I think China might be the outlier here, not Europe. (Thinking of the last 1000 years, say.) India was very fragmented -- the Mughals achieved great extent and

I think China might be the outlier here, not Europe. (Thinking of the last 1000 years, say.) India was very fragmented -- the Mughals achieved great extent and then great longevity, but not both at the same time.