Imperium Britannicum/Imperial Commonwealth

His Majesty's Imperial Commonwealth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Realms and Territories beyond the Seas
Former empire
Flag
Anthem: God Save the King
Capital	London
Government	Union of constitutional and semi-constitutional monarchies subject to the United Kingdom
Monarch
• 1877–1901	Victoria
• 1936–1939	Edward VIII
• 1939–1946	George VI
History
• Commonwealth Constitution Act	1877
• Grand Revolutions	1939–1946
• Dissolution by the Revolutionary Parliament	1944
• Final collapse	1946
Succeeded by Imperial Remnant

His Majesty's Imperial Commonwealth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Realms and Territories beyond the Seas, officially shortened to Imperial Commonwealth and also commonly known as the British Empire, was a globe-spanning empire comprised of imperial subjects with varying levels of autonomy all subject to the United Kingdom. The Commonwealth was the largest empire in history and the most powerful political entity throughout its existence.

During the Age of Discovery, Portugal and Spain led European exploration of the globe and established large overseas empires. England, becoming Britain after 1707, followed suit and, after a series of wars in the 17th and 18th centuries with the Netherlands and France, became the dominant power in North America and then in India after the East India Company's conquest of Mughal Bengal in 1757. British colonisation of Africa, Asia and Oceania during the 19th century expanded the empire and most of the world was subjugated through the British absorption of the European great powers.

Until the 19th century, the British Empire lacked uniformity and standardization in legislation, relying on a patchwork of disconnected laws and royal charters. However, a transformative shift occurred between 1863 and 1901 through a series of legislation known as the Commonwealth Acts. These acts brought about a fundamental change by establishing various standardized forms of imperial and self-governance. Within this framework, dominions were afforded the highest levels of self-governance, with the entirety of the empire divided and classified into imperial subjects of the United Kingdom. The Imperial Commonwealth itself was established as a union of the subjects with the Commonwealth Constitution Act of 1877.

The Grand Revolutions of 1939–1946 saw the collapse of the Imperial Commonwealth. The Revolutionary Parliament of Great Britain legally dissolved the Commonwealth in 1944 and most of the forces remaining loyal to the King globally were put down by 1946 although a smaller "Imperial Remnant" remained active until the 1960s.

Members of the Commonwealth

Realms

• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
• Dominion of Canada
• Commonwealth of Australia
• Dominion of New Zealand