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Historical map · 1550

Map of Europe in 1550

In 1550, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 49 states, empires and other polities in Europe. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Ottoman Empire, Tsardom of Russia and the Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 9.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe in 1550. 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 1550 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1550

States and empires in Europe in 1550

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.6 million km²3.3 million km²1305–1923
Tsardom of Russia Wikipedia1.4 million km²2.4 million km²1547–1720
Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy Wikipedia1.1 million km²5.2 million km²1519–1563
Spanish Empire Wikipedia972,000 km²9.2 million km²1516–1931
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia970,000 km²970,000 km²1516–2024
House of Jagiellon Wikipedia748,000 km²748,000 km²1395–1571
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia669,000 km²669,000 km²980–2024
Denmark Wikipedia607,000 km²609,000 km²1046–1940
Kingdom of France Wikipedia496,000 km²979,000 km²990–1848
Holy Roman Empire Minor States Wikipedia304,000 km²608,000 km²922–1806
Kingdom of England Wikipedia178,000 km²357,000 km²936–1708
Hafsid Dynasty Wikipedia170,000 km²222,000 km²1236–1571
Eastern Hungarian Kingdom Wikipedia144,000 km²144,000 km²1529–1571
Crimean Khanate Wikipedia137,000 km²137,000 km²1450–1782
Zayyanid dynasty Wikipedia125,000 km²125,000 km²1236–1555
Wattasid dynasty Wikipedia123,000 km²385,000 km²1468–1555
Livonian Conference Wikipedia116,000 km²116,000 km²1422–1563
Habsburg Monarchy Wikipedia101,000 km²202,000 km²1459–1805
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia94,000 km²602,000 km²1502–1910
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia91,000 km²173,000 km²1147–1911
Kingdom of Scotland Wikipedia88,000 km²88,000 km²1294–1608
Principality of Moldavia Wikipedia82,000 km²82,000 km²1363–1858
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia77,000 km²2.4 million km²1502–1737
Principality of Wallachia Wikipedia74,000 km²74,000 km²1314–1858
Republic of Venice Wikipedia64,000 km²64,000 km²705–1796
Swiss Confederation Wikipedia46,000 km²46,000 km²1294–2024
House of Bourbon Wikipedia43,000 km²43,000 km²1333–1594
Electorate of Brandenburg Wikipedia42,000 km²42,000 km²1260–1618
Papal States Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²755–1870
Duchy of Prussia Wikipedia38,000 km²38,000 km²1526–1618
Duchy of Bavaria Wikipedia35,000 km²35,000 km²1260–1805
Electorate of Saxony Wikipedia34,000 km²34,000 km²1363–1805
County of Foix Wikipedia30,000 km²30,000 km²1236–1555
Astrakhan Khanate Wikipedia30,000 km²162,000 km²1468–1768
Qasim Khanate Wikipedia24,000 km²24,000 km²1453–1551
Kingdom of Georgia Wikipedia22,000 km²28,000 km²1010–1802
Duchy of Lorraine Wikipedia17,000 km²17,000 km²1431–1768
Electorate of Trier Wikipedia17,000 km²17,000 km²1333–1618
Principality of Mingrelia Wikipedia13,000 km²13,000 km²1468–1810
Republic of Genoa Wikipedia13,000 km²13,000 km²1010–1795

Also on the map: Republic of Florence, Kingdom of Imereti, Principality of Abkhazia, Principality of Guria, Kingdom of Kakheti, Portuguese Africa, Comtat Venaissin, Republic of Ragusa, 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 1500

New on the map: 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 from the map: 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.

What comes next: 1600

Appear by 1600: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Iberian Union, Saadi Sultanate, Small Horde, Don Cossacks, House of Savoy, Dutch Republic.

Gone by 1600: Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy, Kingdom of Spain, House of Jagiellon, Hafsid Dynasty, Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, Zayyanid dynasty, Wattasid dynasty, Livonian Conference, Portuguese Empire, Kingdom of Portugal, Safavid Dynasty, Principality of Wallachia, House of Bourbon, County of Foix, Astrakhan Khanate, Qasim Khanate, Kingdom of Georgia, Principality of Mingrelia, Kingdom of Imereti, Principality of Abkhazia, Principality of Guria, Kingdom of Kakheti, Portuguese Africa.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Europe in 1550?

The map data draws 49 states and other polities in Europe in 1550. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, Tsardom of Russia, the Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy, the Spanish Empire and the Kingdom of Spain.

What was the largest empire in Europe in 1550?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 9.2 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Europe in 1550 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1550, 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 1550