Key Difference: A kingdom is usually a nation that is ruled by a monarch. An empire can be said is a large kingdom. It is traditionally larger than a kingdom and may consist of many different regions and nations under its control. A dynasty is the series of rulers or dynasts from one family.

Throughout history there have been many kingdoms, dynasties and empires. Many might think that the words are synonymous, but they are in fact very different and they denote something very different as well.

A kingdom is usually a nation that is ruled by a monarch. A monarch is usually a king or a queen. Any country which is ruled by a monarchy is considered to be a kingdom. In a kingdom, the king or a queen has the supreme power, and their word is law.

An empire can be said is a large kingdom. It is traditionally larger than a kingdom and may consist of many different regions and nations under its control. These regions and nations may be far away from the head of the kingdom, i.e. its capital. For example, at the height of its power, the British Empire ruled England, Scotland, Wales, India, the West Indies, Australia, and North America.

An empire is usually ruled by an Emperor or Empress, who has supreme authority. The Emperor or Empress may hire representative, such as governors to rule a region on the emperor’s behalf. An empire may also include many small kingdoms, who may report to the sovereign authority.

 A dynasty, on the other hand, is completely different from a kingdom or an empire. A dynasty has nothing to do with the nation, at least not directly. The term dynasty refers to the monarchs of a country or nation. It is the series of rulers or dynasts from one family. When rulers from the same family have rules a country for generation, their reign is called a dynasty. For example, the Han Dynasty of China.

Comparison between Kingdom, Dynasty and Empire:

Image Courtesy: shadowness.com, xkcdsw.com, diy.org