Ancient Greece and Portuguese empires are two significant empires in world history. They are similar in the way they were formed and ruined, but fundamentally differ in their policy on invaded territories, because of their different points of view.

The creation of a state is provided with certain prerequisites. The development of a state also depends on these same factors, leading it to flourish or to death. However, the whole course of world history proves the opposite. Mighty states arose suddenly, in spite of the above premises, and also suddenly died, sometimes at the height of power. Ingenious emperors and commanders, having all the chances of starting or ending an enterprise, sometimes died in unexpected ways, at the most inopportune time. In a word, if one looks at history unbiasedly, it may seem that the whole history of world powers is subject to some occasion, sometimes quite ridiculous. The history of the creation and fall of the greatest empire of antiquity - the empire of Alexander the Great perfectly proves this theory described in a premium quality essays.

After the Peloponnesian War, Sparta became the leading polis of Greece, never ceasing to impose its military order, which as a result led to unceasing internecine wars — right up to the new unification of Greece, but under the hegemony of Macedonia. Against the background of general instability, Macedonia was characterized by a high level of economic development, technology, and military affairsю

A congress convened by Philip II in Corinth finally formalized the subordination of Greece to Macedonia: at the Corinth Congress, the creation of a union of Greek states headed by Macedonia was announced. All policies were set oligarchic regime, which was supported by the Macedonian garrisons.

Alexander acted decisively. He quickly moved with the army to the south, achieved his election by the tag of Thessaly, and then entered Central Greece and set up camp at Thebes. The Greek policies that did not expect this expressed their submission and sent their delegates to Corinth, where the treaty concluded after the Battle of the Chaeronea was confirmed. Retaining formal independence, all of Hellas except for Sparta was now subordinate to Alexander, the hegemon of the Corinthian Union and the strategist-autocrat in the upcoming campaign against the Persians; many policies allowed the Macedonian garrisons to enter.

Alexander actively used the cultural heritage of the conquered powers, but at the same time introduced the conquered peoples to the culture of Greece and encouraged the study of the Greek sciences. Macedonia, having conquered Greece, fully embraced its culture, therefore, after the victorious campaigns of Alexander the Great, the ancient Greek culture spread in the conquered eastern countries. In turn, the conquered peoples were carriers of their own ancient culture and they influenced ancient culture. Although the newly formed empire fell apart shortly after Alexander's death, its legacy remained and allowed the conquered peoples to enter the Hellenistic era.

The battle of Chaeronea and the conquests of the army of Alexander the Great in the east that followed it opened the Hellenistic period, during which so-called Hellenistic societies and states were formed that became part of the ancient Greek world. In the Hellenistic era, the Greek world encompassed the area from Sicily, in the west, to India, in the east, and from the northern Black Sea coast in the north to the first Nile rapids in the south. However, the great empire of Alexander the Great collapsed immediately after he died in 323 BC. The long struggle of the Diadochi and their successors, the so-called epigones, led to the creation of several independent Hellenistic states. Nevertheless, during the 12-year outstanding rule, Alexander the Great created the biggest empire of that time, developing and spreading ancient Greek culture throughout the world. 

There is another empire that spanned almost the entire globe, which appeared a thousand years after the existence of Ancient Greece. A combination of overseas territories of the world in relation to continental Portugal, which were colonially dependent on this metropolis was further well-known as the Portuguese colonial empire that began in the 15th-20th centuries.

The prerequisite for the formation of the empire was the limitedness of Portugal on all sides by the Spanish kingdoms and the impossibility of overland territorial expansion towards Europe. The great geographical discoveries of the late 15th century and the active activities of the Portuguese nobility and trading elites led to the creation of the largest maritime empire of the next few centuries.

Prince Henry the Navigator is often referred to as the founder of the Portuguese empire. Under his patronage, Pedro Alvarez Cabral in 1500 tried to reach the sea of ​​India, but he strongly deviated to the west, discovered Brazil, and claimed Portuguese claims against her. João da Nova discovered the islands of Ascension and St. Helena, and Tristan da Cunha became the discoverer of the archipelago named after him. In East Africa, small coastal Muslim principalities were abolished or became vassal allies of Portugal. Pedro de Covilhã reached Abyssinia already in 1490.

 of Cabral opened Madagascar, Mauritius was opened in 1507, then the Portuguese went to the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, Socotra was occupied in 1506, and then Lawrence de Almeida visited Ceylon. The King of Portugal, Manuel I, in 1505 established the title of viceroy of India for the administration of colonies in Asia and East Africa. The first vice-king of Portuguese India became Francisco de Almeida.

In continental Asia, Cabral founded the first trading posts in Cochin and Calcutta, Goa, and Malacca were conquered, and Martin Afonso de Souza was captured by Diu. Fernan Pires de Andrade visited Canton and opened trade relations with China, where in 1557 the Portuguese were allowed to occupy Macau, in 1542 Japan was discovered by three Portuguese merchants. At the height of its power, the Portuguese Empire had outposts in West Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.

In 1580, thanks to the Iberian Union, Portugal was united with neighboring Spain under the authority of a single monarchy. In 1640, the country regained its independence. By the 18th century, Portugal was losing most of its wealth and power. The Napoleonic wars, indirectly resulting in the loss of Brazil, economic decline, the elimination of the monarchy, and others led to the cessation of expansionism and the gradual loss of the remaining colonies. By the beginning-middle of the 20th century, only Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Portuguese India, San-Tome and Principe, Macau, Cape Verde, and East Timor remained under Portuguese rule.

In 1975, the Portuguese colonial empire ceased to exist. In 1999, the UN formally acknowledged the loss of the last colony, East Timor. Today, the only Portuguese overseas territories are Madeira and the Azores. A History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Both empires took their beginnings from fights, wars, and invasions. The reasons for this were quite the same – to expand their territories. However, the modes were a bit different. Philip II took advantage of the war in ancient Greece while the Portuguese empire was built in the era of New Land’s discoveries. As for maintaining the territories under one rule one needs to make a lot of effort. The same occurred to these empires. The slightest weakness and the state turns into the debris. Due to this fact the period of existence is different in these empires. Alexander the Great’s territories lasted for 12 years while the Portuguese were flourishing for more than 500 years.

The policy of the empires on the invaded lands differed greatly. When Greece preserved and spread its culture, traditions, and religion throughout the empire, Portugal viewed the land as a free raw material for their needs, providing their rules and traditions on the possessions.

Thus, the appearance of each of these great empires was conditioned by the events that occurred in their epoch. They started with warfare and ended up with it, flourishing and expanding, leaving an enormous imprint on the development of modern countries.