France Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's France appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 27 different states, among them France, Roman Empire, Kingdom of France, Frankish Kingdom, Western Roman Empire.
FranceExplore the history of France in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · France as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of France, 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 |
|---|---|
| 500 BC | Greek city-states 8% |
| 400 BC | Greek colonies 4% |
| 200 BC | Rome 2% |
| 100 BC | Roman Republic 8% |
| 1 BC | Roman Empire 100% |
| AD 100 | Roman Empire 100% |
| AD 200 | Roman Empire 100% |
| AD 400 | Western Roman Empire 100% |
| AD 500 | Visigoths 44% · Franks 40% · Armorica 10% |
| AD 600 | Frankish Kingdom 60% · Neustria 27% · Broërec 6% |
| AD 700 | Frankish Kingdom 60% · Neustria 27% · Broërec 6% |
| AD 800 | Carolingian Empire 92% · Brittany 8% |
| AD 900 | West Francia 85% · Brittany 8% · Carolingian Empire 6% |
| 1000 | Kingdom of France 92% · Brittany 8% |
| 1100 | Kingdom of France 92% · Brittany 8% |
| 1200 | Angevin Empire 46% · Kingdom of France 29% · Comté de Toulouse 15% |
| 1300 | France 71% · English territory 19% · Brittany 8% |
| 1400 | France 71% · English territory 19% · Brittany 8% |
| 1492 | France 90% · Brittany 8% · Aragón 2% |
| 1500 | France 90% · Brittany 8% · Aragón 2% |
| 1600 | France 98% · Spain 2% |
| 1650 | France 98% · Spain 2% |
| 1700 | France 100% |
| 1783 | France 100% |
| 1800 | France 100% |
| 1815 | France 100% |
| 1880 | France 100% |
| 1900 | France 100% |
| 1914 | France 100% |
| 1920 | France 100% |
| 1930 | France 100% |
| 1938 | France 100% |
| 1945 | France 100% |
| 1960 | France 100% |
| 1994 | France 100% |
| 2010 | France 100% |
Historic cities in France
Famous people of France
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1028 – 1087 | William the Conqueror | King of England |
| 1225 – 1274 | Thomas Aquinas | Theologian |
| 1304 – 1374 | Petrarch | Poet and humanist |
| c. 1412 – 1431 | Joan of Arc | French national heroine |
| 1509 – 1564 | John Calvin | Reformer |
| 1596 – 1650 | René Descartes | Philosopher and mathematician |
| 1638 – 1715 | Louis XIV | King of France |
| 1694 – 1778 | Voltaire | Enlightenment writer |
| 1706 – 1790 | Benjamin Franklin | Scientist and statesman |
| 1712 – 1778 | Jean-Jacques Rousseau | Philosopher |
| 1743 – 1826 | Thomas Jefferson | Third president of the United States |
| 1769 – 1821 | Napoleon Bonaparte | Emperor of the French |
| 1802 – 1885 | Victor Hugo | Writer |
| 1807 – 1882 | Giuseppe Garibaldi | Leader of Italian unification |
| 1810 – 1849 | Frédéric Chopin | Composer and pianist |
| 1818 – 1883 | Karl Marx | Philosopher and economist |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 52 BC | Battle of Alesia |
| AD 451 | Battle of the Catalaunian Plains |
| AD 732 | Battle of Tours–Poitiers |
| 1095 | Clermont |
| 1346 | Battle of Crécy |
| 1415 | Battle of Agincourt |
| 1429 | Battle of Orléans |
| 1588 | Battle of Gravelines |
| 1870 | Battle of Sedan |
| 1916 | Battle of Verdun |
| 1916 | Battle of the Somme |
| 1919 | Versailles |
Landmarks
Notre-Dame de ParisStanding · 1163
Mont-Saint-MichelStanding · AD 966
Pont du GardStanding · AD 50
BastilleLost · 1370
Tuileries PalaceLost · 1564
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of France?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern France belonged to France, Roman Empire, Kingdom of France, Frankish Kingdom, Western Roman Empire, Carolingian Empire, along with 21 other states.
What was France part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's France lay within Kingdom of France.
What was France part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's France lay within France.
What was France part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's France lay within France.
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.