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Historical map · 400

Map of Europe in 400

In 400, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 16 states, empires and other polities in Europe. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Western Roman Empire, Huns and the Eastern Roman Empire. The Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 3.9 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe in 400. 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 400 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 400
Atlas map: The Storm from the North (Ad 396)
FROM THE ATLAS · ROME, CHAPTER 10: THE STORM FROM THE NORTH (AD 396)

States and empires in Europe in 400

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Western Roman Empire Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²395–475
Huns Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.4 million km²106–673
Eastern Roman Empire Wikipedia967,000 km²1.8 million km²31 BC–AD 632
Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire Wikipedia187,000 km²3.9 million km²358–450
Sasanian Empire Wikipedia187,000 km²3.0 million km²215–643
Visigoths Wikipedia45,000 km²45,000 km²396–425
Vandals Wikipedia32,000 km²32,000 km²337–438
Caucasian Iberia Wikipedia32,000 km²36,000 km²63 BC–AD 533
Ripuarian Franks Wikipedia28,000 km²28,000 km²238–509
Lazica Wikipedia23,000 km²23,000 km²63 BC–AD 777
Norse Wikipedia16,000 km²16,000 km²161–499
Salian Franks Wikipedia7,080 km²7,080 km²358–509
Saxons Wikipedia6,310 km²6,310 km²283–799
Caucasian Albania Wikipedia2,050 km²75,000 km²63 BC–AD 509
Lakhmid Kingdom Wikipedia1,520 km²259,000 km²270–633
Angles Wikipedia1,290 km²1,290 km²387–479

"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 300

New on the map: Western Roman Empire, Huns, Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire, Visigoths, Vandals, Salian Franks, Angles.

Gone from the map: Gothia, Kingdom of Armenia, Burgundians, Cimmerian Bosporus, Kingdom of Adiabene.

What comes next: 500

Appear by 500: Allegiance of Ostrogothic Kingdom to Eastern Roman Empire, Visigothic Kingdom, Scandinavian minor kingdoms, Merovingian Empire, Vandal Kingdom, Brythonic Kingdoms, Burgundian Kingdom, Kingdom of the Suebi, Anglo-Saxon England, Kingdom of Thuringia, Lombards, Kingdom of Sussex, Kingdom of Kent.

Gone by 500: Western Roman Empire, Huns, Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire, Visigoths, Vandals, Norse, Angles.

Read the history of 400

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 400?

The map data draws 16 states and other polities in Europe in 400. The largest by land were the Western Roman Empire, Huns, the Eastern Roman Empire, the Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire and the Sasanian Empire.

What was the largest empire in Europe in 400?

Of the states on this map, the Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire held the most land in total: about 3.9 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Europe in 400 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 400, 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 400