Metropole facts for kids

Roman Italy, the metropole of the Roman Empire. Roman provinces are marked in pink.

A metropole (pronounced met-ruh-pole) is the main home or central part of a big colonial empire. Think of it as the "mother city" or the country that controls other lands far away.

Since the 1800s, the word metropole was often used to describe the European parts of empires like the British, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Ottoman empires. It helped tell the difference between the ruling country and its overseas colonies.

What was the Roman Empire's Metropole?

The metropole of the Roman Empire was Italy. This was the original home of the Romans. Italy had a special status and was seen as the "ruler" of the provinces, not just another province itself.

The Romans united Italy in the 3rd century BC. Because Rome was in Italy, this area was never turned into a province like the lands they conquered overseas.

Originally, Rome divided the people of Italy into three groups:

• Roman citizens: These had full rights.
• Latini: These were like semi-citizens or allies.
• Socii: These were allies.

After 88 BC, all people in Italy became Roman citizens. Italy kept this special status until 212 AD, when citizenship was given to everyone in the empire.

From Caesar Augustus (27 BC) to Septimius Severus (192 AD), all Roman Emperors were from Italy. The term Ius Italicum referred to special Roman Italian privileges, especially about taxes. These privileges could sometimes be given to communities outside Italy too.

What was the British Empire's Metropole?

The metropole of the British Empire was the island of Great Britain. This means the United Kingdom itself. Sometimes, people even more specifically called London the metropole. This is because politicians and business people in London had the most power and influence throughout the empire.

The "periphery" was the name for the rest of the empire, meaning all the colonies and territories far from Britain.

Historians used to think that the metropole and the periphery were very separate. They believed that orders and ideas flowed only one way: from the metropole (Britain) out to the periphery (the colonies). This meant Britain directly ruled foreign lands.

More recently, historians like John "Jack" Gallagher and Ronald Robinson have suggested a different idea. They believe the metropole and periphery actually shaped each other. They argued that Britain used "soft power" a lot. This means they used their money and economic influence to create good trade relationships. This allowed Britain to benefit from the empire without always needing expensive military actions. In this view, the "informal empire" (economic influence) was just as important as the "formal empire" (direct rule).

What was the Portuguese Empire's Metropole?

In the Portuguese Empire, the metropole was the European part of Portugal. This included the mainland of Portugal and nearby islands like the Azores and Madeira. This is basically the same area as present-day Portugal.

Until the mid-1800s, the European part of Portugal was just called "Portugal" or the "Kingdom." But in 1832, Portugal's overseas territories became "overseas provinces." This meant they were considered a full part of the Kingdom of Portugal, just like the European provinces.

So, the term "Metrópole" started being used officially to describe the European part of Portugal. From then until most Portuguese overseas territories became independent in 1975, Portugal included both the Metrópole and the Overseas territories.

What is Metropolitan France?

Metropolitan France, also called European France, is the part of France that is geographically in Europe.

This includes mainland France and the island of Corsica. It also includes other nearby islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel, and the Mediterranean Sea.

In contrast, "overseas France" is the name for all the French territories that are outside Europe.

See also

• Metropolitan-hinterland thesis
• Home islands
• Mainland

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