Belarus Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Belarus appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 14 different states, among them Russian Empire, Poland-Lithuania, USSR, Poland, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
BelarusExplore the history of Belarus in the interactive map
Who ruled the land of Belarus, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| AD 900 | Kievan Rus' 61% |
| 1000 | Kievan Rus' 90% · Poland 10% |
| 1100 | Kievan Rus' 71% · Principality of Polotsk 19% · Poland 10% |
| 1200 | Other Rus Principalities 81% · Principality of Galicia-Volhynia 13% · Poland 3% |
| 1300 | Ryazan 74% · Lithuania 26% |
| 1400 | Poland-Lithuania 100% |
| 1492 | Poland-Lithuania 100% |
| 1500 | Poland-Lithuania 100% |
| 1600 | Poland-Lithuania 100% |
| 1650 | Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 100% |
| 1700 | Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 100% |
| 1783 | Poland 87% · Russian Empire 13% |
| 1800 | Russian Empire 100% |
| 1815 | Russian Empire 100% |
| 1880 | Russian Empire 100% |
| 1900 | Russian Empire 100% |
| 1914 | Russian Empire 100% |
| 1920 | USSR 65% · Poland 35% |
| 1930 | White Russia 58% · Poland 42% |
| 1938 | USSR 65% · Poland 35% |
| 1945 | USSR 100% |
| 1960 | USSR 100% |
| 1994 | Belarus 100% |
| 2010 | Belarus 100% |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Belarus?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Belarus belonged to Russian Empire, Poland-Lithuania, USSR, Poland, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Belarus, along with 8 other states.
What was Belarus part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Belarus lay within Kievan Rus'.
What was Belarus part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Belarus lay within Poland-Lithuania.
What was Belarus part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Belarus lay within Russian Empire.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.