The British Empire consisted of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom.
At its peak, at the end of the nineteenth century, it was the largest empire in history, comprising of territories of almost one-quarter of the worlds land surface, and a population that was one-quarter of the entire world’s population.
By 1858 the British Crown had taken full control of India from the East India Company after the mutiny and rebellion against the EIC in 1857. British India was then renamed as the British Raj. This lasted until the end of this polity period with the independence of India from the British Empire.
A system of self-governance was gradually applied to some colonies after the independence of the American colonies. Dominion status was given to Canada (1867), Australia (1901), New Zealand (1907), the Union of South Africa (1910), and the Irish Free State (1921).
Following World Wars I and II, the call for independence for the British territories and colonies across the Empire gained momentum. The breakup of the Empire began in 1947 when India was granted full independence, quickly followed by Pakistan, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) and Burma.
At the same time that the breakup of the empire began, The Commonwealth of Nations was established.
The remaining territories would not be granted independence until after the end of this polity period. African colonies gained independence starting with the Gold Coast in 1957. In 1997 the last major colony of Hong Kong was returned to China.
| Preceding: British Empire I (gb_british_emp_1) [None] |
| 20,090,019 km2 | 1881 CE |
| 303,512,568 people | 1881 CE |
| 458,000,000 people | 1922 CE |
| 531,000,000 people | 1938 CE |
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| Year Range | British Empire IIIIIIIIII (gb_british_emp_222222) was in: |
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The British Empire was at its territorial peak in 1921. [1] The population of the Empire peaked in 1925 with almost 450 million subjects. [2]
[1]: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire
[2]: (‘Demographics of the British Empire’,) ‘Demographics of the British Empire’ in Wikipedia, 12 March 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demographics_of_the_British_Empire&oldid=1076779519. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/DQ743ERH
people. [1]
[1]: (Smith 1882: 3) Smith, George. 1882. The Geography of British India, Political & Physical. London: J. Murray. http://archive.org/details/geographybritis00smitgoog. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/AW5H8NPI
people. [1]
[1]: (Smith 1882: 3) Smith, George. 1882. The Geography of British India, Political & Physical. London: J. Murray. http://archive.org/details/geographybritis00smitgoog. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/AW5H8NPI
PROBLEMATIC_DESCRIPTION_FOUND levels._The UK_ : 1. Capital City : London is the imperial capital of the UK and of the British Empire. It was the centre of royal and governmental power. It was by far the most populated settlement in the UK. §REF§( :: 2. Major cities :: Cities such as York, Exeter, Cambridge and Ely in the UK were major centres of urban settlement. They housed a bishop with his seat as a cathedral. They were major points of trade, industry and had the highest number of inhabitants after London. ::: 3. Industrial towns :::: 4. Small towns ::::: 5. Villages :::::: 6. Hamlets _Territories, Domains and Colonies_ British India was divided into: :: 2. Provincial Capitals :: Capital cities in territories outside of the UK. The colonial government operated from this city/settlement. :::
levels. [1] The Church of England, from its creation during Henry VIII’s reign had a different structure, with the monarch as the head of the church: : 1. The Monarch :: 2. Archbishops ::: 3. Bishops :::: 4. Archdeacon :::: 5. Priest ::::: 6. Chaplain :::::: 7. Ecclesiastical officials
[1]: (Bucholz et al 2013: 30) Bucholz, Robert, Newton Key, and R.O. Bucholz. 2013. Early Modern England 1485-1714: A Narrative History. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=1166775. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/XQGJH96U
levels. [1] _British Army_ [2] Officers : 1. Field Marshall :: 2. General ::: 3. Lieutenant General :::: 4. Major General ::::: 5. Brigadier :::::: 6.Colonel ::::::: 7. Lieutenant Colonel :::::::: 8. Major :::::::: 8.1 Warrant Officers ::::::::: 9. Captain :::::::::: 10. Lieutenant ::::::::::: 11. Second Lieutenant :::::::::::: 12. Officer Cadet Soldiers ::::::::::::: 13. Soldiers :::::::::::::: 14. Staff Sergeant :::::::::::::::: 15. Sergeant ::::::::::::::::: 16. Corporal :::::::::::::::::: 17. Lance Corporal ::::::::::::::::::: 18. Private _British Raj_ : 1. Commander-in-Chief [3] :: 2. Lieutenant-General [3] ::: 3. Lower Officers (as above) ::::: 4. Soldiers (as above)
[1]: (Smith 1882: 8) Smith, George. 1882. The Geography of British India, Political & Physical. London: J. Murray. http://archive.org/details/geographybritis00smitgoog. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/AW5H8NPI
[2]: (https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/GUZSL7S2
[3]: (Smith 1881: 4, 9) Smith, George. 1882. The Geography of British India, Political & Physical. London: J. Murray. http://archive.org/details/geographybritis00smitgoog. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/AW5H8NPI
levels._UK_ : 1. Monarch _British Raj_ Example of British India, which from 1861 was directly controlled by the British government via the following in-place administration. Lower levels of administrators (e.g. Deputies and Assistants) are responsible for the districts or lesser divisions within each province in British India. There were 848 civil service members in 1881. [1] : 1. Viceroy and Governor-General of India (Later shortened to Viceroy of India) : Viceroy and Governor-General was directly appointed by the Crown and Parliament and ruled the territory as a representative of the monarch. They had a Legislative Council of six high ranking members, one of which is the Commander-in-Chief or Lieutenant-General of the army. The Secretary of State ran the Executive Council. Other members of the councils include prominent mercantile members and representatives of the native population. :: 2. Secretary of State ::: 2.2. Executive Council ::: 2.2. Legislative Council ::: 2.2. High Court of Justice :::: 3. Governors ::::: 4. Lieutenant-Governors :::::: 5. Chief-Commissioners ::::::: 5.2. Deputy-Commisioners :::::::: 5.3. Assistant Commisioners :::::: 5.1. Financial Commissioner :::::::: 6. Collector-Magistrate ::::::::: 6.2. Deputy Magistrate :::::::::: 6.3. Assistant Magistrate ::::::::::: 7. Lesser administrative posts throughout the region.
[1]: (Smith 1882: 7-10) Smith, George. 1882. The Geography of British India, Political & Physical. London: J. Murray. http://archive.org/details/geographybritis00smitgoog. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/AW5H8NPI
Soldiers were posted across the empire. In 1881 British India had an imperial army of 63,000. [1]
[1]: (Smith 1881: 4, 9) Smith, George. 1882. The Geography of British India, Political & Physical. London: J. Murray. http://archive.org/details/geographybritis00smitgoog. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/AW5H8NPI
Military officers were posted across the empire. In 1881 British India had an imperial army of 63,000, with 4,400 officers. [1]
[1]: (Smith 1881: 4, 9) Smith, George. 1882. The Geography of British India, Political & Physical. London: J. Murray. http://archive.org/details/geographybritis00smitgoog. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/AW5H8NPI
Irrigation was already present in the UK and was developed throughout the Empire. [1]
[1]: ( Porter 1999: 351) Porter, Andrew, ed. 1999. The Oxford History of the British Empire: The Nineteenth Century, vol. 3, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/GTF9V4CG
Universities, schools, colleges, laboratories, archives, libraries etc.
Theatres, gambling halls, coffee-houses, cinemas, music halls, pubs etc. [1]
[1]: (Porter 1999: 276-77) Porter, Andrew, ed. 1999. The Oxford History of the British Empire: The Nineteenth Century, vol. 3, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/GTF9V4CG
The existing transport infrastructure in the UK was developed throughout the Empire at great expense. [1]
[1]: ( Porter 1999: 129, 254-56, 351, 529, 660, 685, 702) Porter, Andrew, ed. 1999. The Oxford History of the British Empire: The Nineteenth Century, vol. 3, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/GTF9V4CG
The existing transport infrastructure in the UK was developed throughout the Empire at great expense. [1]
[1]: ( Porter 1999: 129, 254-56, 351, 529, 660, 685, 702) Porter, Andrew, ed. 1999. The Oxford History of the British Empire: The Nineteenth Century, vol. 3, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/GTF9V4CG
The existing transport infrastructure in the UK was developed throughout the Empire at great expense. [1]
[1]: ( Porter 1999: 129, 254-56, 351, 529, 660, 685, 702) Porter, Andrew, ed. 1999. The Oxford History of the British Empire: The Nineteenth Century, vol. 3, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/GTF9V4CG
The existing transport infrastructure in the UK was developed throughout the Empire at great expense. [1]
[1]: ( Porter 1999: 129, 254-56, 351, 529, 660, 685, 702) Porter, Andrew, ed. 1999. The Oxford History of the British Empire: The Nineteenth Century, vol. 3, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/GTF9V4CG
Tin and coal mines in the UK. Precious metals and jewels in the Americas and Africa. [1] Gold mines in Australia, Canada and America, and diamond quarries in South Africa. [2]
[1]: (Colquhoun 1811: 130) Colquhoun, Patrik. 1814. Treatise on the Wealth, Power and Resources of the British Empire in Every Quarter of the World Etc. Jos. Mawman. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/3SNZA6FJ
[2]: (Porter 1999: 263) Porter, Andrew, ed. 1999. The Oxford History of the British Empire: The Nineteenth Century, vol. 3, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/GTF9V4CG
British trading posts such as Gibraltar became famous for their emporiums and immense amounts of imports and exports that it traded across the Empire. [1]
[1]: ( Colquhoun 1811: 306) Colquhoun, Patrik. 1814. Treatise on the Wealth, Power and Resources of the British Empire in Every Quarter of the World Etc. Jos. Mawman. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/3SNZA6FJ
Books, essays, manuscripts, court records, legal texts, poetry, pamphlets and newspapers, almanacs etc. [1] [2]
[1]: (Bucholz et al 2013: 171, 283, 372-73) Bucholz, Robert, Newton Key, and R.O. Bucholz. 2013. Early Modern England 1485-1714: A Narrative History. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=1166775. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/XQGJH96U
[2]: (Marshall 2006: 231-244, 270-271) Marshall, P. J. ed. 2006. The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume II The Eighteenth Century. Vol. 2, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGG2PPQQ
As the empire expanded, non-phonetic alphabets such as Hindi, Punjabi, Cantonese, Mandarin were introduced, though in no way adopted officially, however some ruling members of the colonies would encourage study of the local language. [1]
[1]: (Marshall 2006: 130, 243, 248, 525) Marshall, P. J. ed. 2006. The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume II The Eighteenth Century. Vol. 2, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGG2PPQQ
Advice books for subjects such as agriculture and farming. Travel books. Military strategy. Architecture [1] [2]
[1]: (Bucholz et al 2013: 372) Bucholz, Robert, Newton Key, and R.O. Bucholz. 2013. Early Modern England 1485-1714: A Narrative History. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=1166775. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/XQGJH96U
[2]: (Marshall 2006: 1170-2) Marshall, P. J. ed. 2006. The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume II The Eighteenth Century. Vol. 2, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGG2PPQQ
Histories of England and military and warfare history were particularly popular at the beginning of the period. [1]
[1]: (Marshall 2006: 170, 172) Marshall, P. J. ed. 2006. The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume II The Eighteenth Century. Vol. 2, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGG2PPQQ
Poetry, novels, plays. [1] [2]
[1]: (Marshall 2006: 18, 523) Marshall, P. J. ed. 2006. The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume II The Eighteenth Century. Vol. 2, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGG2PPQQ
[2]: (Canny 1998: 100. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/RTDR3NCN
Britain used the Gregorian calendar from the mid-eighteenth century. [1]
[1]: (Bucholz et al 2013: xvi) Bucholz, Robert, Newton Key, and R.O. Bucholz. 2013. Early Modern England 1485-1714: A Narrative History. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=1166775. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/XQGJH96U
Gold had been used widely in the preceding polities for hundreds of years and began to be mined throughout the Empire, particularly the Americas and Africa. [1]
[1]: (Colquhoun 1811: 130) Colquhoun, Patrik. 1814. Treatise on the Wealth, Power and Resources of the British Empire in Every Quarter of the World Etc. Jos. Mawman. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/3SNZA6FJ
Banks had been established since the late seventeenth century. There were also an increasing number of commercial, mercantile and private creditors in the UK and across the Empire. [1]
[1]: (Marshall 2006: 62-63, 296, 384, 423, 432) Marshall, P. J. ed. 2006. The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume II The Eighteenth Century. Vol. 2, 5 vols. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/HGG2PPQQ
From the seventeenth century gardens were increasingly laid out in geometric and symmetrical designs. In the eighteenth-century symmetrical buildings, houses and gardens was the most fashionable architectural style. This continued into the nineteenth century. [1]
[1]: (Bucholz et al 2013: 374, 376) Bucholz, Robert, Newton Key, and R.O. Bucholz. 2013. Early Modern England 1485-1714: A Narrative History. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=1166775. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/XQGJH96U