Best Empire in History? (Corrected)

[Tabuu]

Sorry about the last post.

[TinCow]

Define "best"

[Ibn-Khaldun]

There is/was American Empire?

And like TC said: define best.

[al Roumi]

China's. My own definition of best: most enduring and best at turning into a homogenous (well kind of) nation type thing. But that is looking at China's empire in a "CIV" type way, 4000BC to 2000AD.

P.s. The USA's Empire could refer to its occupation of the Philipenes and domination of Cuba & other Caribean states. Or it could be its current hegemonic cultural, comercial and military empire...

[Pannonian]

What's the point of reopening this thread?

[Tabuu]

I messed up on the last one and forgot to put an actual poll in.

"Best" as in overall. Best empire with a balance of finance, military, diplomacy, etc.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Sorry about the last post.

No problem.


Welcome to the Monastery!


(Where you'll find that life is glorious. But nasty, brutish, and short. Akin to the life of a Roman gladiator, as I'd sometimes like to think, where the weak are quickly weeded out by the strong, and one's first mistake is one's last. Where boys are turned into men. All under the watchful eye of the mighty Emperor, this divinity-man, deciding with a casual gesture of his thumb over life and death of the mere mortals who battle each other for his amusement. )


Which bridges this post nicely to the next point:
I voted 'Roman Empire', for no lenghty intellectual reason whatsoever. Simply out of sentiment, for its enduring fame and image as arch-empire. Still Rome rules us with an iron fist, by its laws, customs, religion, roads, cities, language, or even by setting the very iconography of Empire itself.

[gaelic cowboy]

America because they mainly stay at home

[A Nerd]

I voted for Rome. The conqured large tracks of land and as far as I know, assimilated the conqured well. Then reigned realitivaly peacefully until the Germanics came. Though I am no avid historian.

[Tabuu]

Luckily I am an avid historian and your reason is 99% correct. The 1%, however, was the peaceful reign. Yes, Rome did have it's "Pax Romana" but then Rome fell into civil wars, a seemingly endless struggle over the throne. This also happened before Rome became an empire, but with the struggle over the consul positions. Germanics came afterward. I could be wrong, but hey who isn't wrong? Very good reason for your vote!

[Tabuu]

Oh and that also goes for you, TinCow. Also very good and more elaborate.

[Skullheadhq]

America because they mainly stay at home

Haha, are you serious?

[Tsar Alexsandr]

Mongols. The size and depth of the Mongol Empire reached many areas of the world, from Japan to Poland, all of Asia and Europe knew of the horde of Genghis Khan. Or more appropriately, Chingis Khan.

[Ibrahim]

Mongols. The size and depth of the Mongol Empire reached many areas of the world, from Japan to Poland, all of Asia and Europe knew of the horde of Genghis Khan. Or more appropriately, Chingis Khan.

leaving behind many heaps of skulls, and a river black with ink

[Azathoth]

Or more appropriately, Chingis Khan.

Temujin. He was good at rape.

[Veho Nex]

America, 120 years and running, what happens to them happens to all. The power to destroy the world in a blink of an eye. The ability to bring all nations together in one united effort and willing to back it with its own military power. We are reaching an age of corruption though, and if we can find our way through it then we will maintain that power.

[The Lurker Below]

went with Inca. in scope they were tiny: if we said the Romans dominated a sea and the British dominated an ocean then the Incas dominated a pond. However their domination of that pond was absolute and after a mere 20-30 years of brutal conquering saw total peace for 300+ (very prosperous) years.

[Megas Methuselah]

went with Inca. in scope they were tiny: if we said the Romans dominated a sea and the British dominated an ocean then the Incas dominated a pond. However their domination of that pond was absolute and after a mere 20-30 years of brutal conquering saw total peace for 300+ (very prosperous) years.

But in comparison with many of their contemporaries, the Inca were a great people, indeed.

[G. Septimus]

I'll Vote for British Empire (If there is one)

Channel 2 news, With Frank Vitchard

[Subotan]

But in comparison with many of their contemporaries, the Inca were a great people, indeed.

IIRC they built the first non-Arab welfare state

[tibilicus]

The British empire effectively shaped the modern world. Globalization existed way before our modern conception of it as it existed within the British Empire. The empire itself was a massive achievement for a small island nation which planted its citizens on one continent which latter forged an entirely new Superpower itself. The divide and conquer principles also saw the empire reach massive heights, the gradual take over of India saw the rise of so called British "Nabobs". Through an ingenious economic system and the sheer cunningness to prise idealistic opportunities again and again Britain truly was a global empire in which the world will never see again.

Funnily enough, the empire itself was formed out of a lust for gold. The whole reason of pursuing colonial projects in North America was in the pursuit of gold. Up until that point, Britain had managed to make most of her foreign wealth by raiding Spanish ships and cities for the valuable gold. Essentially the empire was founded upon the pirates who were given permission to plunder gold but the empire then expanded into one which would latter control a monopoly of trade which went far beyond the wealth of gold.

Of course the empire was a ruthless creation, driven out of the desire for economic greed, it was however a remarkable entity which we owe our modern world to.

[Jolt]

Portugal. The fact that a small, sparsely populated, unprosperous, unfertile, rough outland of Europe became so powerful and wealthy, becoming the center of the world for a brief period of time is a testament to how a small nation can grow.