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The world has seen the uprise and downfall of several empires in history. Although in current times, empires like the Han Dynasty do not exist, they have left their impressions on the areas they have ruled for years. So, what exactly is an empire? Let us try and understand the term. An “Empire” used to be a political system in which one state ruled or dominated over other states in a particular region. Often the empire was ruled over by an emperor or a queen. The ruling state influenced regions within their control politically, economically, and culturally to some extent.
Han Dynasty
Founded by Liu Bang, the Han dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China. It ruled over the region for a long period of four centuries. The entire period of the Han dynasty is known as the Golden Age in the history of China. The dynasty played a huge role in influencing Chinese civilisation during its reign. There was substantial growth in the economy of the region during this period. As of now, the vast group of people in China call themselves the “Han People”. Their spoken language is also known as the “Han language”. The Han dynasty was an empire that lasted for the longest duration of time in the region.
Umayyad Caliphate
Umayyad Caliphate, or the Umayyad dynasty, came into being after the death of Muhammad ibn Abdullah, an Arab leader who was the founder of Islam. Mu’awiya established it. The term “caliph” refers to a public office that rules a region under Islamic rule. Syria was the place from where the dynasty carried out its operations. During the period of the fifth ruler named Abd al-Malik, the empire saw immense development. He declared Arabic the official language and formed the Arabic coinage used within the dynasty. The dynasty also expanded rapidly from Spain to India, leaving its mark on the regions.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire was spread across a vast region, including North Africa, the Middle East, and south-eastern Europe. The empire came into being at the end of the 13th century. Ertugrul was the father of a prince named Osman I, and he had set up his base in a place called Sogut in Turkey.
Along with his soldiers, the prince took advantage of the already weakened Seljuq dynasty and conquered the region. In the late 16th century, the Ottoman dynasty started witnessing its decline and ultimately ceased to exist after World War I. The empire was known as the “Sick Man of Europe” around 1914 to indicate that a once-powerful empire was now in a state of decline.
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire was an ancient empire in Asia. It was founded by Genghis Khan, one of the most influential leaders of those times, in 1206 CE. It continued to expand between the 13th and 14th centuries. The empire began establishing itself on Central Asia’s Steppe and spread quickly from the Pacific Ocean to the Persian Gulf. Genghis Khan had a lot of military achievements under his belt. He won over his enemies by using superior tactics and not just by the number of people in his army.
British Empire
The British Empire continued for over three centuries starting in 1601 and ending in 1997. It was a large group of regions dependent on the British and under the control of the crown of Great Britain. At one point, the British Empire ruled over almost a quarter of the earth and its population. The British Empire’s last region controlled was Hong Kong until 1997, which was then returned to the Chinese authority. Today, the empire does not exist, but the Commonwealth is a group of states, including the United Kingdom, that still recognises the British empress as a symbolic head of the organisation.
Conclusion
The world’s biggest empires, like the British Empire, the Han Dynasty, etc., not only influenced the regions under their control but also greatly impacted trade across the globe. Though global trade has become efficient nowadays, empires very well knew how to utilise their resources to carry out global trade. Empires that had the greatest impact on international trades in olden times were the Roman Empire, the Mongolian Empire, and the British Empire. Empires may be a thing of the past, but their mark has been ingrained in the world’s history, which will help future generations learn about them.
