The Age of EmpiresEmpires evoke potent images: Stanley, Livingstone, and the colonial gallery of great explorers; the Spanish Conquistador's quest for gold and silver; and the Dutch heritage of trade in the East Indies. For over 500 years, empires have been a feature of the political landscape, and a generation or more after the final collapse of most of the European Empires the subject is still a major issue for historians. For some countriesGermany and Italyoverseas