Empire Online Empire Online from Adam Matthew provides manuscript, printed, and visual primary source materials for the study of 'Empire' and its theories, practices and consequences. The materials cover the last five centuries and are accompanied by secondary learning resources including scholarly essays, maps, and an interactive chronology. It charts the rise and fall of empires around the world. Empire Online provides exploration of colonial history, politics, culture, and society. It is organized into five sections: Cultural Contacts, 1492-1969 Empire Writing & the Literature of Empire The Visible Empire Religion & Empire and Race, Class, Colonialism, Imperialism.