many empires have risen and fallen
through the ages of history welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 world
empires number 10 the Mayan Empire
surviving from roughly 2000 BC to the
1500s AD the Mayans are arguably one of
the world’s longest-running empires
extending through Mexico Guatemala
Honduras El Salvador and Belize this may
so American civilization was famous for
its art and architecture advances in
writing and mathematics the calendar and
of course their end of the world
prophecies so what was it that finally
caused the downfall of this mysterious
empire war with Spanish conquistadors
number 9 the Ching dynasty in one last
Imperial hurrah before China became a
republic the Ching dynasty ruled a huge
area that stretched from China into
Russia governed by the foreign Manchu
tribe China during this period was
blessed with fortune and peace in part
because of its impressive military
strength however struggles against
Western influence the opium wars and
finally the shin-hye Revolution saw the
Manchus overthrown and the Ching dynasty
ended number 8 the Byzantine Empire in
395 ad the Roman Empire split while the
western half officially fell in 476 ad
the eastern half kept on truckin not
only that the primarily greek-speaking
Byzantine Empire thrived becoming one of
Europe’s strongest forces economically
culturally and militarily lasting over
1,000 years it was also one of history’s
greatest Christian states again and
again its borders were defended against
Muslim invaders until in 1453 the
capital of Constantinople fell number 7
the Achaemenid Empire
some remember them from the film 300 but
history tells a different tale
better known as the Persian Empire this
civilization was founded in the 6th
century BC by Cyrus the Great
aside from instituting a centralized
administrative structure the Persians
were fierce and feared warriors
extending through Western and Central
Asia the Achaemenids became the largest
empire to that point with almost half
the world’s population living under
their banner number six the Egyptian
Empire with Pharaohs ruling as both
kings and gods the Egyptian Empire
became one of the world’s most famous
lasting from the 16th to the 11th
century BC the New Kingdom of Egypt was
the height of this civilizations power
but it’s significance didn’t end there
mummies pyramids hieroglyphics and
papyrus are some of the famous heirlooms
we’ve inherited from this rich culture
while irrigation ships and even beer are
also lasting gifts number 5 the Ottoman
Empire though it lasted from $12.99
until after World War 1 the Ottoman
Empire was at its height during the 16th
century under Suleiman the Magnificent
reaching from Southeast Europe to
Western Asia and North Africa this
strong Islamic state controlled trade
through the region and while its
multiculturalism is celebrated ethnic
and religious tensions eventually tore
the Turkish Empire apart from the inside
while rival nations dismantled it from
the outside number for the Macedonian
Empire Alexander the Great is a famous
Conqueror for a reason while he lived
only until age 33 he amassed one of the
world’s largest empires comprising the
Persian Empire Egypt and much more from
the tiny state of Macedon he took the
throne at age 20 and continued
overpowering enemies until he died
undefeated however his premature death
left his heirs fighting and the Empire
he built soon collapsed number three the
Mongol Empire
this was the world’s largest contiguous
Empire thanks to one of history’s most
feared men Genghis Khan took power in
1206 and under his rule the Mongol and
turkic tribes merged within a century
his empires brutal tactics won them
upwards of 12 million square miles of
land Khan’s heirs continued this work
after his death however the Empire’s
sheer size worked against them without
the unity of their people it disbanded
number 2 the British Empire called the
empire on which the Sun never sets this
was the world largest empire at its peak
and a primary global power controlling
about one-fifth of the global population
after building influence in the 16th
century it peaked in 1922 however two
world wars depleted its resources and
the British Empire soon dissolved even
so it’s legacy endures as English is now
the world’s most widely spoken language
number one the roman empire known for
prosperity and peace this european
civilization impacted art architecture
language religion politics and more
though it was officially founded by
augustus in the 1st century bc perpetual
dictator Julius Caesar greatly aided the
transition from Republic to Empire but
it’s staggering size eventually made the
Empire weak against enemies and in 476
ad the western half collapsed while the
eastern half lasted until the fall of
Constantinople in 1453 do you agree with
our list where do you think the American
Empire stacks up next to these four more
top tens like this one be sure to
subscribe to watchmojo.com
you
through the ages of history welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 world
empires number 10 the Mayan Empire
surviving from roughly 2000 BC to the
1500s AD the Mayans are arguably one of
the world’s longest-running empires
extending through Mexico Guatemala
Honduras El Salvador and Belize this may
so American civilization was famous for
its art and architecture advances in
writing and mathematics the calendar and
of course their end of the world
prophecies so what was it that finally
caused the downfall of this mysterious
empire war with Spanish conquistadors
number 9 the Ching dynasty in one last
Imperial hurrah before China became a
republic the Ching dynasty ruled a huge
area that stretched from China into
Russia governed by the foreign Manchu
tribe China during this period was
blessed with fortune and peace in part
because of its impressive military
strength however struggles against
Western influence the opium wars and
finally the shin-hye Revolution saw the
Manchus overthrown and the Ching dynasty
ended number 8 the Byzantine Empire in
395 ad the Roman Empire split while the
western half officially fell in 476 ad
the eastern half kept on truckin not
only that the primarily greek-speaking
Byzantine Empire thrived becoming one of
Europe’s strongest forces economically
culturally and militarily lasting over
1,000 years it was also one of history’s
greatest Christian states again and
again its borders were defended against
Muslim invaders until in 1453 the
capital of Constantinople fell number 7
the Achaemenid Empire
some remember them from the film 300 but
history tells a different tale
better known as the Persian Empire this
civilization was founded in the 6th
century BC by Cyrus the Great
aside from instituting a centralized
administrative structure the Persians
were fierce and feared warriors
extending through Western and Central
Asia the Achaemenids became the largest
empire to that point with almost half
the world’s population living under
their banner number six the Egyptian
Empire with Pharaohs ruling as both
kings and gods the Egyptian Empire
became one of the world’s most famous
lasting from the 16th to the 11th
century BC the New Kingdom of Egypt was
the height of this civilizations power
but it’s significance didn’t end there
mummies pyramids hieroglyphics and
papyrus are some of the famous heirlooms
we’ve inherited from this rich culture
while irrigation ships and even beer are
also lasting gifts number 5 the Ottoman
Empire though it lasted from $12.99
until after World War 1 the Ottoman
Empire was at its height during the 16th
century under Suleiman the Magnificent
reaching from Southeast Europe to
Western Asia and North Africa this
strong Islamic state controlled trade
through the region and while its
multiculturalism is celebrated ethnic
and religious tensions eventually tore
the Turkish Empire apart from the inside
while rival nations dismantled it from
the outside number for the Macedonian
Empire Alexander the Great is a famous
Conqueror for a reason while he lived
only until age 33 he amassed one of the
world’s largest empires comprising the
Persian Empire Egypt and much more from
the tiny state of Macedon he took the
throne at age 20 and continued
overpowering enemies until he died
undefeated however his premature death
left his heirs fighting and the Empire
he built soon collapsed number three the
Mongol Empire
this was the world’s largest contiguous
Empire thanks to one of history’s most
feared men Genghis Khan took power in
1206 and under his rule the Mongol and
turkic tribes merged within a century
his empires brutal tactics won them
upwards of 12 million square miles of
land Khan’s heirs continued this work
after his death however the Empire’s
sheer size worked against them without
the unity of their people it disbanded
number 2 the British Empire called the
empire on which the Sun never sets this
was the world largest empire at its peak
and a primary global power controlling
about one-fifth of the global population
after building influence in the 16th
century it peaked in 1922 however two
world wars depleted its resources and
the British Empire soon dissolved even
so it’s legacy endures as English is now
the world’s most widely spoken language
number one the roman empire known for
prosperity and peace this european
civilization impacted art architecture
language religion politics and more
though it was officially founded by
augustus in the 1st century bc perpetual
dictator Julius Caesar greatly aided the
transition from Republic to Empire but
it’s staggering size eventually made the
Empire weak against enemies and in 476
ad the western half collapsed while the
eastern half lasted until the fall of
Constantinople in 1453 do you agree with
our list where do you think the American
Empire stacks up next to these four more
top tens like this one be sure to
subscribe to watchmojo.com
you
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