In the Book of Revelation (6:8), the fourth horseman rides a pale horse, and its rider’s name is Death, followed by Hades. He is given power over a quarter of the Earth — to kill with sword, famine, plague, and wild beasts.
"And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth..." — Revelation 6:8
No other empire or state in history has held the same level of direct, global power over so many people as the British Empire did at its height.
Scale and control:
British Empire (Peak: c. 1919 to 1920)
Land area: ~24% of Earth’s land.
Population under control: ~23–25% of global population.
Reach: Every inhabited continent — dozens of cultures, languages, religions.
Control: Direct political, military, and economic rule. Governors, viceroys, troops.
Violence & compliance: Revolts suppressed with force. Civil liberties curtailed. The legal right to kill or punish was embedded in the imperial system.
It was essentially a planetary power, and unlike modern hegemonies, it didn’t rely on consent or alliances — it ruled.
Stephen D Green, with ChatGPT, April 2025
