By Tim Lambert
Empires in the Ancient World
C. 2,350-2,150 BC The Akkadian Empire exists in what is now Iraq
C. 1,600 BC The Hittite empire arises in what is now Turkey
C. 1,200 BC The Hittite Empire in Turkey collapses
C. 880 BC The Assyrians of Northern Iraq begin to create a great empire
C. 750 BC Rome is founded
The Assyrian Empire is at its peak
620s BC The Assyrian Empire is split by civil war
612 BC A rebellion led by Babylon brings the Assyrian Empire to an end. The Babylonians then create their own empire.
559-529 BC Cyrus the Great founder of the Persian Empire reigns
546 BC Cyrus conquers Lydia in Asia Minor
539 BC Babylon is captured by the Persians
525 BC The Persians conquer Egypt
490 BC The Greeks defeat the Persians at the Battle of Marathon
480 BC The Greeks defeat another Persian invasion
C. 480 BC The Phoenicians found Carthage in Tunisia
391 BC The Romans defeat the Etruscans
322 BC In India the Mauryan Empire is founded
338 BC Philip of Macedon conquers Greece
334 BC Alexander the Great invades the Persian Empire
333 BC Alexander wins the Battle of Issus
332 BC Alexander conquers Egypt
330 BC Alexander controls all of the former Persian Empire
323 BC Alexander dies and his generals split his empire between them
247 BC The Parthian Empire is founded in Persia
273-236 BC The great Indian Emperor Asoka lives
264-241 BC The First Punic War is fought between Rome and Carthage (on the North African coast). Rome wins and gains Sicily.
218-201 BC
The Second Punic War is fought. The great Carthaginian general Hannibal leads an expedition through Spain over the Alps against Rome but he fails to capture the city.
202 BC The Romans defeat the Carthaginians in at the battle of Zama in North Africa
185 BC The Mauryan Empire in India ends
149-146 BC The Third Punic War is fought between Rome and Carthage. Rome destroys Carthage.
111 BC China conquers northern Vietnam
58-51 BC Julius Caesar conquers Gaul (France)
30 BC Egypt becomes a province of the Roman Empire
98-117 AD Trajan is Emperor of Rome. The Roman Empire reaches its peak.
224 AD In Persia a member of the Sassanid family kills the last Parthian king and founds the Sassanid Empire
C. 300 The Ghana Empire arises in Western Africa
C. 320 In India the Gupta Empire begins
395 The Roman Empire permanently splits into two parts, East and West
407 Germanic tribes overrun Gaul (France)
410 The Goths capture Rome
455 AD The Vandals capture Rome
476 AD The Western Roman Empire ends completely
Empires in the Middle Ages
527-565 Justinian rules the Byzantine Empire (the Eastern Roman Empire)
c 550 The Gupta Empire in India ends
642 The Arabs conquer Egypt. They begin the conquest of Persia.
651 The Sassanid Empire in Persia ends
698 The Arabs conquer Carthage in Tunisia
711 The Moors invade Spain
732 The Franks defeat the Moors at the Battle of Tours in France
800 Charlemagne is crowned Emperor. He rules a great empire including France, Germany, and North Italy.
802 The Khmer Empire is founded in Cambodia. The Empire rules most of mainland Southeast Asia from the 9th century to the 15th century.
814 In Europe, Charlemagne dies. After his death, his empire splits up.
938 Chinese rule over northern Vietnam ends
976 The Great Byzantine Emperor Basil II rules. He strengthens the Byzantine Empire.
1055 The Seljuk Turks, a people from Central Asia take Baghdad
1071 The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of Manzikert
1076 The Seljuk Turks take Damascus and Jerusalem
1099 The Crusaders capture Jerusalem
C. 1100 In Africa the Ghana Empire comes to an end
1187 Saladin captures Jerusalem
1206 Genghis Khan unites the Mongols and begins to build a huge empire
1211 The Mongols invade Northern China
1215 The Mongols capture Beijing
1221 The Mongols attack Delhi
1227 Genghis Khan dies
C. 1230 The Mali Empire arises in western Africa
1236 The Mongols invade Russia
1240 The Mongols capture Kyiv
1241 The Mongols invade Poland and Hungary but they retreat after the death of Ogedei, Genghis Khan’s son
1258 The Mongols capture Baghdad
1260 The Mongols fail to capture Egypt
1270 The Ethiopian Empire is founded
1279 The Mongols capture Southern China
1281 A Mongol invasion of Japan fails
C. 1325 The Aztecs found their capital at Tenochtitlan
1368 The Mongols are driven out of Beijing
1369-1404
Tamerlane king of Samarkand builds up a great empire in Asia. He conquers Herat in 1381 and destroys Delhi in 1398. In 1401 he takes Baghdad and in 1402 he defeats the Ottoman Empire in Turkey.
1431 The Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia ends
1453 The Ottoman Turks capture Constantinople and bring the Byzantine Empire to an end
1464 The Songhai Empire arises in Western Africa
Empires in the Modern World
1501 The Safavid Empire, based in Persia begins. It eventually rules a large part of Western Asia.
1517 The Ottoman Turks conquer Egypt
1521 Cortes conquers the Aztecs in Mexico
1522 The Ottoman Turks capture Belgrade
1526 In India Babur founds the Mughal Empire
1530 The Portuguese settle in Brazil
1533 Pizarro conquers the Incas
1541 The Turks conquer Hungary
1556-1605 In India Akbar the Great rules over the Mogul Empire
1565 The Turks fail to capture Malta
1568 The Dutch rebel against Spanish rule
1571 The Turkish fleet is badly defeated by Spanish and Venetian ships at the Battle of Lepanto
1587 The Mogul Emperor Akbar takes Kashmir
1591 In Africa the Songhai Empire ends
1592 In India Akbar the Great conquers Sind
1600 In Africa the Mali Empire comes to an end
1607 The English found Jamestown, Virginia the first permanent English colony in North America
1626 The Dutch found New Amsterdam, which later becomes New York
1627-1658 Shah Jahan, Mughal Emperor expands his empire
1648 Spain recognizes Dutch independence
1652 The Dutch found a colony in South Africa
1655 England takes Jamaica from Spain
1664 The English capture New Amsterdam, which is renamed New York
1683 The Ottoman Turks besiege Vienna but fail to capture the city
1687 The Austrians defeat the Turks at the Battle of Mohacs. The Turkish Ottoman Empire begins a long, slow decline.
C 1690 In India the Mogul Empire is at its height
1707 The Mogul Empire in India begins to break down
1722 The Safavid Empire, based in Persia falls
1733 Georgia, the last of the original 13 North American colonies is founded
1757 The British defeat the French at Plassey in India ensuring that India will become a British colony
1759 The British defeat the French at Quebec ensuring Canada becomes British
1772 Russia, Prussia, and Austria help themselves to a slice of Polish territory each
1775-1783 The American War of Independence is fought
1788 The first settlers arrive in Australia from Britain
1793 Russia and Prussia help themselves to more Polish territory
1795 Russia, Prussia, and Austria divide up is left of Poland between them
1799 Napoleon Bonaparte seizes power in France
1806 The British take over the Dutch colony of South Africa
1813 Napoleon is defeated at Leipzig
1814 Napoleon abdicates
1815 Napoleon escapes from exile and becomes emperor of France again but he is defeated at Waterloo
1816 Argentina becomes independent
1818 Chile becomes independent
1818 Shaka founds the Zulu Empire in southern Africa
1821 Mexico, Peru, and Guatemala become independent
1825 Bolivia becomes independent
1828 In Africa Shaka, the Zulu emperor is murdered
1829 Following 7 years of fighting Greece becomes independent of Turkey
1830 The French invade Algeria. Over the following years, the French build up an empire in North Africa
1840 Britain annexes, New Zealand
1867 Canada becomes a dominion
1881 Tunisia becomes a French protectorate
1882 The British army occupies Egypt and Sudan
1884 The Germans take Namibia, Tanzania, Togo, and Cameroon
1885 Italy takes Eritrea, and Britain takes Botswana. Belgium takes the Congo.
1886 Kenya becomes a British colony
1888-89 The British take control of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)
1894 The British take Uganda
1898 War between the USA and Spain takes place. The USA takes the Philippines.
1901 The Australian colonies are united to form the Commonwealth of Australia
1903 Panama becomes independent
1907 New Zealand becomes a dominion
1908 Bulgaria becomes independent of Turkey. Belgium takes over the Congo.
1910 Japan annexes Korea
1912 Morocco becomes a French protectorate. Italy conquers Libya.
1918 Poland becomes independent. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania become independent from Russia
1931 The Japanese capture Manchuria
1937 The Japanese invaded the rest of China but are unable to conquer the whole country
1938 The Germans take Austria
1939 Germany invades Poland so Britain and France declare war on Germany
1940 Germany conquers Norway, Holland, Belgium, and France. Russia annexes Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
1941
Germany conquers Yugoslavia and Greece and invades Russia
Japan attacks the USA at Pearl Harbor. Japan occupies Cambodia.
1942
Japan captures Burma, Singapore, and the Philippines
The USA defeats Japan at Midway Island
The British defeat the Germans at El Alamein
1943
The Russians defeat the Germans at Stalingrad and Kursk
German forces in North Africa surrender and Allied forces invade Italy
1944 Allied forces invade France
1945 Germany and Japan surrender
1947 India and Pakistan become independent
1948 Burma becomes independent
1949 Indonesia becomes independent
1950 China occupies Tibet
1951 Libya becomes independent
1956 Morocco becomes independent. Tunisia becomes independent.
1960
Nigeria becomes independent
Senegal becomes independent
Madagascar becomes independent
Congo becomes independent
1961 Tanzania becomes independent
1962
Uganda becomes independent
Jamaica becomes independent
Algeria becomes independent
1964 Malawi and Zambia become independent
1965 Gambia becomes independent
1966 Botswana becomes independent
1974 The last Ethiopian emperor is deposed ending the Ethiopian Empire
1975 Angola and Mozambique becomes independent from Portugal
1991 Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania become independent again
2022 Russia invades Ukraine
Last revised 2023