Netherlands Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands

The land of today's Netherlands appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 13 different states, among them Netherlands, Holy Roman Empire, Dutch Republic, Roman Empire, Carolingian Empire.

Netherlands

Explore the history of Netherlands in the interactive map

Compare 1000 with today

Who ruled the land of Netherlands, 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.

Historic cities in Netherlands

• Amsterdam

Famous people of Netherlands

Questions

Which empires and states ruled the territory of Netherlands?

On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Netherlands belonged to Netherlands, Holy Roman Empire, Dutch Republic, Roman Empire, Carolingian Empire, Frisians, along with 7 other states.

What was Netherlands part of in 1000?

On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Netherlands lay within Holy Roman Empire.

What was Netherlands part of in 1500?

On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Netherlands lay within Holy Roman Empire.

What was Netherlands part of in 1900?

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

Further reading

• History of Netherlands in Encyclopaedia Britannica
• History of Netherlands 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.