Introduction: This question is a bit interesting, but after careful inquiry, it was found that the world empire is not a specific title. Therefore, we can flexibly understand the world empire as an empire with world influence at that time, usually manifested as a large empire with a vast territory and influence in the world. If we look at whether the Ming Dynasty has this condition according to this criterion? Can it be considered a world empire?
According to the three eras of the early, middle and late Ming Dynasty, it seems that only the Ottoman Empire can match it. The once mighty Timurid Empire, the Golden Horde, and the Polish-Lithuanian Empire have all been blown away, and the tsarist Russia across Asia and Europe and the western European states that rose up in the Age of Discovery have gradually become stronger. Below we make a judgment from various factors such as the territory of the Ming Dynasty, the total amount of wealth, population, navigation capabilities, and the combat effectiveness of the army.
Territorial area, population and leadership of thermal weapons
The Ming Dynasty, as a great unified dynasty in China's history, reached its peak in territory at the time of Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, covering an area of about 10 million square kilometers. Although there is no western region, the territory of the outer northeast of Nuer Gandusi and the Burmese region of Sanxuan liuwei is beyond the borders of modern territory. If you don't count the Spanish colonial empire, then the Ming Empire was the most prosperous capital in the world at that time.
Ancient censuses were a difficult task, because in ancient times the number of people was often linked to the Ding tax. Therefore, the number of censuses is true, if recorded in the "Ming Shilu" in the Ming Dynasty during the Hongwu years has reached 60 million. If you add the missing estimate of 80 million, the global population of the world at that time, although there is no authoritative figure, will not exceed 200 million. That is to say, the Ming Dynasty raised half of the world's population in its own land, which is a very remarkable thing.
Let's look at the military strength of the Ming Dynasty: the Ming Dynasty defeated the Yuan Dynasty and established the Ming Dynasty In addition to the decline in combat effectiveness caused by the corruption of the Yuan Dynasty, the strong combat strength of the Ming Army and the hot weapons based on the Shenji Battalion played an important role. Especially during the ming dynasty, hot weapons became the formation of the establishment. The Ming army, both in weaponry and iron-blooded bravery, far surpassed other countries. Especially during the Ming Chengzu military parade, the drills, including infantry and cavalry and the Divine Machine Battalion, stunned the envoys of the 27 countries who were present. What's more, the ocean-going fleet led by Zheng He crossed the ocean and walked the country at sea.
In these ways, the Ming Dynasty as a world empire is a proper result.
The combined influence of Daming's powerful ocean-going fleet and comprehensive military strength made the Ming Empire famous, and the import of silver through trade surged
Looking at the history of China's thousands of years of feudal dynasties, if there is any period when China has the most powerful ocean-going fleet, it must be the Zheng He fleet of the Ming Dynasty. According to the Biography of Ming Shi Zheng He, the Western Fleet is an unprecedented maritime task force, containing more than 200 ocean-going ships of different types. With a maximum length of 151.18 meters and a width of 61.6 meters, it was the largest sea vessel in the world at that time. The entire fleet consisted of more than 20,000 soldiers and was the largest fleet in the world at that time.
This huge fleet repeatedly cruised the vast seas of the Indian Ocean from Africa to the South China Sea, allowing the influence of the Ming Dynasty to spread overseas. This was followed by frequent trade, and large quantities of silver poured into the Ming Dynasty. Allowing this country, which is not rich in silver reserves, to use silver as currency, it can be seen that the amount of silver imported is huge. The Ming Dynasty Yongle Tongbao was exquisitely minted with high copper content, so it became the common national currency for international trade at that time, which was called the "US dollar" at that time.
brief summary:
In summary, although there is no specific definition, it can be called a world empire according to the indicators of the Ming Dynasty.
I am the emperor of history, welcome your attention; if there is a flaw, the axe is right.