In History who failed by having too much land...?

Question

Im looking for empires or governments that failed because they spread to too much land and their government and sources were spread too thin to be able to maintain control. I have used examples such as Alexander the Great and the greek society after him, and Ive used the Roman Republic, but what others happened after them?

Answer 1

Ghengis Khans Empire was pretty interesting, and his descendant Kublai Khan doubled its size, making it the largest landlocked empire in history. It eventually fell apart through a combination of infighting and an inability to control the enormous territory it spanned. One advantage they did have though was the ability to put down rebellions in short order as the mongols were a cavalry based military force, able to travel great distances at speed. This allowed a single centralised force to control a large area. The British Empire might be another example, but it didn't collapse due to overextension, rather changing social and economic circumstances after the prolonged warfare of the 20th century meant that it dissolved into the commonwealth.
The largest empires seem to have been gathered with a single leader or figurehead to maintain authority, and with a few exceptions it has generally been infighting amongst the rulers descendants that has spelt the end for them. The Ottoman Empire is a good example of decline through land disputes and changing economic and social status within Europe.

Hope that helped

Answer 2

I would research the British Empire. It went from being a tiny, European island in the Atlantic to having a crapload of land mass in Africa, Asia, and at one point, the Eastern United States.

There was an old saying that the sun never set on the British Empire because it kept growing.

Answer 3

You should look at Charles V The Holy Roman Emperor. He inherited a lot of land but in the end of his reign he ended up splitting his lands and giving them to different members of his family because he had too much land to handle.
Hope that helps.

Answer 4

Spainish. They spread over Latin and South America, and they didn't have a large enough force to control all of their colonies.

Answer 5

Nazi Germany