Empire vs. Kingdom

Main Difference

The main difference between Empire and Kingdom is that Empire is a group of countries or states ruled by a single ruler or a state, whereas the Kingdom is a country ruled by a King or Queen.

Difference Between Empire and Kingdom

Comparison Chart

Empire vs. Kingdom

Empire is a group of states or countries ruled by a single ruler, the ruler of the empire is called Emperor or Empress; on the other hand, the kingdom is a country ruled by a King or Queen. The population of an empire is more than a kingdom. The geographical area of an empire is greater than a kingdom as it consists of a collection of states.
In an empire, the culture, language, and religion of the dominating nation are followed; on the contrary, the culture, language, and religion of a kingdom are mostly the same as they are a nation. In an empire, the Emperor gains monarchy by conquering the weak areas and ruling them; on the opposite side, in a kingdom, a King is made either through hierarchy or selection by the public. Empire is generally more powerful than a kingdom, as its geographical area is vast.

An empire normally has a single ruler, whereas a kingdom has one or more rulers. The purpose of making an empire is to make the mother country strong and benefiting the ruled countries as well; conversely, a kingdom has the purpose of making itself prosperous and moving ahead of others.
To make a powerful empire, the dominating nation must be very strong, whereas, in a kingdom, the ruler himself must be very powerful. Roman empire, Mughal empire, and the British empire are examples of empire; conversely, United States, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia are examples of the kingdom.

What is Empire?

An empire is a state of ruler acting as a head over many countries and states. The territories under control may be close to the ruling country or far away. Empires formed when there are no cultural, religious, and ethnic differences among countries.

Empire also refers to a group of companies controlled by a boss or a political group controlled by ahead. Such kinds of empires may be in direct control of a single member, or he may have subordinates of small units who control them.

For a country to rule on other states, it must be politically and economically powerful and should work for the common interests. The ruling country must have a strong military hold overall. An empire expanded over land and seaways. For an empire to be strong and powerful, there must be inequality in power. The ruling state should be more powerful than the ruled.

Examples of empires in history are Roman empires, the Maratha empire, the Mughal empire, the British empire, the Athenian empire, and the French empire. These empires were formed as a result of defeat in war as it was a tradition to overpower the weak. The powerful emperors took over the weak areas nearby them and forced monarchy over them. All generally follow the religion, culture, ethics, and traditions of the conquerer. Imperialism is the term used for this process. Imperialism means to conquer other areas and take advantage of for the prosperity of the motherland. Usually, an emperor is more broad-minded as he also accepts the norms of other nations.

What is Kingdom?

The kingdom is a country ruled by a King or Queen. Nowadays, kingship is a very rare, mostly democratic system that exists throughout the world. Kingship is acquired either through family i.e., the next male member in line becomes a King, or the people select a King. Mostly queens are made when there is a male heir or successor who is too young to be a King.

A kingdom normally being ruled by a single King is also called monarchy. A kingdom ruled by more than two Kings is called oligarchy. Sometimes the ruler has full control over the country, and sometimes the ruler keeps away from decision making, and it is the task of the government to make legislation.

In the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Nepal, and Spain, there are constitutional governments. The King or Queen does not take part in making any kind of decision for the kingdom. The government is there for this purpose. In Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait, there is proper kingship, and no concept of government exists there.

The kingdom is usually a small geographic region as compared to the empire. It based on the same area of land. It is a self-contained system and has it’s own economic, educational, language, and political structure. For a kingdom to be powerful, it must have a strong military force. The economy is another factor that makes kingship strong. A kingdom is based on a single nation, so it has the same norms, traditions, religious, and cultural values.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it concluded that an empire is much larger and more powerful as compared to the kingdom.