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Historical map · 1453

Map of the World in 1453

In 1453, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 129 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty and the Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1453. 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 1453 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1453
Atlas map: What the Norse Left (1450)
FROM THE ATLAS · CLIMATE AND INNOVATION, CHAPTER 6: WHAT THE NORSE LEFT (1450)

States and empires in the World in 1453

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty5.4 million km²5.4 million km²1395–1897
Ming Dynasty Wikipedia5.0 million km²5.0 million km²1375–1644
Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire Wikipedia4.7 million km²4.7 million km²1375–1467
Khanate of Sibir Wikipedia4.4 million km²4.4 million km²1429–1587
Four Oirats Wikipedia4.0 million km²4.0 million km²1402–1676
Timurid Empire Wikipedia3.7 million km²3.7 million km²1375–1506
Kalmar Union Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1402–1525
Holy Roman Empire Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²922–1806
Tibet Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1363–1952
Chagatai Khanate Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1294–1462
Mamluk Sultanate Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1241–1518
Novgorod Republic Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1056–1481
Vassalage of Electorate of Brandenburg to Holy Roman Empire Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1260–1618
Allegiance of Swiss Confederation to Holy Roman Empire Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1294–2024
Mali Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1236–1611
House of Jagiellon Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1395–1571
Majapahit Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1294–1518
Kingdom of France Wikipedia770,000 km²770,000 km²990–1848
Golden Horde Wikipedia714,000 km²714,000 km²1294–1695
Nogai Horde Wikipedia702,000 km²702,000 km²1450–1737
Vassalage of Jaffna kingdom to Vijayanagara Empire Wikipedia593,000 km²593,000 km²1314–1594
Vijayanagara Empire Wikipedia570,000 km²570,000 km²1344–1571
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia568,000 km²568,000 km²1305–1923
House of Habsburg Wikipedia560,000 km²560,000 km²1260–1515
House of Oldenburg Wikipedia441,000 km²441,000 km²1450–1458
Kingdom of England Wikipedia409,000 km²409,000 km²936–1708
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia394,000 km²394,000 km²1272–1935
Marinid Sultanate Wikipedia389,000 km²389,000 km²1250–1467
Ayutthaya Kingdom Wikipedia385,000 km²385,000 km²1352–1768
Rasulid Dynasty Wikipedia379,000 km²379,000 km²1236–1458
Lan Xang Wikipedia377,000 km²377,000 km²1363–1708
Bahmani Sultanate Wikipedia376,000 km²376,000 km²1352–1491
Crown of Castile Wikipedia360,000 km²360,000 km²1236–1515
Ashikaga Shogunate Wikipedia321,000 km²321,000 km²1344–1571
Grand Principality of Moscow Wikipedia316,000 km²316,000 km²1294–1546
Sultanate of Bengal Wikipedia307,000 km²307,000 km²1344–1533
Shan States Wikipedia275,000 km²275,000 km²1294–1563
Delhi Sultanate Wikipedia247,000 km²247,000 km²1210–1528
Lodi Dynasty Wikipedia247,000 km²247,000 km²1453–1528
Crown of Aragon Wikipedia243,000 km²243,000 km²1169–1515

Also on the map: Khmer Empire, Aq Qoyunlu, Hafsid Dynasty, Crimean Khanate, Makuria Kingdom, Ava Kingdom, Later Mayan City-States, Khanate of Kazan, Jaunpur Sultanate, Inca Empire, Lê Dynasty, Kashmiri Sultanate, Adal Sultanate, Kingdom of Kongo, Kingdom of Georgia, Zayyanid dynasty, Alodia, Sind-Samma Dynasty, Livonian Conference, Beylik of Karaman, Principality of Moldavia, Chimu Empire, Duchy of Burgundy, Kingdom of Portugal, Chámpa, Kingdom of Scotland, Kingdom of Mrauk U, Mahdids, Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Principality of Wallachia, Haudenosaunee, Bahrani Dynasty, Serbian Empire, Aztec Triple Alliance, Teutonic Order, Ceylon, Sunda Kingdom, Lan Na Kingdom, Republic of Venice, Michoacán, Kingdom of Bosnia, Beylik of Isfendiyar, Shirvan, Papal States, House of Valois-Anjou, Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal, Duchy of Brittany, Duchy of Bavaria, County of Savoy, House of Ascania, House of Bourbon, Beylik of Dulkadir, Duchy of Milan, Emirate of Granada, Empire of Trebizond, Republic of Genoa, Ramadanid Emirate, Qasim Khanate, Byzantine Empire, Pskov Republic, Sultanate of Kedah, County of Périgord, Electorate of Trier, Ryazan, County of Foix, Republic of Florence, County of Armagnac, Bornu Empire, County of Maine, County of Nevers, Kingdom of Cyprus, Duchy of Lorraine, County of Touraine, Despotate of Epirus, Samudera Pasai Sultanate, Tver, Earldom of Desmond, Tondo, Sultanate of Brunei, Duchy of Saint Sava, Comtat Venaissin, Ryukyu Kingdom, Duchy of Styria, Republic of Ragusa, Namayan, County of Auvergne, Kathmandu, Principality of Theodoro, 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 1444

New on the map: Nogai Horde, House of Oldenburg, Lodi Dynasty, Crimean Khanate, Haudenosaunee, Qasim Khanate, Ryazan, County of Maine, Duchy of Lorraine, Duchy of Saint Sava, Duchy of Styria.

Gone from the map: Personal union of Polish-Lithuania Kingdom with Kingdom of Hungary, Vassalage of Kingdom of Bohemia to Holy Roman Empire, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Hungary, Sayyid Dynasty, Kingdom of Naples, Sukhothai Kingdom, Blue Horde, Duchy of Luxembourg, County of Béarn, Patriarchate of Aquileia.

What comes next: 1492

Appear by 1492: Mongol Khanate, Kazakh Khanate, Moghulistan, Songhai Empire, Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile, Personal union of Kingdom of Bohemia with Kingdom of Hungary, Wattasid dynasty, Tahirid Sultanate, Kingdom of Hungary, Warring States Japan, Kingdom of Bohemia, Habsburg Monarchy, Astrakhan Khanate, Bijapur Sultanate, Kapisa, Berar Sultanate, Sultanate of Palembang, Ahmadnagar Sultanate, Kingdom of Naples, Bidar Sultanate, Samtskhe-Saatabago, Electorate of Saxony, Kingdom of Kakheti, Prome Kingdom, Principality of Mingrelia, Kingdom of Imereti, Sultanate of Cirebon, Demak Sultanate, Sultanate of Malacca, Principality of Abkhazia and others.

Gone by 1492: Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire, Four Oirats, Chagatai Khanate, Novgorod Republic, House of Oldenburg, Marinid Sultanate, Rasulid Dynasty, Bahmani Sultanate, Jaunpur Sultanate, Beylik of Karaman, Chimu Empire, Duchy of Burgundy, Serbian Empire, Kingdom of Bosnia, Beylik of Isfendiyar, House of Valois-Anjou, Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal, Duchy of Brittany, House of Ascania, Emirate of Granada, Empire of Trebizond, Byzantine Empire, County of Périgord, County of Maine, Kingdom of Cyprus, County of Touraine, Despotate of Epirus, Tver, Earldom of Desmond, Duchy of Saint Sava and others.

Read the history of 1453

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the World in 1453?

The map data draws 129 states and other polities in the World in 1453. The largest by land were the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, the Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire, the Khanate of Sibir and Four Oirats.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1453?

Of the states on this map, the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty held the most land in total: about 5.4 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 1453 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1453, 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.

World in other years

Other regions in 1453