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Historical map · 1600

Map of Europe in 1600

In 1600, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 33 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 Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 13.6 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe in 1600. 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 1600 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1600

States and empires in Europe in 1600

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.1 million km²4.3 million km²1305–1923
Tsardom of Russia Wikipedia1.5 million km²4.8 million km²1547–1720
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Wikipedia841,000 km²841,000 km²1572–1793
Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire Wikipedia832,000 km²7.3 million km²755–1870
Spanish Empire Wikipedia790,000 km²13.6 million km²1516–1931
Iberian Union Wikipedia786,000 km²796,000 km²1582–1639
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia712,000 km²712,000 km²980–2024
Denmark Wikipedia616,000 km²617,000 km²1046–1940
Kingdom of France Wikipedia460,000 km²921,000 km²990–1848
Habsburg Monarchy Wikipedia351,000 km²702,000 km²1459–1805
Holy Roman Empire Wikipedia292,000 km²585,000 km²922–1806
Principality of Moldavia Wikipedia256,000 km²256,000 km²1363–1858
Kingdom of England Wikipedia215,000 km²430,000 km²936–1708
Saadi Sultanate Wikipedia123,000 km²578,000 km²1556–1740
Kingdom of Scotland Wikipedia92,000 km²92,000 km²1294–1608
Small Horde Wikipedia83,000 km²108,000 km²1450–1737
Don Cossacks Wikipedia64,000 km²64,000 km²1552–1641
Crimean Khanate Wikipedia59,000 km²59,000 km²1450–1782
Republic of Venice Wikipedia50,000 km²50,000 km²705–1796
House of Savoy Wikipedia44,000 km²44,000 km²1564–1720
Electorate of Brandenburg Wikipedia44,000 km²44,000 km²1260–1618
Swiss Confederation Wikipedia44,000 km²44,000 km²1294–2024
Duchy of Prussia Wikipedia38,000 km²38,000 km²1526–1618
Dutch Republic Wikipedia35,000 km²73,000 km²1582–1795
Duchy of Bavaria Wikipedia35,000 km²35,000 km²1260–1805
Electorate of Saxony Wikipedia26,000 km²26,000 km²1363–1805
Republic of Florence Wikipedia20,000 km²20,000 km²1260–1737
Duchy of Lorraine Wikipedia17,000 km²17,000 km²1431–1768
Electorate of Trier Wikipedia17,000 km²17,000 km²1333–1618
Republic of Genoa Wikipedia16,000 km²16,000 km²1010–1795
Comtat Venaissin Wikipedia2,320 km²2,320 km²1272–1790
Republic of Ragusa Wikipedia1,540 km²1,540 km²1385–1808
County of Urgell Wikipedia310 km²310 km²870–1808

"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 1550

New on the map: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Iberian Union, Saadi Sultanate, Small Horde, Don Cossacks, House of Savoy, Dutch Republic.

Gone from the map: 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.

What comes next: 1648

Appear by 1648: Swedish Empire, Kingdom of Spain, Commonwealth of England, Astrakhan Khanate, Principality of Transylvania, Brandenburg-Prussia, Kalmyk Khanate, Portuguese Empire, Kingdom of Portugal, Principality of Wallachia, Irish Catholic Confederation, Safavid Dynasty, Kingdom of Kartli, Principality of Mingrelia, Kingdom of Imereti, Principality of Abkhazia, Principality of Guria.

Gone by 1648: Iberian Union, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Scotland, Don Cossacks, Electorate of Brandenburg, Duchy of Prussia, Electorate of Trier.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Europe in 1600?

The map data draws 33 states and other polities in Europe in 1600. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, Tsardom of Russia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire and the Spanish Empire.

What was the largest empire in Europe in 1600?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 13.6 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Europe in 1600 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1600, 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 1600