List of kingdoms and empires in African history

[1] An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant centre and subordinate peripheries".

[3] Economic development "gave rise to a perceived need for centralized institutions and ‘territorial’ leadership that transcended older bonds of kinship and community".

[a][6]: 21–23 Despite this, popular understanding often claims that the continent lacked large states or meaningful complex political organisation.

Whether rooted in ignorance, Eurocentrism, or racism, famous historians such as Hugh Trevor-Roper have argued that African history is not characterised by state formation or hierarchical structures.

[8] In the mid-late 20th century decolonisation saw Africans inherit the former colonies,[9] and many traditional kingdoms still exist today as non–sovereign monarchies.

Historian Jan Vansina (1962) discusses the classification of Sub–Saharan African Kingdoms, mostly of Central, South and East Africa, with some additional data on West African (Sahelian) Kingdoms distinguishing five types, by decreasing centralization of power:[23] Classifications not given as examples by Vansina are open to scrutiny (here).