Portugal Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands

The land of today's Portugal 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 Portugal, Roman Empire, Emirate of Córdoba, Roman Republic, Western Roman Empire.

Portugal

Explore the history of Portugal in the interactive map

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

Who ruled the land of Portugal, 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 Portugal

• Porto

Famous people of Portugal

Questions

Which empires and states ruled the territory of Portugal?

On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Portugal belonged to Portugal, Roman Empire, Emirate of Córdoba, Roman Republic, Western Roman Empire, Umayyad Caliphate, along with 8 other states.

What was Portugal part of in 1000?

On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Portugal lay within Caliphate of Córdoba.

What was Portugal part of in 1500?

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

What was Portugal part of in 1900?

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

Further reading

• History of Portugal in Encyclopaedia Britannica
• History of Portugal 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.