what emperor had the most successful reign of power?

Question

throughout history

Answer 1

oh for goodness sake. Alexander the Great and Ghengis khan are the two most overrated rulers in history.

At least Alexander could say that he conquered the richest and largest empire that the world had yet seen, with only 30,000 men. Ghengis Khan conquered what? desolate steppes. He smacked into Europe like it was a brick wall.

Neither of them were able to build a realm that lasted beyond their own death. both realms evaporated and fragmented. That makes them, at best, simple (albiet talented) warlords. Nothing more.

If you want to talk empires of size, the Mongol and Macedonian Empires were small fries compared to the later British Empire.

When I think of most successful emperors, two figures stand out in my mind:

Caesar Augustus, and Qin Shi Huang

Caesar Augustus was able to put a stop to decades of internecine conflict. He established the Pax Romana, a period of peace which lasted for over 2 centuries. TWO CENTURIES without a major military conflict. He established a highway patrol system to keep the streets safe, and commissioned vast numbers of public works that directly benefitted the people. He had the complete loyalty of the army, and was perhaps the most beloved emperor in the history of Rome. All for a man who wore the robes of a priest in public and lived in a modest house.

Qin Shi Haung is the reason there is something that we call "China". There was a point in time when this realm was just as fragmented as Europe was. Qin Shi Haung not only united it politically, but culturally as well. The reason there is a Chinese language, and the reason the great wall exists, is because of this man. His influence can be felt to this day.

EDIT: The Mongol Empire fragmented after Khan's death, divided amongst his grandsons. After the Mongol Empire disintegrated, the only thing that was left was dust, and bad memories. There is a saying amongst the slavic people "At least the Islamics gave us Algebra". The mongols left nothing of value behind, no legacy, just bad memories. A poster below mentions Queen Victoria, and I would deem her VASTLY superior to Ghengis Khan. Khan couldn't lick the soles of her feet.

And while the Qin dynasty itself did not have any permanence, you can not deny the First Emperor of China played a pivotal role in the cementation of China as a unified people. The inheritor of the Qin Dynasty, the Han dynasty, which reigned for over 400 years, and are generally considered to be the most illustrious in China's history. China would never consider itself as divided, the way Europe does, after its unification under Qin Shi Haung. He is controversial for his tyranny, but almost universally accepted by historians as the grand unifier of China.

Answer 2

Well I'm going to assume that succesful means the actual reign of the emperor. So ghengis khan and Alexander are legitimate. Augustus is probably better becuase not only was he extremely successful, he also created a system that lasted another 350 years after his death (1400 years if you count the byzantine empire). Others that can be considered: Ivan III of Russia, Charlamagne, Ashoka, Tamerlane, Elizabeth I, Phillip II. Go back further and look at guys like Sargon, and the rulers of the early of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Those guys wrote the Mongols playbook. Look up these guys on Wikipedia and decide for yourself. Good luck!

Answer 3

I put forth the name of Suliman the Magnificent, Emperor of the Ottoman Empire who ruled for 52 years. It may have been the last time in history that Jews, Christians and Muslims lived in peace within the Middle East, even though it was an enforced peace.

Answer 4

Genghis Khan:

The Mongol Empire (1206–1405) was the largest contiguous empire in history, covering over 33 million km² (12 million square miles) at its zenith, with an estimated population of over 100 million people. Only the British Empire covered more land area (about 10% more), making it the second largest empire ever recorded in documents. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan in 1206, and at its height, it encompassed the majority of the territories from East Asia to Eastern Europe.

To the poster above:

The Mongol Empire lasted 200 years.
The empire of Qin Shi Huang broke up shortly after his death.

Answer 5

I think I'm going to have to go with Stalin. While not technically an emperor, his power was certainly more imperial than many kings and such. Absolute peace through absolute terror. Upping the ante and being responsible for 33 million deaths of your own people and still retaining their loyalty (or else!) speaks volumes.

Answer 6

Genghis Khan.....

The Mongol Empire (Mongolian: Монголын Эзэнт Гүрэн, Mongolyn Ezent Güren; 1206–1405) was the largest contiguous empire in history, covering over 33 million km² (12 million square miles) at its zenith, with an estimated population of over 100 million people. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan in 1206, and at its height, it encompassed the majority of the territories from East Asia to Eastern Europe.

Mongol Empire included large parts of Asia and parts of Europe as far west as Moscow and Kiev. Mongols killed millions and subjugated hundreds of millions even though their army probably never exceeded 250,000. Part of their success was due to alliances made with Turkic and other Asian nomads.

It started out as a Mongol Nation of unified Central Asian confederations such as Mongols, Naimans, Uyghurs, Merkits under Genghis Khan, but was territorially expanded after numerous outward conquests against China, Middle East and European regions under multiple Khans and Khagans. After unifying the Mongol and Turkic tribes, the Empire expanded through numerous conquests throughout continental Eurasia starting with the conquests of the Western Xia in north China and the Khwarezmid Empire in Iran.

Answer 7

Marcus Aurelius. A philosopher king who also managed to reign during the most peaceful period of the Roman empire.

Military conquest is not the only measure of greatness.

Answer 8

Why be so sexist? Queen Victoria was an Empress, the sun never set on her Empire and the technological changes overseen by her were greater than in any other age.

Answer 9

Frederick I of Prussia

Answer 10

Can I suggest you try and Empress? Katherine the Great, who made Russia what it was