The British East India Company was key to Great Britain gaining influence and wealth in India. The Company played an active role in the Indian Government, and in 1857 overthrew Mughal Bahadur Shah II as Emperor of India and when the Company was dissolved the control of India reverted to the royal family. Queen Victoria was declared Empress of India in 1876 and used by British monarchs up until India gained its independence in 1948. During that time period India greatly enriched the British Empire and became a valuable asset to the monarchs.

The Scramble for Africa is often dated back to the Berlin Conference, organized by Bismarck. This is when it really begins, rather than when it ends, and was when European nations set the ground rules for their imperial takeover of Africa. No Africans were invited to attend. Gladstone was something of a critic of empire. The development of quinine, among other things, helped Europeans stave off diseases native to Africa, although they still faced great risks to their health.

Emphasizing the production of raw materials led to economic dependency in African colonies. While some missionaries were successful, many organizations struggled to spread their religious message. European understandings of racial hierarchies helped justify expanding empires, and this expansion led to European conflict and tension in foreign territories, despite Bismarck's attempt at preventing conflict with the Berlin Conference. An example of that tension would be the Fashoda Crisis (1898) between Britain and France over control of the Sudan. 

The Roman empire invaded Britain as part of Julius Caesars rapid expansion, though Britain would not come under Roman rule until 43 CE under Emperor Claudius. The invasion in 55 CE was more of a scouting venture. An expedition to see if the land was worth invading on a large scale.

With the failing of the Western Roman empire, it was forced to withdraw from Britain. The withdrawal of Rome was helped along by many British nobles unhappy with Roman rule. This was one of the first warning signs for the fall of the entire Roman empire.

King Leopold II was required to return the colony over to his nation of Belgium's parliament after widespread condemnation of his rule and widespread atrocities. Atrocities would continue under Belgian colonial rule.

Mali, Senegal, Guinea, and Gabon were all held within French colonial territory prior to independence. Only Algeria was considered an integral part of the French nation and French soil.

The Columbian Exchange was mostly beneficial to the European population as a whole. Very nutritional crops such as peppers, maize, and potatoes traveled to Europe. Europeans would benefit immensely from these new crops. Sliver and gold deposits from the Western Hemisphere lined the coffers of European leaders. European losses in manpower due to emigration to the new world were negligible. The only substantial disease to come to Europe from the Western Hemisphere was syphilis, which created no epidemics comparable to those suffered by the indigenous populations of the Americas.   

The Third French Republic was inaugurated after the overthrow of Emperor Napoleon III. It reinstated a parliamentary-based Republican form of government to France in 1871. Despite its Republican nature, the Parliament actually was composed mainly by a majority of various Royalists rather than Republicans, although they were split between the rival Orleanist, Legitimist, and Bonapartist groups. As the Third Republic moved towards the twentieth century, more liberal groups, including Socialists and Communists, would find a place in French politics.

Henry VII was the founder of the Tudor dynasty in England, and his son was Henry VIII. In turn, Edward VI and Elizabeth I were both children of Henry VIII who ruled over England. Elizabeth I had no heirs upon her death, and the throne passed to James I, who inaugurated the Stuart dynasty.