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The British Empire Portal
TheBritish Empire comprised thedominions,colonies,protectorates,mandates, and otherterritories ruled or administered by theUnited Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with theoverseas possessions andtrading posts established byEngland in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, andcolonisation attempts byScotland during the 17th century. At its height in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it became thelargest empire in history and, for a century, was the foremostglobal power. By 1913, the British Empire held sway over 412 million people,23 percent of the world population at the time, and by 1920, it covered 35.5 million km2 (13.7 million sq mi),24 per cent of the Earth's total land area. As a result,its constitutional,legal,linguistic, andcultural legacy is widespread. At the peak of its power, it was described as "the empire on which the sun never sets", as the sun was always shining on at least one of its territories. During theAge of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries,Portugal andSpain pioneered European exploration of the world, and in the process established large overseas empires. Motivated by the great wealth these empires generated,England,France, and theNetherlands began to establish colonies and trade networks of their own in theAmericas andAsia. A series of wars in the 17th and 18th centuries with the Netherlands and France leftBritain the dominantcolonial power inNorth America. Britain became a major power in theIndian subcontinent after theEast India Company'sconquest ofMughal Bengal at theBattle of Plassey in 1757. TheAmerican War of Independence resulted in Britain losing some of its oldest and most populous colonies in North America by 1783. While retaining control ofBritish North America (nowCanada) and territories in and near theCaribbean in theBritish West Indies, British colonial expansion turned towards Asia,Africa, and thePacific. After the defeat of France in theNapoleonic Wars (1803–1815), Britain emerged as the principalnaval and imperial power of the 19th century and expanded its imperial holdings. It pursued trade concessions in China and Japan, and territory inSoutheast Asia. TheGreat Game andScramble for Africa also ensued. The period of relative peace (1815–1914) during which the British Empire became the globalhegemon was later described asPax Britannica (Latin for "British Peace"). Alongside the formal control that Britain exerted over its colonies, its dominance of much of world trade, and of its oceans, meant that it effectivelycontrolled the economies of, and readily enforced its interests in, many regions, such as Asia andLatin America. It also came to dominate theMiddle East. Increasing degrees of autonomy were granted to its whitesettler colonies, some of which were formally reclassified asDominions by the 1920s. By the start of the 20th century,Germany and theUnited States had begun to challenge Britain's economic lead. Military, economic and colonial tensions between Britain and Germany were major causes of theFirst World War, during which Britain relied heavily on its empire. The conflict placed enormous strain on its military, financial, and manpower resources. Although the empire achieved its largest territorial extent immediately after theFirst World War, Britain was no longer the world's preeminent industrial or military power. In theSecond World War, Britain's colonies inEast Asia andSoutheast Asia were occupied by theEmpire of Japan. Despite the final victory of Britain andits allies, the damage to British prestige and theBritish economy helped accelerate the decline of the empire.India, Britain's most valuable and populous possession, achievedindependence in 1947 as part of a largerdecolonisation movement, in which Britain granted independence to most territories of the empire. TheSuez Crisis of 1956 confirmed Britain's decline as a global power, and thehandover of Hong Kong to China on 1 July 1997 symbolised for many the end of the British Empire, though fourteenoverseas territories that are remnants of the empire remain underBritish sovereignty. After independence, many former British colonies, along with most of the dominions, joined theCommonwealth of Nations, a free association of independent states. Fifteen of these, including the United Kingdom,retain the same person as monarch, currentlyKing Charles III. (Full article...)Selected article -show anotherThe phrase "the empire on which the sun never sets" has been used to describeBritish Empire due to it being so territorially extensive that it seemed as though it was always daytime in at least one part of their territories. The term was first used for theSpanish Empire underPhilip II and his successors, when it reached a global territorial size, particularly in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.. (Full article...) Selected image
A 1900 print depicting a battle between allied British and Japanese troops against Chinese combatants at Beijing Castle during theBoxer Rebellion. Did you know
Related portalsCommonwealth Realm Other former British territories Selected biography -show another Risley Sir Herbert Hope RisleyKCIE CSI FRAI (4 January 1851 – 30 September 1911) was a Britishethnographer and colonial administrator, a member of theIndian Civil Service who conducted extensive studies on thetribes andcastes of theBengal Presidency. He is notable for the formal identification of the centuries old establishedcaste system of the entireHindu population ofBritish India in the 1901census, of which he was in charge. As an exponent ofscientific racism, he usedanthropometric data to divide Indians into seven races. Risley was born inBuckinghamshire, England, in 1851 and attendedNew College, Oxford University prior to joining theIndian Civil Service (ICS). He was initially posted to Bengal, where his professional duties engaged him in statistical and ethnographic research, and he soon developed an interest inanthropology. His decision to indulge these interests curtailed his initial rapid advancement through the ranks of the Service, although he was later appointedCensus Commissioner and, shortly before his death in 1911, becamePermanent Secretary at theIndia Office in London. In the intervening years he compiled various studies of Indian communities based on ideas that are now considered to constitutescientific racism. He emphasised the value of fieldwork and anthropometric studies, in contrast to the reliance on old texts and folklore that had historically been the methodology ofIndologists and which was still a significant approach in his lifetime. (Full article...) Evolution of the British Empire This Map of the world animates the Empire's rise and fall. Subcategories Select [►] to view subcategories WikiProjectsBritish Empire and Commonwealth of NationsLegend Current territory · Former territory
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