The British Empire was once the largest empire in history, controlling vast territories across every continent. But how did the British manage to rule the world for centuries? This video explores the ...

In recent years, Elkins has broadened the scope of her inquiries beyond Kenya, publishing a new book in March called “Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire.” I spoke to Elkins ...

The sun is setting — literally, this time — on the British Empire. That’s the upshot of Prime Minister Starmer’s handover of the Chagos Islands to Britain’s former Indian Ocean colony, Mauritius.

At the height of the British Empire, just after the First World War, an island smaller than Kansas controlled roughly a quarter of the world’s population and landmass. To the architects of this ...

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II last week, online users are calling for the British government to surrender artifacts obtained by the British Empire, including the Kohinoor diamond — one ...

Save guides, add subjects and pick up where you left off with your BBC account. The British Empire began in the late 1500s under Queen Elizabeth I. By 1913 the empire had grown to rule over 400 ...

Abacus; £25 Imperial Island: A History of Empire in Modern Britain. By Charlotte Lydia Riley. Bodley Head; 384 pages; £25 The British Empire was and is many things to many people: a civilising ...