I wonder if there was ever an empire that grew out of popularity rather than conquest. Imagine a ruler who was so awesome and a society so envied that people were just compelled to join; they flocked to the place, and tales of this alluring kingdom spread far and wide. It expanded to an empire purely on the influx of emigrants…. I reckon that’s more of a city & town thing. A bustling town or city makes a nice addition to an empire.
No; empires didn’t rely on attraction. They acquired land and subjects through brute force and/or intimidation. There probably were people who emigrated with the hopes of a better life. Like all those dreamers who move to Hollywood. Almost all those people were seeking personal gains among the hustle and bustle of metropolis. A rather self-serving agenda mind you.
Rarely did invasion result in total subjugation or annihilation, but it usually did mean you had to bend the knee to an outside institution, and things were certainly going to change. Similar to colonisation, the empires often brought new technology and other advancements to a more ‘primitive’ group. Many saw themselves as bringers of light and remover of burdens through sharing their vast knowledge.
Like colonisation, the assholes who were just after power, glory and wealth were more than happy to let those wannabe missionaries put their noble spin on this expropriation. One does not cancel out the other and often the do-gooders caused more harm than good anyway.
The conquered individual would never feel like a fully integrated citizen and this alienation could go on for countless generations. This marginalisation might range from feelings of not fitting in, through living on the fringes of society and being a 2nd class citizen all the way down to slavery.
“You can keep your traditions and beliefs, so long as they aren’t too distasteful for us, but do them over there away from us. You make the place look untidy.”
And of course, nobody ever asked these conscripted citizens about their thoughts on the matter. “We’re here to improve your lives, so shut up and do as your told. Wouldn’t you prefer to be on the bench of a winning team, rather than playing for losers?”
Let’s be brutally honest with ourselves; it really didn’t matter how anyone felt about it, if they weren’t strong enough to resist, they were annexed. There would always be rebels and instigators, but troublemakers and even terrorists were all just part of problems an empire had to deal with.
As a kid I thought the globe and maps of the world were constant. The innocence of youth. I have clear memories of unsuccessfully trying to find Prussia. I cannot remember the first time I came across an older version map of the world (this is all well before the internet), but it blew my mind! It was only 20 odd years ago that I began meeting people who were Assyrian and was too embarrassed to admit my confusion.
Might be time for one of my layman examples:
You live in a region, and you call it “Joyton”. Along come the hordes of “Madton” and they enslave you and yours. After a while the armies from “Growton” simultaneously liberate and annex you. You find out you are now part of the “Growton” empire.
Generations later the empire is crumbling and withdrawing. However, you are now a minority in this region, and the new ‘country’ is called “Newton” (Feel free to add or remove any steps if you like). You still have close ties to your ancient tradition and customs, but your ‘ethnicity’ is now a part of that country’s history: a heritage of huge significance to some, a mere footnote to others and totally unknown to many more.
Pride and folklore carried through bloodlines alongside rivalries, feuds and outright animosities; a very distinct separation between ‘us’ and ‘them’, and some tourist on a bus tour refers to you all as Italian. I’m sure most accept this without too much fuss when it is out of ignorance, but it could result in a fight if it is meant as an insult.
One way I try to better understand it is to imagine how it must feel to be heaped into a regional term and having your specific nationality completely ignored. Oriental, Arab, or the piece de resistance – African!
That all went off on a bit of a tangent. I’ll try and retrace my steps back to the turnoff and continue the line of reasoning in the next one.
LORETTA: And it’s safe to walk in the streets at night now, Reg
FRANCIS: Yeah, they certainly know how to keep order, let’s face it
They’re the only ones who could in a place like this.
REG: All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education,
wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, wine
and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?”
XERXES: Brought peace.
REG: Oh. Peace? Shut up!
MINDLESS MUSINGS 
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