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Historical map · 1500

Map of Europe in 1500

In 1500, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 62 states, empires and other polities in Europe. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Kalmar Union, the Grand Principality of Moscow and House of Jagiellon. The Kalmar Union reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 2.6 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe in 1500. Zoom in, move the year slider to watch the borders change, or ask the history guide a question and it draws the answer on the map.

OPEN 1500 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1500
Atlas map: Two Answers to the Environment (1500)
FROM THE ATLAS · CLIMATE AND INNOVATION, CHAPTER 12: TWO ANSWERS TO THE ENVIRONMENT (1500)

States and empires in Europe in 1500

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Kalmar Union Wikipedia1.3 million km²2.6 million km²1402–1525
Grand Principality of Moscow Wikipedia1.1 million km²2.1 million km²1294–1546
House of Jagiellon Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1395–1571
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia929,000 km²929,000 km²1305–1923
Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile Wikipedia540,000 km²568,000 km²1475–1515
Kingdom of France Wikipedia467,000 km²831,000 km²990–1848
Personal union of Kingdom of Bohemia with Kingdom of Hungary Wikipedia465,000 km²465,000 km²1492–1518
Golden Horde Wikipedia453,000 km²548,000 km²1294–1695
Crown of Castile Wikipedia384,000 km²412,000 km²1236–1515
Aq Qoyunlu Wikipedia368,000 km²1.7 million km²1407–1511
Holy Roman Empire Wikipedia343,000 km²686,000 km²922–1806
Kingdom of Hungary Wikipedia337,000 km²337,000 km²1000–1546
Hafsid Dynasty Wikipedia171,000 km²224,000 km²1236–1571
Habsburg Monarchy Wikipedia170,000 km²241,000 km²1459–1805
Kingdom of England Wikipedia166,000 km²331,000 km²936–1708
Mamluk Sultanate Wikipedia160,000 km²1.5 million km²1241–1518
Crown of Aragon Wikipedia156,000 km²156,000 km²1169–1515
Crimean Khanate Wikipedia136,000 km²136,000 km²1450–1782
Kingdom of Bohemia Wikipedia128,000 km²256,000 km²1202–1528
Zayyanid dynasty Wikipedia126,000 km²126,000 km²1236–1555
Wattasid dynasty Wikipedia123,000 km²384,000 km²1468–1555
Livonian Conference Wikipedia116,000 km²116,000 km²1422–1563
House of Habsburg Wikipedia100,000 km²100,000 km²1260–1515
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia94,000 km²113,000 km²1147–1911
Kingdom of Scotland Wikipedia88,000 km²88,000 km²1294–1608
Principality of Moldavia Wikipedia82,000 km²82,000 km²1363–1858
Principality of Wallachia Wikipedia74,000 km²74,000 km²1314–1858
Kingdom of Naples Wikipedia69,000 km²69,000 km²1285–1501
Republic of Venice Wikipedia64,000 km²64,000 km²705–1796
County of Foix Wikipedia45,000 km²45,000 km²1236–1555
House of Bourbon Wikipedia43,000 km²43,000 km²1333–1594
Samtskhe-Saatabago Wikipedia43,000 km²43,000 km²1468–1506
Electorate of Brandenburg Wikipedia42,000 km²42,000 km²1260–1618
Papal States Wikipedia40,000 km²40,000 km²755–1870
Teutonic Order Wikipedia38,000 km²38,000 km²1236–1525
Duchy of Bavaria Wikipedia36,000 km²36,000 km²1260–1805
County of Savoy Wikipedia36,000 km²36,000 km²1260–1539
Electorate of Saxony Wikipedia34,000 km²34,000 km²1363–1805
Duchy of Milan Wikipedia34,000 km²34,000 km²1402–1539
Beylik of Dulkadir Wikipedia30,000 km²30,000 km²1344–1515

Also on the map: Astrakhan Khanate, Republic of Genoa, Ramadanid Emirate, Qasim Khanate, Swiss Confederation, Kingdom of Georgia, Pskov Republic, Duchy of Lorraine, Electorate of Trier, Ryazan, County of Nevers, Principality of Mingrelia, Republic of Florence, Kingdom of Imereti, Principality of Abkhazia, Principality of Guria, Kingdom of Kakheti, Comtat Venaissin, Duchy of Styria, Republic of Ragusa, County of Auvergne, County of Urgell.

"In the data" gives the first and last year the dataset draws the state under this identity; states often existed earlier or later in another form.

What changed since 1492

Gone from the map: County of Armagnac.

What comes next: 1550

Appear by 1550: Tsardom of Russia, Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy, Spanish Empire, Kingdom of Spain, Kingdom of Sweden, Denmark, Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, Portuguese Empire, Safavid Dynasty, Duchy of Prussia, Portuguese Africa.

Gone by 1550: Kalmar Union, Grand Principality of Moscow, Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile, Personal union of Kingdom of Bohemia with Kingdom of Hungary, Golden Horde, Crown of Castile, Aq Qoyunlu, Kingdom of Hungary, Mamluk Sultanate, Crown of Aragon, Kingdom of Bohemia, House of Habsburg, Kingdom of Naples, Samtskhe-Saatabago, Teutonic Order, County of Savoy, Duchy of Milan, Beylik of Dulkadir, Ramadanid Emirate, Pskov Republic, Ryazan, County of Nevers, Duchy of Styria, County of Auvergne.

Read the history of 1500

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Europe in 1500?

The map data draws 62 states and other polities in Europe in 1500. The largest by land were the Kalmar Union, the Grand Principality of Moscow, House of Jagiellon, the Ottoman Empire and Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile.

What was the largest empire in Europe in 1500?

Of the states on this map, the Kalmar Union held the most land in total: about 2.6 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Europe in 1500 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1500, zoom into any region, move through the years, and ask the history guide questions: it answers in plain words and draws places, armies and borders on the map.

About these borders

The borders come from Cliopatria (v0.2.1, Seshat Global History Databank, CC BY 4.0), the dataset behind our interactive map, with our audited name and border corrections. It records each state's territory year by year from 3400 BC to 2024. Borders before modern surveys are reconstructions: the data draws a state where it held control, and frontier zones, nomadic realms and loose overlordships are approximate. Areas are measured on an equal-area projection. Read how we make our maps.

Europe in other years

Other regions in 1500