Best of the Best: Great Empires Quiz

Answer: Portuguese Empire

Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal began the Age of Exploration by sending sailors to explore the western coast of Africa. The goal? They were looking for a sea route to the Indies in order to gain wealth from the spice trade. By the time Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488 and Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498, the Portuguese were well on their way to carving an empire. Macau was the first Portuguese colony in China and the last to gain independence in 1999.

The Portuguese empire covered a very impressive 4.02 million square miles, and, more importantly, was the longest lived European colonial empire.

Answer: Abbasid Caliphate

The Abbasid Caliphate was founded by Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, who was the uncle of Muhammad. By ruling as a caliph, Abbas was considered to be the religious successor to Muhammad and the leader of the Islamic community. Baghdad, the dynastic capital for most of their period, became a center for science, culture and philosophy during the Golden Age of Islam. Covering an area of 4.29 million square miles, the Abbasid Caliphate is number 9 on the top ten largest empire list.

Answer: Second French Colonial Empire

Actually, the second French colonial empire that began in the 17th century is number 8 on the list; it began with the conquest of Algeria in 1830. The first French colonial empire, which was largely centered in North America, was lost by the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon III is credited with doubling the size of the French Empire, extending it to Africa and China.

However, by 1955 with the loss of war in Vietnam, and 1962, with the loss of Algeria, the 4.76 million square mile empire crumbled.

Answer: Qing Dynasty

Also called the Manchu Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China, ruling China until 1912. During the 19th century China faced unwanted European interference in trade, rebellion from within, and loss of conflicts with Asian neighbors. An uprising against European and Japanese control, the Boxer Rebellion, resulted in a Chinese defeat, leading to an end of the centuries-old dynasty. Well-known for its cultural advances in poetry, literature, and art, the dynastic empire covered 5.05 million square miles of land.

Answer: Yuan Dynasty

Also called the Great Yuan, the Mongol dynasty was established by Kublai Khan, and controlled most of what is today China, Korea, and Mongolia. Although the dynasty, the first ruled by non-native Chinese people, lasted for less than one hundred years, it ruled 5.41 million square miles. Great strides were made in the written and performing arts, as well as in algebra and medicine.

The first recorded trips to China by Europeans, were made during this time, and "The Book of Marco Polo" peaked foreign interest in the exotic locale.

Answer: Umayyad Caliphate

With the city of Damascus as its capital, the Umayyad Caliphate amassed an empire that was the largest the world had known - 5.79 million square miles. The dynasty continued the Muslim conquest, which spread their religion from the Caucasus region to the Iberian peninsula.

It was during this time that Arabic became the administrative language of the empire, and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, as well as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, were built.

Answer: Spanish Empire

After taking the last Muslim stronghold at Granada and completing the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic Monarchs, were able to turn their attention to the plan of a sailor from Genoa, Christopher Columbus.

He wanted to reach the Indies by sailing west, and was financed by the Spanish government in four voyages of exploration. Aided by its vast Armada, or navy, Spain was able to claim land in a series of subsequent voyages and conquests that totaled 7.49 million square miles - the largest in the world in the 1700s.

Answer: Russian Empire

The Russian Empire, with a government that became centered around St. Petersburg, stretched over three continents, and existed from 1721-1917. Czars Peter the Great and Catherine the Great instituted policies of modernization and expanded their empire by conquest, as well as colonization. Stretching over an impression 8.8 million square miles, the Russian Empire was essentially economically rural; the country's serfs were not liberated until 1861.

As tsar, the Russian emperor was the guardian of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was the state religion of the Empire.

Answer: Mongol Empire

Existing in the 13th and 14th centuries, the Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in history at 12.74 million square miles. How amazing is it that unified nomadic tribes from Mongolia were able to achieve such success?! After the death of Genghis Khan, the capital of the empire was moved from Avarga to Karakorum by Ögedei Khan, the third son of Genghis Kahn, who transformed the small village into a wealthy political center. Encouraging merchants and trade led to the re-establishment of the Silk Road trade, which had been disrupted by war.

Answer: British Empire

The largest empire in history at 13 million square miles, the British Empire, symbolized by the lion, ruled approximately 20% of the world's population by 1922. Although the phrase "the sun never sets" was originally used to describe the Spanish Empire, its is also used of the British Empire because the sun was always shining in at least one of its global territories.

After many of the possessions gained independence, they chose to join the British Commonwealth, which in 2016 had fifty-three member nations in all six inhabited continents, and includes approximately 33% of the world's population.