British Empire

(proper noun)

The United Kingdom, together with its dominions, colonies, dependencies, trust territories, and protectorates became the Commonwealth of Nations following the independence of many of its constituent countries.

Related Terms

Examples of British Empire in the following topics:

  • Indian Architecture under British Imperialism

    • The establishment of the British Empire greatly influenced the architecture and culture of India and lead to a fusion of styles and techniques.
    • The establishment of the British Empire in the 18th century laid the foundation for modern India's contact with the West.
    • Public and government buildings, such as clock towers, courthouses, municipal buildings, colleges, and town halls, were often rendered on an intentionally grand scale, reflecting and promoting a notion of an invincible British Empire.
    • The Victoria Memorial in Calcutta is another symbol of the British Empire, built as a monument in tribute to Queen Victoria’s reign.
    • Summarize the changes that took place in Indian architecture during the establishment of the British Empire

  • Conclusion: Patterns of British Settlement in the Colonies

    • The 18th century witnessed the birth of Great Britain (after the union of England and Scotland in 1707) and the expansion of the British Empire.
    • Its economic sway ranged from India, where the British East India Company had gained control over both trade and territory, to the West African coast, where British slave traders predominated, and to the British West Indies, whose lucrative sugar plantations, especially in Barbados and Jamaica, provided windfall profits for British planters.
    • Anglo-American colonists considered themselves part of the British Empire in all ways—politically, militarily, religiously (as Protestants), intellectually, and racially.
    • Slavery formed a cornerstone of the British Empire in the 18th century.
    • Successful and well-to-do, they display fashions, hairstyles, and furnishings that all speak to their identity as proud and loyal British subjects.

  • Conclusion: The Consequences of the British Parliamentary Acts

    • An increasing tide of unrest rose in the British American colonies from 1763-1774 as the British government imposed a series of imperial reform measures.
    • Each step the British took, however, generated a backlash.
    • Over time, imperial reforms pushed many colonists toward separation from the British Empire.
    • The British Empire had gained supremacy in North America with its victory over the French in 1763.
    • While the architects of the Stamp Act saw the measure as a way to defray the costs of the British Empire, it nonetheless gave rise to the first major colonial protest against British imperial control as expressed in the famous slogan “no taxation without representation.”

  • The Expansion of England's Empire

    • The English, and later the British, were among the most important colonizers of the Americas.
    • Three types of colonies existed in the British Empire in America during the height of its power in the eighteenth century.
    • In effect, with the Union they became British colonies.
    • British colonies in North America, 1763 to 1775, published in 1911.
    • This map depicts the North American holdings of the British Empire in the 17th Century.

  • Indian Painting under British Imperialism

    • Under British Imperialism, painting in India took on many western characteristics throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.
    • British colonial rule had a great impact on Indian art.
    • Old patrons of art became less wealthy and influential, and Western art more ubiquitous as the British Empire established schools of art in major cities, such as the Bombay Art Society in 1888.
    • By 1858, the British government took over the task of administration of India under the British Raj, and the fusion of Indian traditions with European style at this time is evident in a great deal of the artwork from this period.
    • Discuss the effects the arrival of the British Empire had on Indian painting

  • British Taxes and Colonial Grievances

    • After the French and Indian War, the British needed to find a way to repay war debt.
    • In 1764, George Grenville became the British Chancellor of the Exchequer.
    • Merchants threatened to boycott British products.
    • The colonists who resented the advantages given to British companies dumped British tea overboard in the Boston Tea Party in December of 1773 .
    • Discuss the nature of the grievances over the British empire's taxes on the colonies

  • Unifying Experiences among the Colonies

    • British culture, styles, commerce, and society forged ties between residents of the different colonies.
    • Although the colonies were very different from one another, they were still a part of the British Empire in more than just name.
    • To many of their inhabitants, the seaport cities of colonial America were truly British cities.
    • The relations between the British military establishment and the colonists were not always positive, setting the stage for later distrust and dislike of British troops.
    • The British and colonists triumphed jointly over a common foe.

  • The War's Aftermath

    • British losses in the war were about 1,600 killed in action and 3,679 wounded; 3,321 British died from disease.
    • The War of 1812 was a 32-month military conflict between the United States and the British Empire and their allies which resulted in no territorial change, but a resolution of many issues remaining from the American War of Independence.
    • British losses in the war were about 1,600 killed in action and 3,679 wounded; 3,321 British died from disease.
    • The British settled some of the newly freed slaves in Nova Scotia.
    • American fears of the Indians ended, as did British plans to create a buffer Indian state.

  • Empires in Conflict

    • The British and the Dutch vied over the colony of New Netherland, the British and the Spanish fought the War of Jenkins' Ear, and the British and the French fought in a series of wars that concluded in 1763 with the French and Indian War.
    • The Spanish became suspicious that British ships were overreaching, and began boarding and seizing British ships.
    • The expedition never materialized, but the British did supply their allies with firearms, which the Tallapoosas used in their siege of Pensacola.
    • The war ended with a British victory in 1713.
    • France was required to recognize British authority over the Iroquois.

  • Mughal Empire

    • The Mughal Empire spanned most of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th-19th centuries and contributed greatly to the Indian fine arts.
    • He also opened relations with the British East India Company.
    • In 1739, a weakened Mughal Empire was defeated in battle by the conqueror Nader Shah, ruler of Iran, and continued to exist with only the most nominal power until 1857, when the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II, was overthrown by the British Raj.
    • The Taj Mahal is one of the finest examples of Indian architecture under the Mughal Empire.
    • Discuss the rise and fall, as well as the contributions, of the Mughal Empire.