Civilization · c. 1583 – 1997
British Empire
The largest empire in world history.
Capital: London · Western Europe
Overview
At its 1920s peak the British Empire governed a quarter of the world's population across every inhabited continent. Industrial revolution, global trade and settler colonialism shaped its unique reach.
Timeline
- 1583Newfoundland claimed
- 1707Union of Scotland and England
- 1858British Raj established over India
- 1919Empire at greatest extent
- 1947 – 1997Decolonization; handover of Hong Kong
Rulers
Empress of India from 1876
WWI-era monarch
Wars & conflicts
- Seven Years' War
- Napoleonic Wars
- Boer Wars
- World Wars
Architecture
Victorian public works, Indian Raj hybrid Indo-Saracenic, colonial railway stations.
Religion
Anglicanism spread through the empire; wide religious plurality tolerated.
Economy
Industrial goods for raw materials; sterling as world reserve currency.
Technology
Steam navigation and railways, telegraph, industrial machinery.
Art
Victorian literature, Pre-Raphaelites, Anglo-Indian architecture.
Influence
English became the world's most widely spoken second language; Commonwealth persists.
Decline
Two world wars, colonial independence movements, US supersession.
Key sites
- Palace of Westminster
- Victoria Memorial (Kolkata)
- Cape Town Company Gardens