English Colonial Empire: Map & History
English Colonial Empire is mapped in the atlas for 1609 CE – 1779 CE, with a peak mapped extent of about 227,770 km².
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The English overseas possessions, sometimes referred to as the English Empire, comprised a variety of overseas territories and colonies that were conquered or otherwise acquired by the Kingdom of England before 1707 when the Acts of Union joined England with the Kingdom of Scotland and created of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Formerly Scots were excluded from English overseas possessions, but following 1707 they could participate in the expanding British Empire.
Modern Countries Once Part of English Colonial Empire
At its mapped extent, English Colonial Empire covered territory in 8 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Belize1670–1712 CE · nearly all
- Bermuda1609–1712 CE · nearly all
- United States Virgin Islands1626–1712 CE · nearly all
- Jamaica1659–1712 CE · most
- Suriname1653–1669 CE · a large part
- Bahamas1673–1712 CE · a large part
- United States1622–1712 CE · a small part
- India1662–1761 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside English Colonial Empire's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
English Colonial Empire in Depth
Origins
The Kingdom of England is generally dated from the rule of Æthelstan from 927. During the rule of the House of Knýtlinga, from 1013 to 1014 and 1016 to 1042, England was part of a personal union that included domains in Scandinavia. In 1066, William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, conquered England, making the Duchy a Crown land of the English throne. Through the remainder of the Middle Ages the kings of England held extensive territories in France, based on their history in this Duchy. Under the Angevin Empire, England formed part of a collection of lands in the British Isles and France held by the Plantagenet dynasty. The collapse of this dynasty led to the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) between England and France.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: English overseas possessions (CC BY-SA 4.0).
English Colonial Empire: Key Facts
Succeeded by
Facts from Wikidata Q617219 (CC0).
English Colonial Empire Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which English Colonial Empire appears, with the other states of the time.
English Colonial Empire Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 227,770 km² in 1707 CE.
English Colonial Empire: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the English Colonial Empire exist?
The English Colonial Empire is dated to 1609 CE – 1779 CE, in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
How large was the English Colonial Empire at its peak?
At its peak in 1707 the English Colonial Empire covered about 227,770 km².
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Raigad