Looking at maps of the British Empire from the early 1600s to the mid-twentieth century, one is struck by its many territories, their vastly differing sizes and locations and their far-flung nature across the planet. It was one of the world’s largest empires ever, and one that, impressively, lasted well over 300 years. This phenomenon begs many questions: How was one small island in northern Europe able to build such a vast global empire—and how did it manage to maintain it so successfully for as long as it did? What ultimately caused its demise? And finally, what is the role of the “British Empire” in the minds of Britain and Britons today? It is a vast subject, on which so many tomes have been written that they could easily fill entire libraries. Within the scope of this chapter, we will dive into some of the most salient aspects and main events in the rise and fall of the British Empire—and discuss its implications in the country today.