imperialism: Quick Facts

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Map showing the Persian Empire at its greatest territorial extent, spanning from the eastern Mediterranean and Egypt in the west to the Indus Valley in the east, including regions around the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, and Persian Gulf. The area of the empire is shaded in light green, with the boundaries of modern Iran outlined within it. Major ancient cities and regions are labeled throughout the empire.

Map showing the maximum territorial extent of the Roman Empire in AD 117, shaded in yellow, spanning from western Europe and North Africa to the Near East. Major rivers and seas are labeled, and various symbols mark the locations of Roman colonies and municipia established during the Pre-Caesarian, Caesarian, and Augustan periods. The boundary at the death of Emperor Trajan is highlighted.

A collage featuring four colonial-era European figures in military and formal attire, a yellow map of Africa, and a vintage cartoon of imperialism in the background.

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Key People

Jacques-Louis David: The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries

Napoleon I

emperor of France

Alexander the Great

king of Macedonia

Painting by Albrecht Durer of Charlemagne in ornate coronation robes and crown, holding a sword and orb, with gold embroidery and regal symbols behind him.

Charlemagne

Holy Roman emperor [747?–814]

Portrait painting of Frederick II of Brandenburg, King of Prussia, wearing a dark coat with a star medal, yellow gloves, and holding a cane, with the inscription Fridericus II Rex Prussiae.

Frederick II

king of Prussia

Otto von Bismarck in military uniform and cap, with a mustache, facing slightly to the side in a black-and-white portrait taken around 1880.

Otto von Bismarck

German chancellor and prime minister

Augustus

Augustus

Roman emperor

Oil painting of Peter the Great, emperor of Russia, shown from the waist up wearing armor and a sash, with one hand resting on a cane, against a dark background.

Peter I

emperor of Russia

Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin

premier of Soviet Union

Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan

Mongolian warrior-ruler

Cecil Rhodes

Cecil Rhodes

prime minister of Cape Colony

Philip II

Philip II

king of Macedonia

William Pitt, the Elder

William Pitt, the Elder

prime minister of United Kingdom

Pompey

Pompey the Great

Roman statesman

Pericles

Pericles

Athenian statesman

default image

Kangxi

emperor of Qing dynasty

Portrait of Catherine the Great of Russia by Richard Brompton, showing her in regal attire with a jeweled crown and fur-trimmed robe, set in an ornate oval frame.

Catherine the Great

empress of Russia

Medieval manuscript miniature showing Frederick I as a crowned crusader holding an orb and scepter, with Henry of Schaftlarn kneeling and presenting a book to him.

Frederick I

Holy Roman emperor

Charles Le Brun: Portrait of King Louis XIV

Louis XIV

king of France

Benjamin Disraeli

Benjamin Disraeli

prime minister of United Kingdom

Bust of Vespasian, found at Ostia; in the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome.

Vespasian

Roman emperor