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Historical map · 1648

Map of Europe in 1648

In 1648, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 43 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 Swedish Empire. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 13.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe in 1648. 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 1648 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1648

States and empires in Europe in 1648

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.0 million km²3.5 million km²1305–1923
Tsardom of Russia Wikipedia1.4 million km²10.0 million km²1547–1720
Swedish Empire Wikipedia890,000 km²890,000 km²1612–1814
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Wikipedia890,000 km²891,000 km²1572–1793
Spanish Empire Wikipedia678,000 km²13.0 million km²1516–1931
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia676,000 km²676,000 km²1516–2024
Denmark Wikipedia546,000 km²548,000 km²1046–1940
Kingdom of France Wikipedia488,000 km²1.0 million km²990–1848
Habsburg Monarchy Wikipedia328,000 km²656,000 km²1459–1805
Holy Roman Empire Wikipedia252,000 km²505,000 km²922–1806
Commonwealth of England Wikipedia167,000 km²167,000 km²1645–1661
Astrakhan Khanate Wikipedia124,000 km²125,000 km²1468–1768
Saadi Sultanate Wikipedia123,000 km²385,000 km²1556–1740
Principality of Transylvania Wikipedia111,000 km²111,000 km²1572–1695
Brandenburg-Prussia Wikipedia106,000 km²106,000 km²1619–1720
Kalmyk Khanate Wikipedia102,000 km²163,000 km²1632–1771
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia93,000 km²2.1 million km²1502–1910
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia92,000 km²101,000 km²1147–1911
Small Horde Wikipedia83,000 km²83,000 km²1450–1737
Principality of Moldavia Wikipedia82,000 km²82,000 km²1363–1858
Principality of Wallachia Wikipedia74,000 km²74,000 km²1314–1858
Crimean Khanate Wikipedia59,000 km²59,000 km²1450–1782
Irish Catholic Confederation Wikipedia56,000 km²56,000 km²1642–1652
Duchy of Bavaria Wikipedia46,000 km²46,000 km²1260–1805
Republic of Venice Wikipedia45,000 km²45,000 km²705–1796
Swiss Confederation Wikipedia44,000 km²44,000 km²1294–2024
Papal States Wikipedia42,000 km²42,000 km²755–1870
House of Savoy Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1564–1720
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia38,000 km²2.6 million km²1502–1737
Dutch Republic Wikipedia37,000 km²263,000 km²1582–1795
Electorate of Saxony Wikipedia35,000 km²35,000 km²1363–1805
Kingdom of England Wikipedia20,000 km²93,000 km²936–1708
Republic of Florence Wikipedia20,000 km²20,000 km²1260–1737
Duchy of Lorraine Wikipedia17,000 km²17,000 km²1431–1768
Kingdom of Kartli Wikipedia15,000 km²15,000 km²1463–1705
Republic of Genoa Wikipedia14,000 km²14,000 km²1010–1795
Principality of Mingrelia Wikipedia13,000 km²13,000 km²1468–1810
Kingdom of Imereti Wikipedia11,000 km²11,000 km²1468–1810
Principality of Abkhazia Wikipedia5,820 km²5,820 km²1468–1829
Principality of Guria Wikipedia4,650 km²4,650 km²1468–1829

Also on the map: 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 1600

New on the map: 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 from the map: Iberian Union, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Scotland, Don Cossacks, Electorate of Brandenburg, Duchy of Prussia, Electorate of Trier.

What comes next: 1700

Appear by 1700: Morocco, Zaporozhian Cossacks, Sloboda Ukraine.

Gone by 1700: Commonwealth of England, Saadi Sultanate, Principality of Transylvania, Irish Catholic Confederation, Electorate of Saxony.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Europe in 1648?

The map data draws 43 states and other polities in Europe in 1648. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, Tsardom of Russia, the Swedish Empire, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Spanish Empire.

What was the largest empire in Europe in 1648?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 13.0 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Europe in 1648 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1648, 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 1648