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Historical map · 1776

Map of Europe in 1776

In 1776, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 44 states, empires and other polities in Europe. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire and the Swedish Empire. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 20.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe in 1776. 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 1776 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1776
Atlas map: The World of 1775 (Apr 1775)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE AGE OF REVOLUTIONS, CHAPTER 1: THE WORLD OF 1775 (APR 1775)

States and empires in Europe in 1776

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Russian Empire Wikipedia2.2 million km²16.0 million km²1721–1916
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.6 million km²2.9 million km²1305–1923
Swedish Empire Wikipedia785,000 km²785,000 km²1612–1814
Habsburg Monarchy Wikipedia662,000 km²1.3 million km²1459–1805
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia593,000 km²593,000 km²1516–2024
Kingdom of France Wikipedia532,000 km²1.1 million km²990–1848
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Wikipedia531,000 km²531,000 km²1572–1793
Denmark Wikipedia522,000 km²523,000 km²1046–1940
Spanish Empire Wikipedia503,000 km²20.2 million km²1516–1931
British Empire Wikipedia341,000 km²3.2 million km²1706–1999
United Kingdom Wikipedia340,000 km²340,000 km²1709–2024
Regency of Algiers Wikipedia211,000 km²211,000 km²1706–1845
Kingdom of Prussia Wikipedia205,000 km²205,000 km²1702–1863
Holy Roman Empire Wikipedia191,000 km²381,000 km²922–1806
Morocco Wikipedia124,000 km²388,000 km²1670–2024
Crimean Khanate Wikipedia123,000 km²123,000 km²1450–1782
Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic) Wikipedia92,000 km²92,000 km²1762–1814
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia92,000 km²13.3 million km²1502–1910
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia92,000 km²96,000 km²1147–1911
Beylik of Tunis Wikipedia79,000 km²79,000 km²1706–1884
Kingdom of Sardinia Wikipedia78,000 km²78,000 km²1721–1861
Principality of Wallachia Wikipedia74,000 km²74,000 km²1314–1858
Principality of Moldavia Wikipedia70,000 km²70,000 km²1363–1858
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
Dutch Republic Wikipedia37,000 km²845,000 km²1582–1795
Electorate of Saxony Wikipedia33,000 km²33,000 km²1363–1805
Electorate of Hanover Wikipedia32,000 km²32,000 km²1709–1802
Kingdom of Georgia Wikipedia28,000 km²55,000 km²1010–1802
Duchy of Courland Wikipedia28,000 km²28,000 km²1734–1793
Zand Dynasty Wikipedia15,000 km²1.6 million km²1748–1793
Republic of Genoa Wikipedia14,000 km²14,000 km²1010–1795
Kingdom of Imereti Wikipedia11,000 km²11,000 km²1468–1810
Khanates of the Caucasus Wikipedia11,000 km²88,000 km²1748–1796
Principality of Abkhazia Wikipedia8,650 km²8,650 km²1468–1829
Karamanli Dynasty Wikipedia6,480 km²86,000 km²1713–1839
Principality of Mingrelia Wikipedia5,100 km²5,100 km²1468–1810
Principality of Guria Wikipedia3,720 km²3,720 km²1468–1829

Also on the map: Principality of Svaneti, 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 1750

New on the map: Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic), Electorate of Saxony, Zand Dynasty.

Gone from the map: Astrakhan Khanate, Zaporozhian Cossacks, Kalmyk Khanate, Sloboda Ukraine, Duchy of Lorraine, Afsharid Iran, Kingdom of Kakheti.

What comes next: 1789

Gone by 1789: Crimean Khanate, Zand Dynasty.

Read the history of 1776

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 1776?

The map data draws 44 states and other polities in Europe in 1776. The largest by land were the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Swedish Empire, Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of Spain.

What was the largest empire in Europe in 1776?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 20.2 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Europe in 1776 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1776, 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 1776