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British Empire
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British Empire
How did Britain become a global empire?
Maryland colony Slavery Abolition Act James Wolfe Indian Mutiny British Empire Mahatma Gandhi Hong Kong: celebrating the return to Chinese sovereignty in July 1997 British territorial acquisitions in Burma
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British Empire summary
British colony crests
British Empire Timeline
William Pitt, the Elder
Key People of the British Empire
Decline of the British Empire
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Title: Senate Square, St. Petersburg, December 14, 1825: repression of the troop mutiny - watercolor by Carl Ivanovitch Kollman, 1825 depicts Decembrist uprising clashing with cavalry, with spectators watching. (new style December 26, 1825) Europe. Saint
8 of the Largest Empires in History
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British Empire: Facts & Related Content

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News •

Pupils should not be taught ‘greatness’ of British Empire, Bridget Phillipson told • Feb. 8, 2025, 1:15 AM ET (The Telegraph)
Attorney General Lord Hermer called British Empire 'deeply racist' and fought for reparations • Feb. 7, 2025, 1:33 AM ET (The Telegraph)
Scots think their country was a victim of the British Empire, poll finds • Jan. 30, 2025, 5:06 AM ET (The Telegraph)

Facts

Also Known As British Empire and Commonwealth
Date 1601 - 1997

Photos and Videos

British Empire
Maryland colony
Slavery Abolition Act
James Wolfe
Indian Mutiny
British Empire
Mahatma Gandhi
Hong Kong: celebrating the return to Chinese sovereignty in July 1997
British territorial acquisitions in Burma
India, 1797–1805
How did Britain become a global empire?
British Empire
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Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Major Events

Queen Victoria, Empress of India
British raj
North Africa campaigns of World War II
North Africa campaigns
The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
American Revolution
South African War: Boer troops
New Imperialism
Edward Braddock marching on Fort Duquesne
French and Indian War
Ypres, Belgium, 1918
Battle of Passchendaele
Pequot War
Pequot War
Zanzibar
Anglo-Zanzibar War
King of the Zulu
Anglo-Zulu War
Anglo-Burmese Wars
Siege of Khartoum
Siege of Khartoum
Navigation Acts: Dutch ships masquerading as Spanish vessels
Navigation Acts
Damage sustained during the Siege of Lucknow
Siege of Lucknow
First Anglo-Afghan War
Battle of Kandahar
Sugar Act
Treaty of Paris
Mysore Wars: storming of Seringapatam
Mysore Wars
Statute of Westminster
Carnatic Wars
Kandyan Convention

Related Places

Indonesia
Indonesia
Flag of India
India
Canada
Canada
Australia
Australia
Singapore
Singapore
New Zealand
New Zealand
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
administrative region, China
Pakistan
Pakistan
England
England
constituent unit, United Kingdom
South Africa
South Africa
Nigeria
Nigeria
Egypt
Egypt
Ireland
Ireland
Malaysia
Malaysia
Bangladesh
Bangladesh

Key People

William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt, the Younger
prime minister of United Kingdom
William Pitt, the Elder
William Pitt, the Elder
prime minister of United Kingdom
Robert Clive
Robert Clive
British colonial administrator
Warren Hastings, oil painting by Tilly Kettle; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Warren Hastings
British colonial administrator
Frederick Lugard
Frederick Lugard
British colonial administrator
Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
prime minister of Canada
Title page of Richard Hakluyt's The Principall Navigations, Voiages and Discoveries of the English Nation
Richard Hakluyt
British geographer
Dalhousie, detail of an oil painting by Sir John Watson-Gordon, 1847; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
James Andrew Broun Ramsay, marquess and 10th earl of Dalhousie
governor-general of India
Sir Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh
English explorer
Frank Holl: Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain
British politician and social reformer
John Smith
John Smith
British explorer
Thomas Stamford Raffles
Sir Stamford Raffles
British colonial agent
Milner, detail of an oil painting by Hugh de Twenebrokes Glazebrook, 1901; in the National Portrait Gallery, London
Alfred Milner, Viscount Milner
British diplomat
Edward Gibbon Wakefield
Edward Gibbon Wakefield
British colonial administrator
Napier, Robert Napier, 1st Baron
Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier
British field marshal
Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley
Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley
British field marshal
Sir Hercules Robinson
Sir Hercules Robinson
British colonial governor
Durham, detail of an oil painting by T. Phillips (1819 replica); in the National Portrait Gallery, London
John George Lambton, 1st earl of Durham
British statesman
George Goldie
Sir George Goldie
British colonial administrator
Sir Eyre Coote
British soldier
Read More: Key People of the British Empire

Related Quizzes and Features

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Title: Senate Square, St. Petersburg, December 14, 1825: repression of the troop mutiny - watercolor by Carl Ivanovitch Kollman, 1825 depicts Decembrist uprising clashing with cavalry, with spectators watching. (new style December 26, 1825) Europe. Saint
8 of the Largest Empires in History