Colonial empire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A colonial empire is a collective of territories (often called colonies), either contiguous with the imperial center or located overseas, settled by the population of a certain state and governed by that state.

Before the expansion of early modern European powers, other empires had conquered and colonized territories, such as the Romans in Iberia, or the Chinese in what is now southern China. Modern colonial empires first emerged with a race of exploration between the then most advanced European maritime powers, Portugal and Spain, during the 15th century.[1] The initial impulse behind these dispersed maritime empires and those that followed was trade, driven by the new ideas and the capitalism that grew out of the European Renaissance. Agreements were also made to divide the world up between them in 1479, 1493, and 1494. European imperialism was born out of competition between European Christians and Ottoman Muslims, the latter of which rose up quickly in the 14th century and forced the Spanish and Portuguese to seek new trade routes to India, and to a lesser extent, China.

Although colonies existed in classical antiquity, especially amongst the Phoenicians and the Ancient Greeks who settled many islands and coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, these colonies were politically independent from the city-states they originated from, and thus did not constitute a colonial empire.[2] This paradigm shifted by the time of the Ptolemaic Empire, the Seleucid Empire, and the Roman Empire.

History[]

European colonial empires[]

Portugal began establishing the first global trade network and one of the first colonial empires[3][4] under the leadership of Henry the Navigator. The empire spread throughout a vast number of territories distributed across the globe (especially at one time in the 16th century) that are now parts of 60 different sovereign states. Portugal would eventually control Brazil, territories such as what is now Uruguay and some fishing ports in north, in the Americas; Angola, Mozambique, Portuguese Guinea, and São Tomé and Príncipe (among other territories and bases) in the North and the Subsaharan Africa; cities, forts or territories in all the Asian Subcontinents, as Muscat, Ormus and Bahrain (amongst other bases) in the Persian Gulf; Goa, Bombay and Daman and Diu (amongst other coastal cities) in India; Portuguese Ceylon; Malacca, bases in Southeast Asia and Oceania, as Makassar, Solor, Banda, Ambon and others in the Moluccas, Portuguese Timor; and the granted entrepôt-base of Macau and the entrepôt-enclave of Dejima (Nagasaki) in East Asia, amongst other smaller or short-lived possessions.

The territorial evolution of modern colonial empires and some of their successor states (such as USSR, Turkey)

During its Siglo de Oro, the Spanish Empire had possession of Mexico, South America, the Philippines, all of southern Italy, a stretch of territories from the Duchy of Milan to the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium, parts of Burgundy, and many colonial settlements in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Possessions in Europe, Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, the Americas, the Pacific Ocean, and East Asia qualified the Spanish Empire as attaining a global presence. From 1580 to 1640 the Portuguese Empire and the Spanish Empire were conjoined in a personal union of its Habsburg monarchs during the period of the Iberian Union, but beneath the highest level of government, their separate administrations were maintained.

Subsequent colonial empires included the French, English, Dutch and Japanese empires. By the mid-17th century, the Tsardom of Russia, continued later as the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, became the largest contiguous state in the world, and the modern Russian Federation continues to be so to this day. Russia today has nine time zones, stretching across about half of the world's longitude.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th century, by virtue of its technological and maritime supremacy, the British Empire steadily expanded to become by far the largest empire in history; at its height ruling over a quarter of the Earth’s land area and 24% of the population. Britain’s role as a global hegemon during this time ushered in a century of “British Peace”, lasting from the end of the Napoleonic Wars to the start of WW1. During the New Imperialism, Italy and Germany also built their colonial empires in Africa.

It is worth noting that, from the 16th to 19th century, there were also large non-European empires, most notably the Qing Empire of China, which conquered a huge area of East and Inner Asia, and the states of the Age of the Islamic Gunpowders, Mughal India, the Ottoman Empire in Asia Minor and Southwest Europe, and Safavid Iran. The British replaced the Mughals in India, and after the Boxer Rebellion in 1901, Imperial China made concessions to the Eight-Nation Alliance (all the Great Powers of the time). By the end of the 20th century most of the previous colonial empires had been decolonized, though the modern nation-states of Russia and China inherited much of the territory of the Romanov and Qing empires, respectively.

Timeline[]

The chart below[original research?] shows the span of some European colonial empires.

  • Black lines mark the year of the empires largest territorial extent of land area.
  • Red represents that the empire is at that time a monarchy.
  • Blue represents that the empire is at that time a republic.

List of colonial empires[]

Further information: United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories and Dependent territory

European:

  • Belgium Belgian Empire (1908–1962)


  • British Empire British Empire (1707–1997/present)
    • Evolution of the British Empire
    • Possessions in Europe
    • Possessions in Africa
      • Flag of British Somaliland (1952–1960).svg British Somaliland (1884–1960)
      • British Egypt (1914–1936)
      • Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (1899–1956)
      • Flag of Kenya (1895–1921).svg East Africa Protectorate (1895–1920)
      • Flag of Kenya (1921–1963).svg Kenya Colony (1920–1963)
      • Flag of the Uganda Protectorate.svg Uganda Protectorate (1894–1962)
      • Flag of Tanganyika (1923–1961).svg Tanganyika (territory) (1922–1961)
      • Flag of Nyasaland (1925–1964).svg Protectorate of Nyasaland (1893–1964)
      • Flag of Northern Rhodesia (1939–1964).svg Protectorate of Northern Rhodesia (1924–1964)
      • Flag of Southern Rhodesia (1924–1964).svg Colony of Southern Rhodesia (1923–1965), (1979–1980)
      • Bechuanaland Protectorate (1885-1966)
      • Flag of Nigeria (1914–1952).svg British Nigeria (1914–1954)
      • Flag of the Gold Coast (1877–1957).svg British Gold Coast (1867–1957)
      • Flag of Sierra Leone (1916–1961).svg British Sierra Leone (1808–1961)
      • Flag of The Gambia (1889–1965).svg British Gambia (1821–1965)
    • Possessions in the Americas
      • United States Thirteen Colonies
      • British West Indies
        • Bahamas
        • Barbados
        • Bermuda
        • Flag of Leeward Islands (1871–1956).svg British Leeward Islands (1671–1816),(1833–1958)
        • Flag of the British Windward Islands (1903-1953).svg British Windward Islands (1833–1960)
        • Cayman Islands
        • Flag of Jamaica (1957–1962).svg Colony of Jamaica (1655–1962)
        • Trinidad and Tobago
        • Turks and Caicos Islands
      • Flag of British Honduras (1870–1919).svg British Honduras (1862–1981)
      • Flag of British Guiana (1955–1966).svg British Guiana (1814–1966)
      • Flag of the Mosquito Coast 1834-1860.svg Mosquito Coast (1638-1860)
    • Possessions in the Indian subcontinent
      • Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg East India Company (1757-1858) and British Raj Red Ensign.svg British Raj (1858-1947)
      • Flag of Nepal (19th century).svg Kingdom of Nepal, protectorate (1816-1923)
      • Flag of Bhutan (1949-1956).svg Kingdom of Bhutan, protectorate (1865-1947)
      • Flag of Afghanistan (1901–1919).svg Emirate of Afghanistan, protectorate (1879-1919)
    • Possessions in China
      • Flag of Hong Kong (1959-1997).svg British Hong Kong (1841–1997)
      • British Weihaiwei flag.svg British Weihaiwei (1898–1930)British Concession in Tienstin (1860–1943)
    • Possessions in the Middle East
      • Flag of the Trucial States.svg Trucial States (1820–1971)
      • British Bahrain
      • British Qatar (1916–1971)
      • British Iraq (1920–1932)
      • Emirate of Transjordan (1921–1946)
      • Mandatory Palestine (1920–1948)
      • Sheikhdom of Kuwait (1899–1961)
      • Aden Protectorate (1872–1963)
      • Flag of Muscat.svg Muscat and Oman (1892-1970)
    • Possessions in Southeast Asia
    • Dominions of the United Kingdom
      • Canada Canada
      • Dominion of Newfoundland Dominion of Newfoundland
      • Australia States and territories of Australia (1901–present)
        • The Australia, itself a colony that gradually increased its independence in 1901, 1942 and 1986, was tasked with the government of multiple other British colonies and territories and the mandates of New Guinea and Nauru
      • New Zealand Realm of New Zealand (1907–present)
        • The New Zealand, itself a colony that gradually increased its independence in 1907, 1947 and 1986, was tasked with the government of multiple other British colonies and territories and the mandate of Samoa. It was also nominal co-trustee of the mandate of Nauru. The remaining non-self-governing New Zealand territory is Tokelau.
      • Union of South Africa Mandates under South African administration (1915–1990)
        • The South-West Africa mandate was governed by the Union Of South Africa, that itself a colony that gradually increased its independence in 1910, 1931 and 1961.


  • Netherlands Dutch Empire (1602–1975/Present)
    • Dutch colonization of the Americas. Flag of the Dutch West India Company.svg Dutch West India Company
      • Statenvlag.svgNew Netherland
      • Flag of Dutch Guyana.svgDutch Guyana/Surinam
      • Flag of New Holland.svg Dutch Brazil
      • Flag of the Netherlands Antilles (1986–2010).svg Dutch Caribbean
    • Flag of the Dutch East India Company.svg Dutch East India Company
      • Dutch India
      • Dutch East Indies
        • Morning Star flag.svg Netherlands New Guinea
      • Flag of the Dutch East India Company.svgDutch Cape Colony (1652–1806)
      • Flag of the Dutch East India Company.svgDutch Formosa (1624–1662)


  • Kingdom of England English colonial empire (1585–1707)



  • German Empire German Empire (1884–1920)
    • Reichskolonialflagge.svg Kamerun (1884–1918)
    • Reichskolonialflagge.svg Togoland (1884–1916)
    • Reichskolonialflagge.svg German South West Africa (1884–1919)
    • Reichskolonialflagge.svg German New Guinea (1884–1919)
    • Reichskolonialflagge.svg German East Africa (1885–1919)
    • Reichskolonialflagge.svg German Samoa (1900–1920)
    • German Concession in Tientsin
    • German Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory
    • German tsingtao






Asian:

  • Empire of Japan Japanese Empire (1868–1945)
    Main article: List of territories occupied by Imperial Japan
    • Hokkaido Ezo as Hokkaido (1869-present)
    • Okinawa Prefecture Ryukyu as Okinawa Prefecture (1879-1945 & 1972-present)[7]
    • Seal of the Government-General of Taiwan.svg Taiwan (1895–1945)
    • Emblem of Karafuto Prefecture.svg Karafuto Prefecture (1905–1949)
    • Seal of the Government-General of Korea.svg Korea (1910–1945)
    • Emblem of the South Pacific Mandate.svg South Seas Mandate (1919–1947)
    • Emblem of the Emperor of Manchukuo.svg Manchukuo (1932–1945)
    • Empire of Japan Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (1932–1945)


Other countries with colonial possessions:

  •  Sikh Empire (1799-1849)
    •  Jammu and Kashmir (princely state) (1819-1846)
    •  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1834- 1849)

Maps[]

European:

  • Belgian Empire

  • British Empire

  • Danish Empire

  • Dutch Empire

  • English Empire

  • French Empire

  • German Empire

  • Italian Empire

  • Portuguese Empire

  • Russian Empire

  • Spanish Empire

  • Swedish Empire

Asian:

  • Japanese Empire

  • Ottoman Empire

Other countries with colonial possessions:

  • Directly controlled territory of the United States at its greatest extent (1898–1902)

  • Norwegian Realm

  • Austro-Hungarian colonies and concessions throughout history

  • German colonial efforts

  • Chola Empire

  • Duchy of Courland and Semigallia

  • Couronian settlements in Africa

  • Map of the Hospitaller order's territories in the Caribbean

  • Couronian settlements in Americas (New Courland on Tobago)

  • The Crown of Aragon

  • Map of Morocco and Western Sahara with the Southern Provinces in a darker color.

See also[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ^ Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "kolonie [geschiedenis]. §1.2 De moderne koloniale expansie". Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum.
  2. ^ Encarta, s.v. "kolonie [geschiedenis]. §1.1 Oudheid.
  3. ^ William D. Phillips, Jr; Phillips, Carla Rahn (November 12, 2015). "Spain as the first global empire". A Concise History of Spain.
  4. ^ Powell, Philip Wayne ([1991?]). Árbol de odio: la leyenda negra y sus consecuencias en las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y el mundo hispánico. Ediciones Iris de Paz. ISBN 9788440488855. OCLC 55157841
  5. ^ part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain before 1821.
  6. ^ .part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata before 1810.
  7. ^ Gregory Smits (1999). Visions of Ryukyu: Early-Modern Thought and Politics. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 143–149·
  8. ^ a b Part of the Holy Roman Empire realm before 1804.
  9. ^ part of the Holy Roman Empire before 1736
  10. ^ The dependencies of Norway are uninhabited, thus as end date is taken the latest date of full Norwegian sovereignty extension to such territory, instead of the date of decolonization or integration in the administrative structures of the mainland. Bouvet Island claimed in 1927, under Norway sovereignty since 1930.
    Peter I Island claimed in 1929, under Norway sovereignty since 1933.
    Queen Maud Land claimed in 1938, under Norway sovereignty since 1957.
    Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land fall under the scope of the Antarctic Treaty System since 1961.

External links[]

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