Abstract
The paper presents an overview on the imperial turn and empire studies of the last decades. It introduces the innovative concept of “short-term empire” and contextualizes the contributions of the present volume. Finally, the authors specify and exemplify their terminological qualification in relation to the much-discussed empire of Alexander III.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
Kohler 1999.
- 5.
Whereas some contributors render personal names by their scientific transliterations, this essay makes use of the more common and established forms, thus Mahmud of Ghazna for Maḥmūd of Ghazna, Nader Shah for Nāder Šāh, Genghis Khan for Chingiz Khan/Chinggis Khan, etc.
- 6.
Cf. the contributions of Rollinger, Ruffing, Müller, Heather, and Reinfandt in this volume.
- 7.
Cf. the contributions of Mitsiou, and Wiesehöfer/Rollinger in this volume.
- 8.
Cf. the contribution of Suppan in this volume.
- 9.
Cf. the contributions of Van de Mieroop, Richardson, Ruffing, Müller, Heather, Reinfandt, Rota, and Suppan in this volume. Unfortunately, the paper of Johannes Willms on Napoleon (‘Napoleon oder das ufer- und planlose Reich’) could not be included into this volume.
- 10.
Cf. the contributions of Manz, and Schäfer in this volume.
- 11.
Cf. the contributions of Mitsiou, and Wiesehöfer/Rollinger in his volume.
- 12.
Cf. the contributions of Rollinger, and Gehler in this volume.
- 13.
Gehler 2018, 185, 199, 202, 363.
- 14.
One might think about legendary figures like the Assyrian queen Semiramis and, of course, Jeanne d’ Arc. However, it is questionable whether they were related to short-term empires. A better example might have been Zenobia of Palmyra. The editors of this volume tried hard but unfortunately were not successful in receiving a contribution on this interesting topic.
- 15.
Kershaw 1987.
- 16.
Kershaw 2011.
- 17.
Cf. the contributions of Suppan, and Van de Mieroop in this volume.
- 18.
Cf. the contributions of Ruffing, Reinfandt, and Manz in this volume.
- 19.
Cf. the contributions of Manz, and Rota in this volume.
- 20.
Cf. the contribution of Rollinger in this volume.
- 21.
Cf. the contributions of Van de Mieroop, Müller, Manz, and Rota in this volume.
- 22.
Cf. the contributions of Manz, and Rota in this volume.
- 23.
Cf. the contributions of Reinfandt, and Manz in this volume.
- 24.
Cf. the contribution of Mitsiou in this volume.
- 25.
Cf. the contributions of Suppan, and Van de Mieroop in this volume. For Timur the world was clearly defined as the ‘islamic world’ (Manz, this volume); for Hannibal and Mithradates much depends on the weight given to their alliances with Philipp V of Macedon and Sertorius (Ruffing and Müller, this volume).
- 26.
Cf. the contributions of Suppan, and Reinfandt in this volume.
- 27.
Cf. the contribution of Manz in this volume.
- 28.
Cf. the contributions of Suppan, Reinfandt, Ruffing, Müller, and Mitsiou in this volume.
- 29.
Cf. the contributions of Müller, Reinfandt, Manz, and Suppan in this volume.
- 30.
Cf. the contribution of Rota in this volume.
- 31.
Cf. the contributions of Ruffing, Reinfandt, Manz, Rota, and Suppan in this volume.
- 32.
Cf. the contributions of Ruffing, Müller, Mitsiou on the Bulgars, and Suppan in this volume.
- 33.
Cf. the contributions of Heather, Manz, and Rota.
- 34.
See the contributions of Heather, and Manz in this volume.
- 35.
Nader Shah disposes his alreay installed son and has him blinded (Rota, this volume).
- 36.
Cf. the contribution of Manz in this volume.
- 37.
Cf. the contributions of Suppan, Heather, Mitsiou, Reinfandt, and Rota.
- 38.
Rota, this volume.
- 39.
See the contributions of Heather, and Manz in this volume.
- 40.
See Rollinger 2020. There are, however, always exemptions to this ‘rule’. Thus, the Roman empire was successful for a very long time without establishing a permanent dynasty. Also in this case, it was acceptance that mattered. Yet, at least the official names of the emperors, not the individual ones transmitted by the historiographers, created the impression of continuity and similarity in a pseudo-dynastic framework.
- 41.
Cf. the contributions of Suppan, and Van de Mieroop in this volume.
- 42.
Cf. the contribution of Reinfandt in this volume.
- 43.
Cf. the contribution of Manz in this volume.
- 44.
Cf. the contribution of Mitsiou in this volume.
- 45.
Cf. the contributions of Reinfandt, Manz, and Rota in this volume.
- 46.
Cf. the contributions of Rollinger, and Heather in this volume.
- 47.
Cf. the contribution of Rota in this volume. While Mussolini started a policy of reconciliation with the Holy Sea, which led to the Lateran Treaties in 1929 (Pollard 2005; Kertzer 2014), Hitler (Besier 2001) and Stalin (Döpmann 1981) began a cultural fight against Christianity. The Red Tsar destroyed the Russian Orthodox Churches while Hitler allowed to persecute and execute priests of the Roman Catholic Church. Both actions endangered the dictators’ public acceptance. The threat of weakening their power basis forced them to reconsider a stop of these policies, not at least to legitimize their wars against each other.
- 48.
Cf. the considerations of Van de Mieroop, Ruffing, Mainz, and Rota in this volume.
- 49.
Cf. the contribution of Heather in this volume.
- 50.
Cf. the contribution of Gehler in this volume.
- 51.
Cf. the contribution of Suppan in this volume with a special reference to a lack of oil.
- 52.
Cf. the contribution of Reinfandt in this volume, also referring to the source problems related to the introduction of the iqṭā’ system which has to be seen as a continuous process.
- 53.
Cf. the contribution of Mitsiou in this volume.
- 54.
Cf. the contribution by Rota in this volume, and see Payne 2016.
- 55.
Cf. the contribution by Heather in this volume.
- 56.
Suppan, this volume.
- 57.
Ruffing, this volume.
- 58.
Reinfandt, this volume.
- 59.
Manz, this volume.
- 60.
Heather, this volume.
- 61.
Rota, this volume.
- 62.
Rollinger, this volume.
- 63.
Schäfer, this volume.
- 64.
Wiesehöfer/Rollinger, this volume.
- 65.
Gehler, this volume.
- 66.
Akyol 2016.
- 67.
Skawa 2008.
- 68.
Suppan this volume.
- 69.
Cf. the contribution of Müller in this volume.
- 70.
Cf. the contributions of Van de Mieroop and Schäfer in this volume.
- 71.
Cf. the contribution of Manz in this volume.
- 72.
Cf. the contribution of Ruffing, this volume.
- 73.
Cf. also the contribution of Rota in this volume who compares Frederick the Great with Nader Shah concluding that the first one appears to have been just more fortunate.
- 74.
Cf. also the contribution by Müller in this volume.
- 75.
- 76.
On the alleged mutiny at the river Hyphasis see Howe/Müller 2012.
- 77.
For critics among modern scholarship see Bowden 2014.
- 78.
- 79.
- 80.
- 81.
- 82.
- 83.
- 84.
- 85.
- 86.
Hauben/Meeus 2014.
- 87.
- 88.
Bichler 2014.
- 89.
- 90.
Bosworth 1988.
- 91.
- 92.
- 93.
- 94.
- 95.
Briant 2009.
- 96.
Braudel 1990.
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Rollinger, R., Degen, J., Gehler, M. (2020). Approaching Short-Term Empires in World History, a First Attempt. In: Rollinger, R., Degen, J., Gehler, M. (eds) Short-term Empires in World History. Universal- und kulturhistorische Studien. Studies in Universal and Cultural History. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-29435-9_1
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