inner China	Not specified	00330-01-01-0000330	00555-01-01-0000555	225
Russian Empire (Romanov)	Russia	Saint Petersburg	01721-01-01-00001721	01917-01-01-00001917	196	Successor state of the Tsardom of Russia.
Safavid Dynasty	Persia	Tabriz, Qazvin, Esfahan	01501-01-01-00001501	01736-01-01-00001736	235
Saffarid Dynasty	Afghanistan	Zaranj	00867-01-01-0000867	01002-01-01-00001002	135
Sassanid Dynasty	Persia	Ctesiphon	00224-01-01-0000224	00651-01-01-0000651	427	Fourth Persian Empire.
Satavahana Dynasty	India	Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh Dharanikota	-9770-01-01-0000230 BC	00220-01-01-0000220	450	An Andhra Dynasty which preceded the Vengi Dynasty of Andhra.
Samanid Dynasty	Persia	Balkh, Bukhara	00819-01-01-0000819	00999-01-01-0000999	180
Scandinavian Empire	Scandinavia	Not specified	01016-01-01-00001016	01035-01-01-00001035	19	See also Viking expansion.
Seleucid Empire	Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria	Seleucia, Antioch	-9688-01-01-0000312 BC	-9937-01-01-000063 BC	249	See also Diadochi.
Serbian Empire	Serbia	Skopje, Prizren	01346-01-01-00001346	01371-01-01-00001371	25	Founded by Stephen Uroš IV (Dušan the Mighty), fell into feudal disarray after his death.
Shu Empire	China	Chengdu	00221-01-01-0000221	00263-01-01-0000263	42	See also Three Kingdoms.
Silla	Korea	Gyeongju	-9943-01-01-000057 BC	00935-01-01-0000935	992
Siam Empire	Thailand	Bangkok	01782-01-01-00001782	01932-01-01-00001932	150
Sikh Empire	Punjab region, India	Amritsar	01733-01-01-00001733	01849-01-01-00001849	116	Preceded the British Empire in the Indian subcontinent.
Song Dynasty	China	Bianjing (960-1127), Lin'an (1127–1279)	00960-01-01-0000960	01279-01-01-00001279	319
Songhai Empire	West Africa	Gao	01340-01-01-00001340	01591-01-01-00001591	251	Former vassal of the Mali Empire which became one of the largest African empires in history.
Spanish Empire	Iberian Peninsula	Madrid	01402-01-01-00001402	01975-01-01-00001975	573	Was founded with the conquer of the Canary Islands. It was one of the first global empires.
Srivijaya Empire	Malay Archipelago	Palembang, Mataram	00683-01-01-0000683	01293-01-01-00001293	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	00581-01-01-0000581	00618-01-01-0000618	37
Sunga Empire	Indian Subcontinent	Pataliputra, Vidisa	-9815-01-01-0000185 BC	-9927-01-01-000073 BC	112	Magadha dynasty that controlled North-central and Eastern India.
Swedish Empire	Scandinavia	Stockholm	01611-01-01-00001611	01718-01-01-00001718	107	See also Swedish overseas colonies.
Tahirid Dynasty	Persia	Nishapur	00821-01-01-0000821	00873-01-01-0000873	52
Tang Dynasty	China	Chang'an (618-904), Luoyang (904-907)	00618-01-01-0000618	00907-01-01-0000907	289	Founded By Li Yuan (aka. Emperor Gaozu of Tang).
Tay Son Dynasty	Vietnam	Phú Xuân	01778-01-01-00001778	01802-01-01-00001802	24
Tibetan Empire	Tibet	Lhasa	00755-01-01-0000755	00870-01-01-0000870	115
Timurid Empire	Persia and Central Asia	Samarkand, Herat	01370-01-01-00001370	01526-01-01-00001526	156	Persianized form of the Mongolian word kürügän, Turko-Mongol Empire.
Tlemcen	Algeria	Tlemcen	01235-01-01-00001235	01556-01-01-00001556	321	Zayyanid dynasty
Empire of Trebizond	Black Sea	Trebizond	01204-01-01-00001204	01461-01-01-00001461	257	Successor state of the Byzantine Empire.
Toltec Empire	Mesoamerica	Tollan-Xicocotitlan	00496-01-01-0000496	01122-01-01-00001122	626
Tu'i Tonga Empire	Tonga, Pacific Ocean	Mu'a	00900-01-01-0000900	01700-01-01-00001700	800	See History of Tonga.
Turgesh Khaganate	Turkistan	Balasagun	00699-01-01-0000699	00766-01-01-0000766	67	Founded as a successor of West Turkish empire.
Umayyad Caliphate	Syria	Damascus, Córdoba (Capital-in-exile)	00661-01-01-0000661	00750-01-01-0000750	89	Successor of the Rashidun Caliphate, See also Islamic Empire.
Uyunid dynasty	Arabian	Al-Hasa, Qatif	01076-01-01-00001076	01253-01-01-00001253	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	00742-01-01-0000742	00848-01-01-0000848	106	742-848 Founded as a successor of Göktürk Khaganate, 848-1036 Gansu state, 856-1209 Turfan state.
Vijayanagara Empire	South India	Vijayanagara	01336-01-01-00001336	01646-01-01-00001646	310	The founding of the original kingdom was based on the principality of Anegondi.
Wari Empire	Peru, Bolivia	Huari/Tiwanaku	00500-01-01-0000500	01100-01-01-00001100	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	00220-01-01-0000220	00265-01-01-0000265	45	See also Three Kingdoms.
Western Chalukya Empire	South India	Manyakheta, Basavakalyan	00973-01-01-0000973	01189-01-01-00001189	216
Western Roman Empire	Italy	Mediolanum, Ravenna	00395-01-01-0000395	00476-01-01-0000476	81	The western half of the Roman Empire.
Eastern Wu	China	Wuchang, Jianye	00229-01-01-0000229	00280-01-01-0000280	51	See also Three Kingdoms.
Western Xia Dynasty	China	Xingqing	01038-01-01-00001038	01227-01-01-00001227	189	Also called the Tangut Dynasty.
Xin Dynasty	China	Chang'an	00009-01-01-00009	00023-01-01-000023	14	The Xin Dynasty had only one ruling Emperor.
Yuan Dynasty	China, Mongolia	Dadu	01271-01-01-00001271	01368-01-01-00001368	97	Division of the Mongol Empire. The Yuan emperors had nominal supremacy over western khanates.
Zand Dynasty	Persia	Shiraz	01750-01-01-00001750	01794-01-01-00001794	44
Zulu Empire	South Africa	KwaBulawayo, Ulundi	01818-01-01-00001818	01897-01-01-00001897	79

Possible 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.	01776-01-01-00001776	Present	238–239 and counting	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 in the world. The term "American Empire" is usually used by critics of the United States.
Athenian Empire (Delian League)	Ancient Greece	Delos island	-9522-01-01-0000478 BC	-9596-01-01-0000404 BC	74	Also known as Delian League. It was an association of Greek city-states.
Second Athenian Empire	Ancient Greece	Athens	-9622-01-01-0000378 BC	-9645-01-01-0000355 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	01976-01-01-00001976	01979-01-01-00001979	3	President Jean-Bédel Bokassa declared himself Emperor Bokassa I.
Empire of China	China	Beijing	01915-01-01-00001915	01916-01-01-00001916	1	Was a short-lived attempt by Yuan Shikai to reinstate the Imperial Monarchy.
First Empire of Haiti	North America	Port-au-Prince	01804-01-01-00001804	01806-01-01-00001806	2	First Haitian Empire, Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared himself Emperor Jacques I.
Second Empire of Haiti	North America	Port-au-Prince	01849-01-01-00001849	01859-01-01-00001859	10	Second Haitian Empire, Faustin Soulouque is proclaimed Emperor Faustin I.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania	Lithuania	Vilnius	01200-01-01-00001200	01569-01-01-00001569	369	Was the largest state in Europe in the 15th century.
Mayan Empire	Central America	Not specified	00250-01-01-0000250	00900-01-01-0000900	650
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth	Poland, Lithuania	Warsaw	01569-01-01-00001569	01795-01-01-00001795	226	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]
Soviet Empire	Soviet Union	Moscow	01940-01-01-00001940	01989-01-01-00001989	49	Not a single state or entity, but rather a sphere of influence under the command of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union claimed to be Anti-Imperialist, and the term "Soviet Empire" is only used by its critics, however Maoists argue that the Soviet Union was a social imperialist power.
Ur III Empire	Sumer	Ur	-7900-01-01-00002100 BC	-8000-01-01-00002000 BC	100	The dynasty/empire is also known as the Sumerian Renaissance.
Empire of Vietnam	Vietnam	Huế	01945-01-01-00001945	01945-01-01-00001945	0.45	Was a short-lived Puppet state of the Japanese Empire, from March 11 - August 23.

References

↑ "Chronological table 5 1 December 1946 - 23 June 1947". National Diet Library. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
↑ Norman Davies, Europe: A History, Pimlico 1997, p. 554: 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
↑ Piotr Stefan Wandycz (2001). The price of freedom: a history of East Central Europe from the Middle Ages to the present. Psychology Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-415-25491-5. Retrieved 13 August 2011.

Empires

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

Medieval	Byzantine Nicaea Trebizond Hunnic Arab Rashidun Umayyad Abbasid Fatimid Córdoban Ayyubid Moroccan Idrisid Almoravid Almohad Marinid Iranian Tahirid Samanid Buyid Sallarid Ziyarid Turko-Persian Ghaznavid Great Seljuq 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 Bruneian Ethiopian Zagwe Solomonic Tibetan

Modern	Tongan Ashanti Indian Maratha Sikh Mughal British Raj Chinese Ming Qing Yuan Shikai Turkish Ottoman 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 Portuguese Spanish Swedish

Lists	Empires largest Pre-modern great powers

External links

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

List of empires

Empires and dynasties

Possible empires

See also

References

External links