Portuguese colonial ambitions in Asia and Russian territorial expansion led to the founding of two massive empires. After a brief historical presentation, the essay will show that the Portuguese dominions formed a commercial empire, clearly rooted in the pursuit of profit, while Russian expansion was rather motivated by political reasons. It will show, however, that both imperial expansions also exhibit similar patterns: the importance of economic factors (although less visible in the rise of the Russian empire), the contribution of religion as a motivator or facilitator of domination, and the creation of supportive local elites imperialist interests. Finally, it will be argued that Portugal lacked the population necessary to make the transition from a trading empire to an empire of settlement in Asia, as the Russians did. Soon after Vasco da Gama's first voyage to India (1497-1499), the Portuguese began establishing trade routes with pepper-trading states, opening factories in several cities, supported by warships and a network of alliances with local rulers. They fought Ottoman troops in Goa and captured the city (1510), which became the headquarters of the Portuguese viceroy. Benefiting from its strong maritime power, Portugal managed to dominate the spice trade, but significant losses suffered by the Dutch in Asia in the 17th century triggered the decline of its overseas power. Historians often regard the Portuguese empire as “the first global empire, spanning the Americas, Africa, and Asia” (Brockey, 2008, p. XV). For its part, Russia experienced dramatic territorial expansion from the 16th to the 19th centuries. After his coronation as 'Tsar of all the Russias' (1547), the Grand Prince of... middle of paper... for greater security and to satisfy imperialist ambitions: this continuous empire, on a contiguous geographical territory, succeeded to achieve "conquest after conquest" by progressively assimilating the peripheral regions. It should however be noted that the disparity is not as great as it seems: in fact, economic interests also contributed significantly to the rise of the Russian empire, while the Portuguese were sometimes driven by political motivations – it is more a question of degree rather what a clear separation. Furthermore, the expansion of both empires benefited from religious factors and the creation of local elites favorable to imperialist interests. It has ultimately been argued that the small Portuguese population led to the inability to send enough colonists to make the transition from a trading empire to an empire of settlement, as the Russians managed to reach.