Italy Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Italy appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 49 different states, among them Italy, Holy Roman Empire, Roman Empire, Papal States, Carolingian Empire.
ItalyExplore the history of Italy in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Italy as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Italy, 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 | Boii 23% · Etruscans 13% · Greek city-states 13% |
| 400 BC | Boii 19% · Etruscans 15% · Carthaginian Empire 8% |
| 323 BC | Greek city-states 29% · Sabines 10% · Rome 8% |
| 300 BC | Greek city-states 27% · Roman Republic 21% · Italy 4% |
| 200 BC | Rome 100% |
| 100 BC | Roman Republic 100% |
| 1 BC | Roman Empire 100% |
| AD 100 | Roman Empire 100% |
| AD 200 | Roman Empire 100% |
| AD 400 | Western Roman Empire 100% |
| AD 500 | Ostrogoths 85% · Vandals 15% |
| AD 600 | Eastern Roman Empire 50% · Lombard principalities 40% · Frankish Kingdom 10% |
| AD 700 | Eastern Roman Empire 50% · Lombard principalities 40% · Frankish Kingdom 10% |
| AD 800 | Carolingian Empire 65% · Byzantine Empire 15% · Papal States 10% |
| AD 900 | Carolingian Empire 71% · Lombard duchies 10% · Emirate of Sicily 10% |
| 1000 | Holy Roman Empire 65% · Emirate of Sicily 10% · Burgundy 10% |
| 1100 | Holy Roman Empire 50% · Duchy of Benevento 19% · Papal States 15% |
| 1200 | Holy Roman Empire 50% · Duchy of Benevento 19% · Papal States 15% |
| 1300 | Holy Roman Empire 58% · Sicily 21% · Papal States 15% |
| 1400 | Holy Roman Empire 58% · Sicily 21% · Papal States 15% |
| 1492 | Holy Roman Empire 42% · Aragón 25% · Papal States 21% |
| 1500 | Holy Roman Empire 42% · Aragón 25% · Papal States 21% |
| 1600 | Papal States 21% · Venice 13% · Florence 13% |
| 1650 | Papal States 21% · Venice 13% · Naples 10% |
| 1700 | Papal States 21% · Venice 13% · Naples 10% |
| 1783 | Papal States 21% · Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 21% · Kingdom of Sardinia 17% |
| 1800 | Papal States 21% · Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 21% · Kingdom of Sardinia 21% |
| 1815 | Papal States 21% · Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 21% · Kingdom of Sardinia 21% |
| 1880 | Italy 94% · Austria Hungary 6% |
| 1900 | Italy 94% · Austria Hungary 6% |
| 1914 | Kingdom of Italy 94% · Austro-Hungarian Empire 6% |
| 1920 | Italy 100% |
| 1930 | Italy 100% |
| 1938 | Italy 100% |
| 1945 | Italy 100% |
| 1960 | Italy 100% |
| 1994 | Italy 100% |
| 2010 | Italy 100% |
Historic cities in Italy
Famous people of Italy
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 106 BC – 43 BC | Cicero | Orator and statesman |
| 100 BC – 44 BC | Julius Caesar | Roman general and dictator |
| 70 BC – 19 BC | Virgil | Poet |
| 69 BC – 30 BC | Cleopatra VII | Queen of Egypt |
| 63 BC – AD 14 | Augustus | First Roman emperor |
| AD 121 – AD 180 | Marcus Aurelius | Roman emperor and philosopher |
| AD 354 – AD 430 | Augustine of Hippo | Theologian |
| AD 482 – AD 565 | Justinian I | Byzantine emperor |
| c. AD 742 – AD 814 | Charlemagne | King of the Franks and emperor |
| 1194 – 1250 | Frederick II | Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily |
| 1225 – 1274 | Thomas Aquinas | Theologian |
| 1254 – 1324 | Marco Polo | Merchant and traveller |
| 1265 – 1321 | Dante Alighieri | Poet |
| c. 1267 – 1337 | Giotto | Painter and architect |
| 1304 – 1374 | Petrarch | Poet and humanist |
| 1449 – 1492 | Lorenzo de’ Medici | Ruler of Florence |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 216 BC | Battle of Cannae |
| 49 BC | Rubicon |
| AD 79 | Pompeii |
| AD 312 | Battle of the Milvian Bridge |
| 1077 | Canossa |
Landmarks
ColosseumRuins · AD 80
PantheonStanding · AD 125
St. Peter's BasilicaRebuilt · 1626
Florence CathedralStanding · 1436
St Mark's BasilicaStanding · 1092
Leaning Tower of PisaStanding · 1372
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Italy?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Italy belonged to Italy, Holy Roman Empire, Roman Empire, Papal States, Carolingian Empire, Roman Republic, along with 43 other states.
What was Italy part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Italy lay within Holy Roman Empire.
What was Italy part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Italy lay within Holy Roman Empire.
What was Italy part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Italy lay within Italy.
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.