From an enemy of Rome famous for its war elephants to a state made up of warrior tribes here
are 9 destroyed countries and empires that no longer exist!
9.
North Sea Empire
Toward the end of the Viking Age, the kingdoms of England, Denmark, and Norway united to
form the Norse-ruled North Sea Empire, also known as the Anglo-Scandinavian Empire.
This was a thalassocracy, which means a state that has control over a large expanse of sea.
It was first united under Sweyn Forkbeard, king of both Sweden and Denmark, who conquered
England in 1013.
But he died the following year, and everything broke up into fragments.
Forkbeard’s son, Cnut the Great, quickly resumed his father’s work and conquered
England in 1016.
Two years later, he acquired Denmark, and in 1028, Cnut conquered Norway.
During this time, he nearly became the most powerful ruler in western Europe, second only
to the Holy Roman Emperor.
Cnut promoted the interests of the church, gaining such favor among European’s Christian
rulers that no other Scandinavian king had ever achieved.
He also traveled frequently, indicating that he had a tight grip on his rule over England
while leaving Denmark under the control of his regents.
In the years leading up to his death, Cnut made plans for different sons to inherit factions
of his empire, suggesting that he had not deliberately united them in the first place
and did not necessarily plan for them to remain under one ruler.
He probably realized how hard that would be!!
Consequently, the empire immediately collapsed when Cnut died in 1035.
Five years later, his Danish successor Harthacnut inherited England and ruled it until he died
suddenly in 1042.
Then, Magnus of Norway conquered Denmark with plans to do the same in England, but was quickly
ejected from Denmark, marking the end of the North Sea Empire.
8.
Carthage
Ancient Carthage, also known as the Punic Republic, was an informal federation of Phoenician
city-states that dominated parts of North Africa and modern Spain.
As one of the longest-lived and largest states in the ancient Mediterranean, the powerful
empire lasted from 575 B.C. to 146 B.C.
Its constant state of struggle with the Roman Republic is what ultimately led to its downfall
in a series of conflicts known as the Punic Wars.
It was during the Second Punic War that the Carthaginian general Hannibal, considered
one of history’s greatest military minds, commanded the empire’s main forces against
Rome.
The Carthaginian Republic fell at the end of the Third Punic War in the Battle of Carthage,
when Roman forces led by general Scipio Aemilianus rebounded from years of defeat under Hannibal.
The Romans laid siege to the kingdom’s capital city, Carthage, in a campaign of all-out destruction,
burning Phoenician warships and buildings and enslaving as many as 50,000 residents,
and in the process ending Carthaginian power for good.
After Carthage was reduced to rubble, the majority of its colonies were annexed to the
Roman Empire.
7.
East Germany
In 1949, East Germany (or the German Democratic Republic/GDR) became a Soviet satellite state
as part of the Potsdam Agreement, which divided up conquered territories among the Allies
after the Second World War.
Basically Germany was split in half, and even though people were from the same country,
they became isolated.
If your family was on the other side of the line, it was very difficult to even see them!
While Soviet forces remained present throughout the Cold War, East Germany was officially
governed by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED).
Marxist-Leninist teachings and the Russian language were core requirements of the educational
system.
In what’s known as a centrally planned economy, most of the country’s infrastructure was
state-owned.
Instead of letting supply and demand determine prices, the government controlled and heavily
subsidized the costs of basic goods and services.
While affordable living might sound great in theory, many people found the policies
of the self-described “workers’ and peasants’ state” to be suffocating.
Those in western Germany, and the western world in general, considered East Germany
to be the product of a controlling Communist regime.
The country’s television, radio, film, and music industries were state-run, giving the
government nearly complete control over people’s access to information.
Citizens also had extremely limited job options and access to material wealth, and people
began leaving the country for places with more freedom and better opportunities.
The exodus threatened to weaken East Germany’s economy, so the government built the Berlin
Wall in 1961.
This would now be the restrictive border that was patrolled constantly.
Those caught attempting to flee were often shot to death, killed by landmines, or imprisoned
for long periods of time.
But the desire for reunification with West Germany continued to grow over time as the
East German government faced mounting debts and food shortages due to rising costs.
With as many as five million activists campaigning for freedom by late 1989, officials drew up
a phased plan to loosen travel and emigration restrictions in hopes of appeasing the growing
unrest and unhappiness against the authoritarian government.
A spokesperson mistakenly announced that the changes were effective immediately, and citizens
flocked to the border in throngs to await passage into West Germany.
Aware that the Communist bloc needed reform and knowing the amount of force it would take
to stop the crowd, with some people already climbing over and hammering away at the Berlin
Wall, authorities finally opened the barrier.
The historic event marked the beginning of the Iron Curtain’s fall and the reunification
of East and West Germany.
6.
Merina Kingdom
Located off the southeast African coast, the Merina Kingdom controlled much of the island
of Madagascar.
It was also called the Kingdom of Madagascar and was officially known as the Kingdom of
Imerina.
According to legend, the first Merina king, Andrianerinerina, descended from heaven to
rule over the Vazimba people, whose presence in the Malagasy central highlands dates as
far back as the third century.
There are no known written records of what went on within the empire prior to the 16th
century, leaving historians with limited knowledge of its rulers until that point.
The Merina Kingdom had been around for a very long time!!
The rulers were descendants of a very long line of Merina royalty and while the British
and the Portuguese and the French were trying to conquer and split up Africa, this empire
held strong and also wanted to expand and consolidate their power.
King Radama in 1817 had formalized a diplomatic agreement with the British.
He would abolish slavery in exchange for British weapons and military training.
That way they could rule the entire island of Madagascar.
However he died, and his Queen decided that she was NOT interested in being friends with
ANY European power.
Madagascar would decide it’s own affairs and the British could stuff it.
The problem was that she was a hard core ruler.
There was forced labor as tax, where people had to work by force to build public works
projects and work as soldiers.
There was constant warfare, disease, hunger, and instead of a judge and jury, if someone
was accused of a crime they had to eat a poisonous nut.
If they survived, they were innocent.
But a lot of people died.
Records show that during this time the population was reduced by HALF.
Her enemies spread rumors that she was a tyrant and probably insane!!
People at court started to disagree with the queen, and perhaps the Europeans weren’t
so bad.
Foreign powers decided to become friends with other people at court, for example her son,
Prince Radama II.
The French tried to get rid of the Queen but were unsuccessful.
She died in her sleep in 1861, after naming her son as successor.
He converted to Christianity and ruled for just 3 years, allowing the European powers
to come back in and exploit the land and resources for a price.
He was murdered in secret but this paved the way for the French to come in by force.
They invaded Madagascar in 1883 in what became known as the First Franco-Hova War.
Following the conflict, France officially annexed Madagascar on January 1, 1896.
They exiled the last Merina Queen, Ranavalona II, to Réunion Island and then French Algeria.
It was the end.
And now for number 5, but first wanted to give a big shout out to cookiebarsxtreme and
Koda Suggs, thanks so much for letting us be a part of your daily routine and for hanging
out with us!!
If you are new here be sure to subscribe and join the Origins Explained family!!
5.
VOLGA BULGARIA
Named for the semi-nomadic warrior tribes called the Bulgars, who lived in what is now
European Russia between the seventh and 13th centuries, Volga Bulgaria was a multi-ethnic
state situated near the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers.
It came to dominate trade between the Arab, Norse, and Avar groups during its time, owing
to its strategic location.
Because there are no surviving authentic firsthand records of Volga Bulgaria, experts know very
little about it.
And it's really confusing!!Their information comes mainly from contemporary sources and
what little they’ve found through archaeological excavations.
Although Volga Bulgaria was primarily a Turkic Bulgar state, researchers believe that it
was originally settled by Finno-Ugric peoples, which consisted of groups from northeastern
Europe, North Asia, and the Carpathian Basin in Central Europe.
Who learned this in history class?
Anyone?
Not me!!
In 632, a man named Kubrat (who had been raised in Constantinople, converted to Christianity
and became a good friend of Emperor Heraclius) led a revolt against the Avars and Gokturks,
establishing control over most of the Bulgar tribes and creating what the later Byzantine
authors called “Old Great Bulgaria”.
It was located in modern Eastern Ukraine and Southern Russia.
The Bulgars entered the area that became Volga Bulgaria as they migrated across Europe and
became subject to the semi-nomadic Khazarian Khaganate.
There were many tribes here, like the Huns, the Goths, the Magyars, the Slavs.
Kubrat tried to unify them all and left the area to his 5 sons.
They had other ideas and each went with a different tribe.
Some Bulgars went north, some south, and developed relationships with the Finno-Ugrian, the Balkan
Slavs, and the Romans and Byzantines.
During the late ninth century, Volga Bulgaria became unified and established the capital
at Bolghar (Bulgar) city.
It achieved complete independence in the 10th century, during which time the state adopted
Islam.
Leading up to the Crusades, Volga Bulgaria controlled much of the trade between Europe
and Asia and enjoyed great power.
Its only real military threat, the Rus’ principalities to the west, committed numerous
raids throughout the 11th century that devastated the country.
Volga Bulgaria was further weakened by the rulers of Vladimir, who systematically pillaged
its cities.
But its ultimate decline came in 1236 at the hands of the Mongols, who invaded while the
country was already destabilized by internal warfare.
Volga Bulgars split into two communities based on their religion, the Christians and the
Muslims making it easy for invaders to tear them apart.
4.
KINGDOM OF AYUTTHAYA
Founded in 1350 by King Uthong (Ramathibodi) in what is now Thailand during the decline
of the Khmer Empire, the Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya became a major power in Southeast
Asia.
During its early days, the empire was governed by familial connections under what’s called
the mandala system.
Over the next four hundred years, Ayutthaya expanded to form the nation of Siam, encountering
its fair share of obstacles along the way.
Ayutthaya fell for the first time in 1569 to Burmese invaders, but the state rebounded
and expanded shortly thereafter under King Naresuan.
During the 17th century, the kingdom established itself as a center of international trade
and became extremely rich and extravagant, rivaling the wealth of some European nations
at its height.
With far-reaching trade relations with the Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indians, Persians,
Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and French, Ayutthaya was known for being friendly toward its trade
partners and even allowed them to establish villages outside the walls of the self-named
capital.
The empire experienced a golden age during the first half of the 18th century, which
emphasized the value of literature, art, and learning in general.
But these glory days were short-lived, and Ayutthaya’s final years were marked by declining
trade and bloody warfare.
A 40,000-strong Burmese army invaded Ayutthaya in 1766, embarking on a 14-month campaign
of all-out destruction and leaving the capital and major cities in ruins.
The majority of Ayutthaya’s art treasures, literature, and historical records were destroyed
as its four-century rule came to a permanent end.
Despite their sweeping defeat, the Burmese only ruled Ayutthaya for a few months until
their Chinese adversaries closed in on the region, forcing them to withdraw.
3.
Empire Of Trebizond
From 1204 to 1461, the Empire of Trebizond, also called the Trapezuntine Empire, existed
as an offshoot of the Byzantine Empire on a narrow strip of land situated along the
Black Sea’s southern coast.
Founded by brothers Alexios and David Komnenos, the last surviving male descendants of the
deposed Byzantine Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos, Trebizond was initially not very powerful
in its own right.
Instead, it got by mostly through diplomacy; the generosity of foreign rulers, like Queen
Tamar of Georgia, and the inadvertent benefits of conflicts involving surrounding states,
like the Mongol invasion of the region that advantageously diverted the Silk Road to Trebizond.
That's convenient!!
The empire’s power and stability peaked in the early 14th century under the long-running
rule of Alexios II Megas Komnenos.
Following his death, Trebizon erupted into years of civil war that saw seven rulers,
including child emperors, between 1330 and 1349.
The kingdom restabilized under Alexios III and enjoyed great wealth and power as a trading
hub while maintaining its reputation for exemplary diplomacy by keeping amicable ties with other
rulers.
The practice of marrying off Trapezuntine princesses, who were famous for their beauty
and came with large dowries, to powerful neighboring states helped to “keep the peace.”
Trebizond collapsed in just a month’s time during the mid-15th century at the hands of
the Ottomans.
It was the last surviving faction of the Byzantine Empire.
2.
Mughal Empire
Founded in 1526 by a warrior chieftain named Babur with the help of the Safavid and Ottoman
empires, the Mughal Empire was a Muslim dynasty that eventually grew to control much of the
Indian subcontinent and part of Afghanistan.
Unusually tolerant for its time, the kingdom had a diverse elite class, and rulers generally
refrained from suppressing their mostly Hindu subjects and their cultures.
Its economy was supported largely by agricultural taxes and the currency was well-regulated,
enabling peasants and artisans to enter larger markets.
It was the Mughal Empire’s ability to maintain relative peace within its confines that facilitated
its economic expansion during the 17th century.
Meanwhile, the growing European presence in the Indian Ocean resulted in an increased
demand for raw products from India, and the Mughal Empire’s wealth grew even more.
As the kingdom became richer, its elites enjoyed greater access to luxuries like literature,
artwork, architecture, and textiles.
But money eventually began to run out and the emperor’s authority was weakened as
he found himself unable to pay many of his high-ranking officials.
The military lost its morale amid their exhausting rivalry with more violent opponents, and internal
political feuds further weakened the dynasty.
Additionally, the decline of religious tolerance and the desire among European merchants and
governments to dip their hand into Mughal wealth rapidly destabilized the empire, and
by 1750, the dynasty was in the throes of a major crisis.
As elites increasingly sought to establish independent control over their affairs, attempts
were made to reverse the decline of the fragmenting Mughal empire.
But these efforts failed, and the British East India Company stepped in to “protect”
the kingdom from its adversaries, marking the beginning of the colonial era.
The last Mughal emperor was deposed in 1858, at which point the British took full control
of India.
1.
Kingdom Of Hawai’i
Most people know of Hawai’i as a U.S. state, but many do not realize that it was once an
independent country.
The Kingdom of Hawai’i originated on Hawaii’s big island in 1795 under the warrior chief
Kamehameha the Great, who went on to conquer the islands of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai.
In 1810, the islands of Kauai and Nihau voluntarily joined the Hawaiian kingdom, effectively unifying
the archipelago.
Major European powers recognized the kingdom, which was ruled by two dynastic families known
as the House of Kamehameha and the House of Kalākaua.
Meanwhile, the U.S. became Hawaii’s biggest trade partner and protected the kingdom from
potential invasions and conquest by other powers.
In 1887, a crowd of 3,000 residents and armed militia pressured King Kalākaua to sign a
new constitution drafted by his Interior Minister.
When his sister Liliʻuokalani took the throne in 1891 amid an economic crisis stemming from
U.S.-imposed trade tariffs that hurt Hawaii’s sugar exporters, she announced plans to abolish
the 1887 constitution and implement a new one.
Angry at the proposed changes, local businessmen and politicians, including some Americans,
overthrew Queen Lili’uokalani and her cabinet and took over the Hawaiian government in 1893.
The U.S. quickly established an official presence in Hawaii, and Liliʻuokalani formally surrendered
the throne under pressure to sign a five page document ceding her power in exchange for
sparing her supporters from execution.
Thanks for watching!!
Which country or kingdom was your favorite??
If you’d like to learn about more countries that no longer exist, let me know in the comments
below, and be sure to subscribe.
Bye for now!