Home Region:  Western Europe (Europe)

British Empire IIIIIIIIII

D G SC OTHER  gb_british_emp_222222

Preceding:
1690 CE 1849 CE British Empire I (gb_british_emp_1)    [None]
Add one more here.

Succeeding:
No Polity found. Add one here.


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.

General Variables
Identity and Location
Utm Zone:
30 N  
Original Name:
British Empire II  
Capital:
London  
Temporal Bounds
Peak Years:
[1,921 CE ➜ 1,925 CE]  
Duration:
[1,850 CE ➜ 1,968 CE]  
Political and Cultural Relations
Preceding Entity:
Preceding:   British Empire I (gb_british_emp_1)    [None]  
Language
Religion
Religious Tradition:
Protestant  
Hinduism  
Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale
Polity Territory:
20,090,019 km2 1881 CE
Polity Population:
303,512,568 people 1881 CE
458,000,000 people 1922 CE
531,000,000 people 1938 CE
Largest Communication Distance:
20776  
Hierarchical Complexity
Settlement Hierarchy:
6  
Religious Level:
7  
Military Level:
18  
Administrative Level:
7  
Professions
Professional Soldier:
present  
Professional Priesthood:
present  
Professional Military Officer:
present  
Source Of Support:
salary  
Bureaucracy Characteristics
Specialized Government Building:
present  
Merit Promotion:
present  
Full Time Bureaucrat:
present  
Examination System:
inferred present  
Law
Professional Lawyer:
present  
Judge:
present  
Formal Legal Code:
present  
Court:
present  
Specialized Buildings: polity owned
Market:
present  
Irrigation System:
present  
Food Storage Site:
present  
Drinking Water Supply System:
present  
Communal Building:
present  
Utilitarian Public Building:
present  
Symbolic Building:
present  
Knowledge Or Information Building:
present  
Entertainment Building:
present  
Transport Infrastructure
Road:
present  
Port:
present  
Canal:
present  
Bridge:
present  
Special-purpose Sites
Mines or Quarry:
present  
Trading Emporia:
present  
Special Purpose Site:
present  
Enclosure:
present  
Ceremonial Site:
present  
Burial Site:
present  
Information / Writing System
Written Record:
present  
Script:
present  
Phonetic Alphabetic Writing:
present  
Nonwritten Record:
present  
Non Phonetic Writing:
present  
Information / Kinds of Written Documents
Scientific Literature:
present  
Sacred Text:
present  
Religious Literature:
present  
Practical Literature:
present  
Philosophy:
present  
Lists Tables and Classification:
present  
History:
present  
Fiction:
present  
Calendar:
present  
Information / Money
Token:
inferred absent  
Precious Metal:
present  
Paper Currency:
present  
Indigenous Coin:
present  
Foreign Coin:
present  
Article:
inferred absent  
Store Of Wealth:
present  
Debt And Credit Structure:
present  
Information / Postal System
Postal Station:
present  
General Postal Service:
present  
Courier:
present  
Information / Measurement System
Weight Measurement System:
present  
Volume Measurement System:
present  
Time Measurement System:
present  
Length Measurement System:
present  
Geometrical Measurement System:
present  
Area Measurement System:
present  
Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology
Religion Tolerance Nothing coded yet.
Human Sacrifice Nothing coded yet.
Crisis Consequences Nothing coded yet.
Power Transitions Nothing coded yet.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range British Empire IIIIIIIIII (gb_british_emp_222222) was in:
Home NGA: None

General Variables
Identity and Location
Utm Zone:
30 N

Original Name:
British Empire II

Capital:
London

Temporal Bounds
Peak Years:
[1,921 CE ➜ 1,925 CE]

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


Duration:
[1,850 CE ➜ 1,968 CE]

Political and Cultural Relations
Preceding Entity:
British Empire I [gb_british_emp_1] ---> British Empire IIIIIIIIII [gb_british_emp_222222]

Language
Religion
Religious Tradition:
Protestant
Religious Tradition:
Hinduism


Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale
Polity Territory:
20,090,019 km2
1881 CE

in squared kilometres. [1]

[1]: (Smith 1882: 3. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/AW5H8NPI.


Polity Population:
303,512,568 people
1881 CE

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

Polity Population:
458,000,000 people
1922 CE

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

Polity Population:
531,000,000 people
1938 CE

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


Largest Communication Distance:
20776

in kilometers. The journey by sea from Plymouth, England to Wellington, New Zealand was 12,910 miles. [1]

[1]: (Porter 1999: 254. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/GTF9V4CG.


Hierarchical Complexity
Settlement Hierarchy:
6

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. :::


Religious Level:
7

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


Military Level:
18

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


Administrative Level:
7

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


Professions
Professional Soldier:
present

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


Professional Priesthood:
present

The Anglican church had a professional priesthood.


Professional Military Officer:
present

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


Source Of Support:
salary

Bureaucracy Characteristics
Specialized Government Building:
present

Merit Promotion:
present

Full Time Bureaucrat:
present

There were thousands of bureaucrats posted throughout the Empire.


Examination System:
present

Law
Professional Lawyer:
present

Judge:
present

Formal Legal Code:
present

Court:
present

Specialized Buildings: polity owned
Market:
present

Irrigation System:
present

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


Food Storage Site:
present

Drinking Water Supply System:
present

Communal Building:
present

Utilitarian Public Building:
present

Symbolic Building:
present

Churches, cathedrals, abbeys etc.


Knowledge Or Information Building:
present

Universities, schools, colleges, laboratories, archives, libraries etc.


Entertainment Building:
present

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


Transport Infrastructure
Road:
present

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


Port:
present

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


Canal:
present

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


Bridge:
present

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


Special-purpose Sites
Mines or Quarry:
present

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


Trading Emporia:
present

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


Special Purpose Site:
present

Enclosure:
present

City walls, forts, animal enclosures, private land enclosures.


Ceremonial Site:
present

Places of worship. Churches, cathedrals, abbeys etc.


Burial Site:
present

Cemeteries.


Information / Writing System
Written Record:
present

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


Script:
present

Phonetic Alphabetic Writing:
present

The English alphabet.


Nonwritten Record:
present

Non Phonetic Writing:
present

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


Information / Kinds of Written Documents
Scientific Literature:
present

Sacred Text:
present

The Bible.


Religious Literature:
present

Practical Literature:
present

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


Philosophy:
present

Lists Tables and Classification:
present

History:
present

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


Fiction:
present

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


Calendar:
present

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


Information / Money
Token:
absent

No mention of articles in the sources consulted thus far.


Precious Metal:
present

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


Paper Currency:
present

The Bank of England had been issuing fixed denomination paper currency and partially printed notes from 1725. [1]

[1]: ( Bank of England. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/PYMZXS4N.


Indigenous Coin:
present

British sterling.


Foreign Coin:
present

Territories across the empire had their own currency, e.g. Rupees in India.


Article:
absent

No mention of articles in the sources consulted thus far.


Store Of Wealth:
present

Banks. Personal cash and precious goods hoards in private homes.


Debt And Credit Structure:
present

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


Information / Postal System
Postal Station:
present

British postal stations were spread throughout the Empire.


General Postal Service:
present

There had been a postal service in England from 1660. In 1821 steam-driven ships began to deliver mail across the British Empire. [1]

[1]: ( Royal Mail. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/QI4L8AA2.


Courier:
present

Information / Measurement System
Weight Measurement System:
present

Volume Measurement System:
present

Time Measurement System:
present

Length Measurement System:
present

Geometrical Measurement System:
present

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


Area Measurement System:
present


Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology

Human Sacrifice Data
Human Sacrifice is the deliberate and ritualized killing of a person to please or placate supernatural entities (including gods, spirits, and ancestors) or gain other supernatural benefits.
- Nothing coded yet.
- Nothing coded yet.
Power Transitions
- Nothing coded yet.