Throughout history empires have risen and fallen down, just as time intended. But before the final straw, there were always countless intimations of the doom that befell upon the empires. There is always a beginning of the end, before the end itself. Like all the dates that history would mind us, but beyond dates there were tendencies that grew into the final flames that burnt the empires down. Let’s discuss the five most celebrated empires and what constituted the beginnings of their ends. 1808AD’s Spanish Empire: — Napoleon’s coup Spanish Empire was officially dissolved in the 1970s, but the final blow on it was delivered a hundred and fifty years back by Napoleon. The French Revolutionary Wars have challenged all the pre-existing imperial situations of Europe and, during the time, Spain allied with Napoleon. Yet, notwithstanding with the alliance, Spanish Prime Minister Manual Godoy tried making overtures suggesting to both Britain and Russia that if Prussia defeats France, Spain might switch sides. This did not go unnoticed by Napoleon and he effectively forced the King of the Spanish empire to abdicate so that Napoleon's brother Joseph Bonapartecould become the King. 1739AD’s Mughal Empire — Nadir Shah in Delhi The Mughal Empire was one of the three Gunpowder Empires, the two others were Ottomans and Safavids. According to the historical records, the official ones, the Empire was lost to the Britishers in 1857 AD. But experts' opinions does not look away from the fact that what British defeated wasn’t the original Mughal Empire, it was just a shadow of it, after Nadir Shah raided Delhi and massacred the Empire leaving it on its death-bed. 1875AD’s Ottoman Empire — Sovereign Default on Debt Not due to invasions of foreign powers like most of the others on the list, the Ottoman Empire’s demise was largely from the inside out.There were a host of different social and economic issues giving rise to one after another revolts, there were desiasters and decentralisation of power. But the seed of its demise was sown when the Ottoman government defaulted of its sovereign debt. In 1875 AD. 1204AD’s Byzantine Empire — The Fourth Crusade While the Byzantine Empire was dissolved after Mehmet the Conqueror ended it, it already had survived a fatal blow from their Christian brothers, two and a half centuries earlier. The Fourth Crusade was led by French Nobles and it was ordained for them to reclaim the holy land that was in the hands of Muslims then. The Byzantine Empire joined with the Venetians, but it backfired when the Byzantine Crown Prince didn’t pay what he promised to the Crusaders. It backfired, and the Crusaders sacked the city in 1204. Roman Empire: 439AD — Vandal conquest of North Africa Now comes the most rigorous of all, the Roman Empire which officially ceased to exist in 476AD, with Germanic Odoacer deposing off the last Emperor, but the fate of the empire seems to have been sealed in 439AD after the conquering of North Africa by the barbarian Vandals. North Africa was the main source of grain for the Empire.
