Evolution of the British Empire

This is a list of the various territories that have been under the political control of the United Kingdom and its predecessor states.

The Kingdom of Great Britain was formed in 1707 by the union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland; in 1801 the Kingdom of Ireland joined this Union to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; in 1922 most of Ireland gained independence and in 1927 the formal name of the Union was changed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to reflect this. Collectively, the territories under the control of these states are traditionally referred to as the British Empire.

From 1876 to 1947, the monarch of the United Kingdom was formally designated as Empress or Emperor of India, a title created by the UK Parliament. Currently, Elizabeth II is the monarch of sixteen Commonwealth realms.

The natures of the administration of the Empire changed both by time and place. Most were fully integrated territorial possessions of the United Kingdom, after the First World War there were also several mandates granted by the League of Nations.

Types of control

The natures of the administration of the Empire changed both by time and place, but its various territories as they existed in the 1920s (the time of its greatest territorial extent) can be fairly easily grouped into the following categories:

• The United Kingdom itself, made up of England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland (Northern Ireland only from 1922 onwards after...... ...
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