Portal:British Empire

The British Empire Portal

The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts established by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries.

At its height it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1913 the British Empire held sway over 412 million people, 23 per cent of the world population at the time, and by 1920 it covered 35,500,000 km² (13,700,000 sq mi), 24 per cent of the Earth's total land area. As a result, its constitutional, legal, linguistic, and cultural legacy is widespread. At the peak of its power, it was described as "the empire on which the sun never sets", as the sun was always shining on at least one of its territories.

During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain pioneered European exploration of the globe, and in the process established large overseas empires. Envious of the great wealth these empires generated, England, France, and the Netherlands began to establish colonies and trade networks of their own in the Americas and Asia. A series of wars in the 17th and 18th centuries with the Netherlands and France left England (Britain, following the 1707 Act of Union with Scotland) the dominant colonial power in North America. Britain became the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent after the East India Company's conquest of Mughal Bengal at the Battle of Plassey in 1757.

The American War of Independence resulted in Britain losing some of its oldest and most populous colonies in North America by 1783. British attention then turned towards Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. After the defeat of France in the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), Britain emerged as the principal naval and imperial power of the 19th century and expanded its imperial holdings. The period of relative peace (1815–1914) during which the British Empire became the global hegemon was later described as "Pax Britannica" ("British Peace"). Alongside the formal control that Britain exerted over its colonies, its dominance of much of world trade meant that it effectively controlled the economies of many regions, such as Asia and Latin America. Increasing degrees of autonomy were granted to its white settler colonies, some of which were reclassified as Dominions.

By the start of the 20th century, Germany and the United States had begun to challenge Britain's economic lead. Military and economic tensions between Britain and Germany were major causes of the First World War, during which Britain relied heavily on its empire. The conflict placed enormous strain on its military, financial, and manpower resources. Although the empire achieved its largest territorial extent immediately after World War I, Britain was no longer the world's preeminent industrial or military power. In the Second World War, Britain's colonies in East Asia and Southeast Asia were occupied by the Empire of Japan. Despite the final victory of Britain and its allies, the damage to British prestige helped accelerate the decline of the empire. India, Britain's most valuable and populous possession, achieved independence as part of a larger decolonisation movement, in which Britain granted independence to most territories of the empire. The Suez Crisis of 1956 confirmed Britain's decline as a global power, and the transfer of Hong Kong to China on 1 July 1997 marked for many the end of the British Empire. Fourteen overseas territories remain under British sovereignty. After independence, many former British colonies joined the Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of independent states. Fifteen of these, including the United Kingdom, retain a common monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. (Full article...)

Selected article -

Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as south Zambesia until annexed by Britain at the behest of Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company, for whom the colony was named. The bounding territories were Bechuanaland (Botswana), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), Moçambique (Mozambique), Transvaal Republic (including today's Limpopo, province of South Africa).

This southern region, known for its extensive gold reserves, was first purchased by the BSAC's Pioneer Column on the strength of a Mineral Concession extracted from its Matabele overlord, Lobengula, and various majority Mashona vassal chiefs in 1890. Though parts of the territory were laid claim to by the Bechuana and Portugal; its first people, the Bushmen or 'Khoisan' had possessed it from the very beginning of prehistory and had continued to inhabit some parts. Following the colony's unilateral dissolution in 1970 by the Republic of Rhodesia government, The Colony of Southern Rhodesia was re-established in 1979 as the predecessor state to the Republic of Zimbabwe Rhodesia which in turn was the predecessor state of The Republic of Zimbabwe. Its only true geographical borders are the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, its other boundaries being more or less arbitrary and merging imperceptibly with the peoples and domains of earlier chiefdoms from pre-colonial times. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected image

The Transvaal War: General Sir George Pomeroy Colley at the Battle of Majuba Mountain just before he was killed.

Read more...

Did you know

...that the Singapore Stone (fragment pictured), a sandstone slab bearing an undeciphered 13th century inscription, was blown up by the British in 1843 to make way for a fort?

...that Ethel Benjamin was the first woman in the British Empire to present a legal case in court?

Related portals

Selected biography -

Major General Roger Elliott (c. 1665 – 16 May 1714 )

was one of the earliest British Governors of Gibraltar. A member of the Eliot family, his son Granville Elliott became the first Count Elliott and his nephew George Augustus Eliott also became a noted Governor and defender of Gibraltar. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies
Richard Clement Moody Queen Victoria James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie Alexander Ball Edward VIII Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma Cecil Rhodes Herbert Hope Risley

Evolution of the British Empire

This Map of the world animates the Empire's rise and fall.

Subcategories

Select [►] to view subcategories

British Empire

Scotland and the British Empire

British colonisation in Africa

British colonization of the Americas

British colonisation of Asia

British diaspora

British Governors and Governors-General of Nigeria

Former British colonies

United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations

Commonwealth realms

Currencies of the British Empire

Elections in the British Empire

Events in the British Empire

Expatriates in British Hong Kong

British Empire in fiction

Flags of the British Empire

Governance of the British Empire

Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth

History of the British Empire

Independence acts in the Parliament of the United Kingdom

Internment camps of the British Empire

British Empire-related lists

Medicine in the British Empire

Military of the British Empire

British colonisation of Oceania

Opposition to the British Empire

Orders, decorations, and medals of the British Empire

British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies

People of the British Empire

Former British protectorates

Religion in the British Empire

Slavery in the British Empire

British Empire stubs

Works about the British Empire

WikiProjects

History
- Former countries
- Colonialism
  - British Empire

British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations

Legend

Current territory · Former territory

* now a Commonwealth realm · now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations

Europe

18th century
1708–1757 Menorca
since 1713 Gibraltar
1782–1802 Menorca

19th century
1800–1964 Malta
1807–1890 Heligoland
1809–1864 Ionian Islands
1878–1960 Cyprus

20th century
since 1960 Akrotiri and Dhekelia

North America

16th century 1583–1907 Newfoundland 17th century 1607–1776 Thirteen Colonies since 1619 Bermuda 1670–1870 Rupert's Land 18th century Canada (British Imperial) 1763–1791 Quebec 1791–1841 Lower Canada 1791–1841 Upper Canada	19th century Canada (British Imperial) 1841–1867 Province of Canada 1849–1866 Vancouver Island 1858–1866 Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) 1866–1871 Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) 1859–1870 North-Western Territory 1862–1863 Stickeen Territories *Canada (post-Confederation) 1867–1931 Dominion of Canada¹	20th century *Canada (post-Confederation) 1907–1934 Dominion of Newfoundland²
¹ In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self-government through the Statute of Westminster. "Dominion" remains Canada's legal title; see Canada's name. ² Remained a de jure dominion until 1949 (when it became a Canadian province); from 1934 to 1949, Newfoundland was governed by the Commission of Government.

Latin America and the Caribbean

17th century 1605–1979 *Saint Lucia 1623–1883 Saint Kitts (Saint Kitts & Nevis)* 1624–1966 *Barbados 1625–1650 Saint Croix 1627–1979 *St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1628–1883 Nevis (Saint Kitts & Nevis)* 1629–1641 St. Andrew and Providence Islands³ since 1632 Montserrat 1632–1860 Antigua (Antigua & Barbuda)* 1643–1860 Bay Islands since 1650 Anguilla 1651–1667 Willoughbyland (Suriname) 1655–1850 Mosquito Coast (protectorate) 1655–1962 *Jamaica since 1666 British Virgin Islands since 1670 Cayman Islands 1670–1973 *Bahamas 1670–1688 St. Andrew and Providence Islands³ 1671–1816 Leeward Islands 18th century 1762–1974 *Grenada 1763–1978 Dominica since 1799 Turks and Caicos Islands	19th century 1831–1966 British Guiana (Guyana) 1833–1960 Windward Islands 1833–1960 Leeward Islands 1860–1981 *Antigua and Barbuda 1871–1964 British Honduras (Belize)* 1882–1983 *St. Kitts and Nevis 1889–1962 Trinidad and Tobago	20th century 1958–1962 West Indies Federation
³ Now the San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia

Africa

18th century 1792–1961 Sierra Leone 1795–1803 Cape Colony	19th century 1806–1910 Cape Colony 1816–1965 Gambia 1856–1910 Natal 1868–1966 Basutoland (Lesotho) 1874–1957 Gold Coast (Ghana) 1882–1922 Egypt 1884–1966 Bechuanaland (Botswana) 1884–1960 British Somaliland 1887–1897 Zululand 1888–1894 Matabeleland 1890–1980 Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) 1890–1962 Uganda 1890–1963 Zanzibar (Tanzania) 1891–1964 Nyasaland (Malawi) 1891–1907 British Central Africa 1893–1968 Swaziland 1895–1920 British East Africa 1899–1956 Anglo-Egyptian Sudan	20th century 1900–1914 Northern Nigeria 1900–1914 Southern Nigeria 1900–1910 Orange River Colony 1906–1954 Nigeria Colony 1910–1931 South Africa 1911–1964 Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) 1914–1954 Nigeria Protectorate 1915–1931 South West Africa (Namibia) 1919–1960 Cameroons (Cameroon) ⁴ 1920–1963 Kenya 1922–1961 Tanganyika (Tanzania) ⁴ 1954–1960 Nigeria since 1965 British Indian Ocean Territory
⁴ League of Nations mandate

Asia

18th century 1757–1947 Bengal (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh) 1762–1764 Philippines 1786-1826 Penang 1795–1948 Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1796–1965 Maldives	19th century 1819–1826 Singapore 1826–1946 Straits Settlements 1839–1967 Aden Colony 1841–1997 Hong Kong 1841–1941 Kingdom of Sarawak 1848–1946 Labuan 1858–1947 British India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma) 1882–1946 British North Borneo 1885–1946 Unfederated Malay States 1891–1971 Muscat and Oman protectorate 1892–1971 Trucial States protectorate 1895–1946 Federated Malay States 1898–1930 Weihai Garrison	20th century 1918–1961 Kuwait protectorate 1920–1932 Iraq⁴ 1921–1946 Transjordan⁴ 1923–1948 Palestine⁴ 1946–1948 Malayan Union 1946–1963 Sarawak (Malaysia) 1946–1963 North Borneo (Malaysia) 1948–1957 Federation of Malaya (Malaysia)
⁴ League of Nations mandate

Oceania

18th century 1788–1901 New South Wales 1794–1843 Sandwich Islands (Hawaii)	19th century 1803–1901 Van Diemen's Land / Tasmania 1807–1863 Auckland Islands⁶ 1824–1980 New Hebrides (Vanuatu) 1824–1901 Queensland 1829–1901 Swan River Colony / Western Australia 1836–1901 South Australia since 1838 Pitcairn Islands 1840–1907 *Colony of New Zealand 1850–1901 Victoria (Australia) 1874–1970 Fiji⁵ 1877–1976 British Western Pacific Territories 1884–1949 Territory of Papua 1888–1965 Cook Islands⁶ 1888–1984 Sultanate of Brunei 1889–1948 Union Islands (Tokelau)⁶ 1892–1979 Gilbert and Ellice Islands⁷ 1893–1978 British Solomon Islands⁸	20th century 1900–1970 Tonga (protected state) 1900–1974 Niue⁶ 1901–1942 *Commonwealth of Australia 1907–1953 *Dominion of New Zealand 1919–1949 Territory of New Guinea 1949–1975 Territory of Papua and New Guinea⁹
⁵ Suspended member ⁶ Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand ⁷ Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu ⁸ Now the *Solomon Islands ⁹ Now *Papua New Guinea

Antarctica and South Atlantic

17th century since 1659 St. Helena	19th century since 1815 Ascension Island⁹ since 1816 Tristan da Cunha⁹ since 1833 Falkland Islands¹¹	20th century since 1908 British Antarctic Territory¹⁰ since 1908 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands^10, 11
⁹ Dependencies of St. Helena since 1922 (Ascension Island) and 1938 (Tristan da Cunha) ¹⁰ Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands) ¹¹ Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April–June 1982

Things to do

Here are some tasks awaiting attention:

Cleanup : 1857 War of Independence in Murree
Expand : No Independence Before Majority African Rule
NPOV : The Two Babylons
Stubs : Charles George Baker
Verify : All Red Line
Wikify : John Fendall, Jr.

British overseas territories


Anguilla	Bermuda	British Antarctic Territory	British Indian Ocean Territory	British Virgin Islands	Cayman Islands	Falkland Islands


Gibraltar	Montserrat	Pitcairn Islands	Saint Helena	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Turks and Caicos Islands