Denmark Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands

The land of today's Denmark appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 5 different states, among them Denmark, Denmark-Norway, Danes, Kalmar Union, Saxons.

Denmark

Explore the history of Denmark in the interactive map

Compare 1000 with today · Denmark as a state on the map

Who ruled the land of Denmark, 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.

Questions

Which empires and states ruled the territory of Denmark?

On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Denmark belonged to Denmark, Denmark-Norway, Danes, Kalmar Union, Saxons.

What was Denmark part of in 1000?

On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Denmark lay within Denmark-Norway.

What was Denmark part of in 1500?

On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Denmark lay within Kalmar Union.

What was Denmark part of in 1900?

On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Denmark lay within Denmark.

Further reading

• History of Denmark in Encyclopaedia Britannica
• History of Denmark on Wikipedia

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.