Imperial overstretch
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Imperial overstretch, also known as imperial overreach, describes the situation in which an empire extends itself beyond its military-economic capabilities and often collapses as a result. The idea wa
One example of Imperial overstretch was when the papacy, preoccupied with expanding the Papal States, allowed the Reformation to escalate beyond its control, as illustrated in a series of woodcuts (1545) usually referred to as the Papstspotbilder or Papstspottbilder (English: 'mocking depictions of the Pope'), by Lucas Cranach, commissioned by Martin Luther. Title: Kissing the Pope's Feet. German peasants respond to a papal bull of Pope Paul III. Caption reads: "Don't frighten us Pope, with your ban, and don't be such a furious man. Otherwise we shall turn around and show you our rears."
The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, by Paul Kennedy, first published in 1987, explores the politics and economics of the Great Powers from 1
Imperial overstretch
…its military-economic capabilities and often collapses as a result. The idea was popularised by Yale University historian Paul Kennedy in his 1987 book The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. In his 1976 book The Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastery Kennedy quoted B. H. Liddell Hart as using the phrase "strategical overstretch" in reference…
Greatpowers