The Untold History of Conquest...

For most of human history, land was taken, not granted. Borders were not decided in meetings but on battlefields. The idea that land could be won by force and held by might—what historians call the right of conquest—was the foundation of civilization itself.

Yet today, this principle is considered outdated, even illegitimate. The modern world operates under the idea that sovereignty is inviolable, borders cannot change through force, and war should never be a means of acquiring territory.

But history tells a different story.

For millennia, conquest was not just a reality but a recognized legal and moral right. The Romans, the Mongols, the Ottomans, the British—entire empires were built on the idea that might made right. Even the post-World War II order, which condemns conquest, was itself shaped by war and territorial change.

Let’s examine the rise, dominance, and decline of the right of conquest, and why it still lingers beneath the surface of international politics…

In the ancient world, conquest was not only accepted—it was expected. Tribes, city-states, and empires expanded through force because there was no other way to grow. There were no international courts, no peace treaties that held weight beyond the ability to enforce them, and no moral obligation to respect a neighbor’s land if one had the power to take it.

Some of the earliest civilizations we know were built on conquest:

The Akkadian Empire (c. 2334 BC–2154 BC): Sargon of Akkad conquered Sumerian city-states, creating the first empire in history. There was no negotiation—only war.

The Hittites (c. 1600 BC–1178 BC): They expanded through military campaigns, clashing with Egypt at the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BC)—one of history’s first great battles over land.

The Assyrian Empire (911 BC–609 BC): The Assyrians saw conquest as divine destiny, using terror tactics to subjugate vast regions.

In these times, land was held as long as a ruler could defend it. Once a king was weak, he was conquered, and his land absorbed into a new empire. There was no concept of "stolen land"—only won and lost land.

Rome took conquest to another level—not just practicing it, but codifying it into law and philosophy.

The Romans had a concept called "Just War" (Bellum Iustum)—a legal justification for conquest.

They believed superior civilizations had a right to rule over the weak.
Conquered lands were turned into provinces, where Roman law and culture were imposed.

A key moment in Roman conquest philosophy was the Punic Wars (264–146 BC).

Rome and Carthage fought three brutal wars, but after Carthage’s final defeat, Rome didn’t just take its territory—it razed the city to the ground, slaughtered or enslaved its people, and wiped Carthage from existence.

This was conquest taken to its logical extreme: Not just winning land, but erasing your enemy’s claim to ever exist.

During the medieval period, conquest became intertwined with religion and divine rule. Kings and empires justified expansion not just through might, but through God’s will.

Some of the most famous medieval conquests include:

The Islamic Conquests (7th–8th Century): The Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates expanded from Arabia to Spain and India. Their justification? Spreading Islam.

The Norman Conquest of England (1066): William the Conqueror claimed the English throne, saying it was his by divine right—then proved it by force at the Battle of Hastings.

The Crusades (1096–1291): European knights waged war in the name of reclaiming Christian lands, treating conquest as both a spiritual duty and a legal right.

In medieval Europe, land was often given to rulers by the Pope or Holy Roman Emperor—but it was only truly held if the ruler could defend it through force.

The Renaissance and early modern period saw conquest expand beyond Europe, as empires competed for global domination. The Age of Exploration was really an Age of Conquest, with European powers seizing vast territories across the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

Some of the most famous examples include:

Spain’s Conquest of the Americas (1492–1700s): Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro toppled the Aztec and Inca Empires. The Spanish Crown justified this by claiming they were bringing Christianity and civilization.

The British Empire’s Expansion (1600s–1900s): The British took lands across North America, India, and Africa, using legal doctrines like terra nullius (unoccupied land) to justify conquest.

The Scramble for Africa (1880s–1914): European powers carved up Africa, treating it as free for the taking under the belief that Africans had no legitimate claim to sovereignty.

For centuries, conquest was seen as not just legitimate, but natural. Borders were drawn with the sword, and treaties only lasted as long as they could be enforced.

The right of conquest only began to decline after World War I, when the League of Nations tried to establish a system where borders could no longer change through war.

However, this system collapsed in World War II, when Germany, Italy, and Japan launched conquests across Europe and Asia. The Allies fought not just to defeat them, but to eliminate conquest as a legal right.

After 1945, the new global order was built on the idea that:

Borders are permanent unless changed by mutual agreement.
Conquest is illegal under the United Nations Charter (1945).
Any state that invades another faces economic and military retaliation.

This doctrine has mostly held since 1945—but not always. China, Russia, and even NATO have engaged in interventions and territorial disputes, proving that the right of conquest never fully disappeared—it just changed form.

Even though the world rejects conquest on paper, it still happens in different ways:

China’s expansion in the South China Sea—Building artificial islands to claim territory.

The U.S. interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan—While not for conquest, they show that military force still dictates global power.

Ultimately, the idea that land belongs to those who can hold it is as old as civilization itself. The modern world may deny conquest as a right, but history suggests that, in the end, power still decides borders.

We live in a world where conquest is officially outlawed, but unofficially practiced. Nations no longer openly claim land by force, but the reality remains: History is written by the victors.

The right of conquest may be gone in name—but it will never be gone in fact.

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