Romania Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Romania 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 Romania, Ottoman Empire, Avars, Austrian Empire, Hungary.
RomaniaExplore the history of Romania in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Romania as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Romania, 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 Romania
Landmarks
Bran CastleStanding · 1388
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Romania?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Romania belonged to Romania, Ottoman Empire, Avars, Austrian Empire, Hungary, Dacia, along with 21 other states.
What was Romania part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Romania lay within Magyars.
What was Romania part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Romania lay within Ottoman Empire.
What was Romania part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Romania lay within Romania.
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.